HIV/AIDS in your area....

But first some FACTS you may not know....

• HIV and AIDS are NOT the same thing.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body's immune system, which protects your body from disease and someone is said to have AIDS if their immune systems are badly damaged by the HIV virus, or if they develop serious infections connected with HIV.

NOTE: People don't die from AIDS itself, but from the other diseases that AIDS leaves you susceptible to...understand?? GOOD!

• You can't get HIV OR AIDS from casual contact like kissing, hugging, sharing toilet seats or water fountains. (Sharing toilet seats sounds gross but we do it everyday lol)

Since the virus CANNOT live outside the body, there's no way to contract the disease through sneezing or coughing or insect bites mkay?

• How you CAN get it......

AIDS is spread ONLY through blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. You can contract AIDS through both anal and vaginal sexual intercourse, and by sharing needles for drugs or piercings. So make sure that when you get any type of tattoo or piercing, that the needles are CLEAN!!!

• If you choose to have sex, the best way to combat AIDS is to practice SAFER sex.

Using latex condoms, gloves and/or dental dams can reduce the spread of AIDS. However, since condoms break, abstinence is the only sure-fire way to avoid contracting the disease (meaning NO SEX AT ALL).

• Getting treatment.

While there is no cure for AIDS, with new drugs people are able to live with AIDS for longer and longer. However, these drugs are often only available in wealthy countries.


With that said, now you know some facts about the virus/disease but let's get down to the statistics in the Poughkeepsie area.

In the Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, and Middletown area there is 3,255 cases of AIDS in those 3 cities.

Poughkeepsie's population alone is about 29,654 people.
49.2% - White
35.7% - Black
10.6% - Hispanic
5.3% - Other Race
4.1% - Two or More Races
1.2% -American Indian
0.6% - Asian American

So my advice to EVERYBODY, is to wrap it up, there is nothing safe about unsafe sex.