Promoting AIDS awareness in Tillsonburg
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One-quarter of Canadians who are HIV positive don’t even know it yet.
“They don’t know they are HIV positive because they’ve never been tested,” explained Oxford County public health nurse Gayle Milne.
Milne explains that the message of early detection and diagnosis is essential for better long-term outcomes for those with the disease.
“They can access treatments earlier, and it can keep them healthier longer,” she said. “They can take precautions to prevent the spread to other people as well as protecting themselves.”
Oxford public health is offering free testing for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS on a walk-in basis Wednesday, Nov. 27 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
On Monday morning public health nurses and volunteers decorated Woodstock’s Museum Square with dozens of hand knitted red scarves as part of HIV/AIDS Awareness Week, leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1, 2013. Tuesday morning, additional scares were tied around light posts and trees in downtown Tillsonburg as part of the same exercise.
“It’s an opportunity to raise awareness of the red ribbon,” Milne said.
The red scarves — designed to be a larger and a more visual version of the red ribbon — were left to be taken by anyone who needed one.
The remainder will be donated to local charity.
The Red Scarves Project was originally created by the Regional HIV AIDS Committee in London, where over 300 hand-knitted scarves were used as part of a public awareness installation on the streets of their downtown.
Each red scarf has a tag with HIV information included.
Thirty-four million people around the world are living with HIV/AIDS and in 2011 1.8-million people died from AIDS-related issues.
In Canada, 71,000 people are living with HIV. Those numbers have risen significantly from the 64,000 people who were infected with the disease in 2008.
While there are no numbers of how many people in Oxford are affected with the disease, Milne said, “every year we have new infections in Oxford.”
People who have been infected by HIV often display flu-like symptoms around six to eight weeks after exposure.
Those with the disease can have no symptoms of the disease for three to 20 years.
“Over time it affects the immune system, with opportunistic infections,” Milne said. “These infections can potentially kill them.”
Milne said myths, such as that there is a cure, or there is vaccine, have developed.
“An imminent vaccine is not the case,” she said. “It’s a long time away.”
While there is no cure for HIV/AIDS, people who receive treatment are living longer.
“We are seeing people die of age-related disease,” she said. “We are seeing people live to old age if they have access to treatment.”
Public health offers free testing and education about HIV/AIDs.
For more information call 519-539-9800 or 1-800-755-0394 extension 3490.
heather.rivers@sunmedia.ca