He wakes up each night soaked in sweat, consumed by chills that just won't go away. It's difficult for him to see because his vision is blurred and distorted. He feels slightly short of breath and no matter how much he sleeps, he still feels indescribably exhausted. He reaches out for some type of relief - begging for something to put him out of his misery, but a simple antibiotic won't
alleviate his symptoms.
He'll probably still feel this way tomorrow night, maybe even next week. It's difficult to tell which will be the good days and which will be the bad, because he doesn't just have a common cold, but AIDS.
For a person with AIDS, symptoms like these have the potential to be a normal routine, and, unfortunately, the number of people affected by the disease just keeps growing.
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) may not be highly prevalent in the United States, much less in Madison, Wis., but it has without a doubt become a certified pandemic around the world.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit medical practice which strives to diagnose and treat many complex illnesses, there are an estimated 39.5 million people worldwide infected with HIV.
AIDS is a chronic, life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, otherwise known as HIV. HIV has the potential to make the body more vulnerable to particular types of cancer and certain infections like meningitis and pneumonia.
AIDS has only been studied extensively for the last 30 years or so. According to Craig Roberts, a physician assistant and epidemiologist for University Health Services, most students at UW-Madison have a pretty good awareness about the deficiency.
There's a lot that seems to be going on with awareness already. It's one of the more popular tests we do here [at UHS],"" Roberts said. ""There is a willingness to talk about it, and students are coming to college with that knowledge.""
The silent issue
Nevertheless, AIDS still has the tendency to remain an unspoken issue.
""I think HIV/AIDS tends to be a 'hush hush' issue because sex is a 'hush hush' issue, and the primary method of HIV transmission in the U.S. and most other countries is via sexual contact,"" Erica Andrist, a Sex Out Loud staff member, said. ""We live in a country that is embarrassingly reluctant to talk about sex. Therefore, we are reluctant to talk about HIV/AIDS.""
According to Peter Zook, the Sex Out Loud program facilitator, the primary objective of Sex Out Loud is geared toward making sex safer and more pleasurable for students. However, they also organize events on and around World AIDS Day, which is Dec. 1.
Consequently, students may think they have a broad range of knowledge concerning AIDS, but they may be overreaching on how informed they think they are. Ignorance, in this case, does not equal bliss.
""What's more dangerous, however, is the fact that everyone knows 'something' about HIV/AIDS, and lots of people feel like their 'something' is 'everything,'"" Andrist said. ""When we ask students in our safer sex programs what five fluids can transmit HIV, 95 percent of the time, someone will say 'saliva.' This is completely false.""
Amid confusion on what actually transmits the HIV virus, students may also not be aware as to who is at risk.
""There are two to three positive tests each year here at UW. Almost all of those people are men who have sex with other men - that's the group to be most concerned about,"" Roberts said.
Youth at risk
Another concern, Roberts said, is that while numbers have been relatively stable in Wisconsin for the last five to 10 years, many younger people are being diagnosed each year.
""It goes up a little bit each year, but so does the population. What is different now is that many younger people are being diagnosed,"" Roberts said. ""Late 20s or 30s in years past, but early 20s now,"" noting that many young people may not be protecting themselves as well.
James Sosman, associate medical director with the HIV Care Program, maintains the crisis in and around the United States has diminished. The feeling that it is an automatic death sentence is off the front page of newspapers, but Sosman said people should not let their guard down.
""We want to promote new treatments, but at the same time it might make people more complacent,"" Sosman said. ""If they have more options, it could cause them to practice less safe sex.""
According to Andrist, Sex Out Loud remains a huge proponent of accurate, comprehensive sex education. However, she said, the first kind of ""awareness"" program should start with the individual. People should be getting tested, she emphasized - a lot.
""Some people recommend as often as every three months. Testing is free at UHS, the AIDS Network and Planned Parenthood,"" Andrist noted. ""So many HIV-positive individuals do not know they are HIV positive, and this is one of the main ways in which HIV keeps spreading: people who are unaware of their status and thus do not take necessary precautions with their sex partners.""
Turn fear into action
Those students who might be afraid to get tested for fear of having the disease should remember that HIV-positive people in the United States are living longer - almost decades longer compared to 25 years ago, according to Sosman.
""We didn't expect them to survive more than one year, but there are many more options now ... for people to live longer and healthier,"" he said. ""There is still no cure, but we're trying to convert it into a long-term chronic infection.""
Because it is difficult for a disease like AIDS to be open and accepted within society, it can remain a relatively isolated issue.
""Even if AIDS doesn't affect a student personally, it does affect us globally; it's a global issue,"" Roberts said. ""Worldwide it's such a huge problem, so people should definitely be aware of it.""
Zook shares this outlook, believing that many people do not think America is affected by AIDS and that it is only in ""other"" countries.
""What we all need to remember is that HIV/AIDS has no face; no one person characterizes what HIV/AIDS looks like,"" Zook said. ""It is down the street, it is in Sub-Saharan Africa and it is around the corner from the Eiffel Tower - a global perspective is key to the understanding and dissemination of knowledge when it comes to addressing HIV/AIDS.""
