HIV/AIDS spreads through N.C. campuses

Editorial

Elon students should be concerned about HIV/AIDS – not just because the epidemic runs rampant in third-world countries, but because HIV/AIDS has become a pressing issue on North Carolina college campuses.

According to a March 2 report by WXII-TV, Raleigh, AIDS cases have been identified at 37 North Carolina universities. The number of students documented as infected has increased dramatically since 2000, signaling what state health officials are calling the first AIDS epidemic among college students.

Are there cases of HIV/AIDS at Elon?

Get tested.

Four-hundred and two cases of HIV were reported in 2003 among North Carolina adults ages 20-29, representing 19 percent of the total number of people infected.

There is a chance that you have HIV/AIDS.

The RN Ellington Health and Counseling Center will be conducting free HIV testing this morning from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the health center. Elon Cares, Elon Volunteers! and Alamance Cares are sponsoring the confidential testing for students.

What does it hurt to take an hour out of the day to make sure you are aware of the state of your health?

People having sex with partners known to have HIV are not the only individuals who should seek testing. Anyone who has come in contact with others’ bodily fluids is at risk for developing the disease. Those who have performed CPR or rescue breathing, for example, should be tested for communicable diseases.

Showing up at the health center for HIV testing should not be embarrassing for anyone. Taking responsibility for one’s own health is part of becoming a member of a society that confronts the reality of infectious diseases.

It is important to your health, the health of loved ones and the health of others who will come in contact with you in the future that you know whether you are HIV positive.

If you can’t attend the 9 a..m. special event, schedule an hour you can visit the health center or another local medical facility before spring break.

Commissioning Periclean scholars, students and faculty to “put a face on AIDS in Africa is important to the community so that all may see the problems other people face and try to find solutions.

It is equally important to put a face on AIDS in America and in Elon.

What if that face is yours?