Reflective Post 1 (Sarah)

While listening to Liz Bayer talk about HIV/AIDS in Washington D.C., I couldn’t help but cringe as she rattled off facts: 3.2% of people in D.C. are HIV positive, D.C. has the same HIV infection rate as Nigeria and in D.C. HIV is considered a general epidemic. As these startling facts began to sink in, I started to wonder why we weren’t doing more to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and why didn’t there seem to be appropriate support systems set up for those already stricken with HIV/AIDS? The few support systems that Liz did mention were the same support systems that were facing looming budget cuts or had already had the budget cut. This was what really made me frustrated, why are we cutting funding to programs that help save people’s lives? While the economy continues to suffer and spending continues to be curtailed, I feel that it is unfair to cut the funding to programs that help individuals survive. Without the treatment and facilities that Liz mentioned there’s the possibility that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in D.C. could worsen and the very real possibility that more individuals would be dying because of AIDS related opportunistic infections.

After Liz’s presentation, PEPFAR continued to drive home the message that HIV/AIDS is a real issue that our world is facing. With more than 33 million people suffering from HIV/AIDS, the disease continues to be transmitted. PEPFAR also talked about the importance of educating people about HIV/AIDS and safe sex. One major thing that I appreciated that PEPFAR told us about was their emphasis on utilizing local organizations to help with this task. I feel that this is a really important part because once you train someone locally; they’ll continue to be a resource whereas if you simply set up a temporary clinic, you may be gone next year. Overall, hearing more about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially in D.C., was startling. I know that there is a lot being done on the issue but there is also so much more that needs to be tackled.