Private MD News

Seniors get educated about HIV

Category: HIV

According to the Associated Press, Washington D.C. has one of the highest rates of HIV infection, but almost 40 percent of those who have contracted the virus are above 50 years old.

"They were young people with risky behaviors and now they've become older people with risky behaviors," said Courtney Williams, a member of the D.C. Office on Aging.

Just like the city's youth, seniors engage in unprotected sex as well as drug use, but when they were younger, the elderly population didn't have the resources or knowledge to educate them about the inherent risks.

That's why the city has allocated $150,000 for a campaign that took two years to develop, that will reach out to the District of Columbia's elderly to inform them not only of the risks, but also the proper precautions when it comes to preventing HIV and AIDS, which can be detected with a blood test.

According to the news source, the lectures given to seniors are billed as talks about sexual health and relationships. The presenters inform the audience that even though a post-menopausal women can't get pregnant, condom use is still a good idea in order to prevent HIV transmission. They also talk about not sharing needles when self-injecting insulin and distribute special brochures and condoms.