In a week aimed at reminding the student community that HIV/AIDS
is not going away, students have organized various events that will
culminate in a march to Bruin Plaza on World AIDS Day this
Friday.
The purpose of Get Tested Week is to “beat
sexually-transmitted diseases through preventative
education,” according to a press release from the
Undergraduate Students Association Council Office of the General
Representative No. 1, which is hosting the event.
Half of all sexually active persons will contract an STD by age
25, but less than half of all adults between the ages of 18 and 44
have ever been tested for a STD other than HIV/AIDS, according to
the American Social Health Association.
The most recent figures from the World Health Organization show
that worldwide, there are 39.5 million people living with HIV. The
theme for Get Tested week is “Beat STDs,” as this year
the event coincides with “Beat ‘SC” week.
Volunteers will distribute condoms and STD informational brochures
on Bruin Walk and offer free testing to students.
“The goal is to educate students and to destigmatize the
idea of getting tested,” said Carlos Saucedo from the Office
of General Representative No. 1.
All week open forums, films and classes will be taking place
across the campus and students will be able to sign up for free,
rapid and anonymous HIV testing in the Court of Sciences and Pauley
Pavilion.
Processions will begin from Schoenberg Hall, De Neve and the
Court of Sciences on Friday at 11:30 a.m. and will convene at Bruin
Plaza. The event will continue with speeches, live music and art
exhibits.
Get Tested Week ends on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.
Since 1988, World AIDS Day has sought to focus global attention
on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, according to the World AIDS Campaign.
The message of UCLA’s World AIDS Day events is “Kiss
and Tell.”
“Know your status. It’s advantageous for both you
and your partner,” said Tamaron Jang, the USAC Student
Welfare commissioner. “And it’s particularly important
for people in our demographic.”
According to the World AIDS Campaign, this year’s message
is “accountability,” a plea to governments, policy
makers and regional health authorities to continue the fight
against HIV/AIDS and to uphold promises such as the “All by
2010″ pledge and the Millennium Development Goal to reduce
the spread of the disease. According to the international HIV/AIDS
charity AVERT, these targets are not being met.
World leaders agreed to these efforts to reduce the growth of
the epidemic, but according to the United Nations’ UNAIDS/WHO
2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, the disease continues to spread.
In North America and Western Europe, many HIV prevention
programs have not been sustained and the number of new infections
has not decreased since 2004. According to AVERT, due to better
drugs, new initiatives and promises like those made at the Group of
Eight summit last year to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, people
believe the situation is improving.
However, AVERT says the AIDS epidemic is worse than ever and is
still growing.
Programs such as Get Tested Week are part of attempts to counter
this growth, and organizers believe education and testing is vital
if the spread of HIV/AIDS is to be reduced.