Woodmen Valley Chapel

HIV / AIDS has been kept in the dark for far too long. It’s time we all took some time to get smart on a disease that is causing a worldwide crisis that most of us know little to nothing about. Awareness and education are the keys to making an informed decision about how God may be calling you to make a difference – maybe right down your street or perhaps half way around the world.

What is HIV/AIDS?
Where did HIV/AIDS come from?
Can HIV or AIDS be cured?
How do you get HIV/AIDS?
Where is it a problem today?
Is it a problem here in Colorado?

Learn what Woodmen is already doing in response to this crisis.
HIV/AIDS Statistics
What are other churches doing?
Resources
More …

What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV and AIDS are related but are not the same thing. A person with HIV may or may not also have AIDS.

• HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Human means it affects men, women and children. Immunodeficiency refers to a decline in the body’s natural ability to fight infection. Virus means it is a small, infectious organism that reproduces inside a person. HIV is the virus that causes the disease known as AIDS.

• AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Acquired means that it is not genetic. Immunodeficiency, as with HIV, means that the immune system has become very weak or ineffective. Syndrome refers to a group of symptoms that occur together and characterize a disease. AIDS is a condition in which a weakened immune system has lost its natural ability to fight infections. In developing countries, such as the ones where Compassion works, usually non-lethal diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis pose a much bigger threat to those with weakened immune systems.

• To date about 65 million people have been infected with HIV. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized in 1981.

• Sub-Saharan Africa is home to more than 70 percent of the total world HIV-positive population.

Sources: The Skeptics Guide to the Global AIDS Crisis, www.one.org, www.unicef.org, www.unaids.org, www.thedatareport.org

HIV 101 Video – WATCH NOW
What is the difference between HIV and AIDS? What do ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs) do? How is HIV transmitted? What is the impact of the pandemic? How is HIV treated? These questions and many others are addressed in this compelling, short documentary.


Where did AIDS come from?

The first case of AIDS was identified in 1983, although the disease most likely existed long before then. Many believe the disease was first contracted by humans who ate meat from infected monkeys in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sources: The Skeptics Guide to the Global AIDS Crisis, www.unaids.org.

Can HIV or AIDS be cured?

So far, no cure has been found for either HIV or AIDS. There are a number of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs that help slow the effects of HIV. These drugs improve a person's ability to resist infections by stopping HIV from reproducing inside the body.

Sources: The Skeptics Guide to the Global AIDS Crisis, www.unaids.org.

How do you get HIV / AIDS?

HIV is transmitted through contact with blood, semen, vaginal, or amniotic fluid and breast milk. Although the virus is found in saliva, tears and perspiration, the concentration is generally too low for transmission. Unless a person has a cut or tear in the skin, he or she cannot be infected by dealing with human waste of those infected. Neither can a person be infected by sharing utensils with an infected person, swimming or bathing in the same water, being bitten by an insect, or being coughed or sneezed on, according to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC).

Sources: The Skeptics Guide to the Global AIDS Crisis, www.unaids.org.

Where is it a problem today?

HIV infections are found in every country in the world. When the first cases of AIDS were reported in the US, some of the best medicals minds went to work on the problem. The blood supply was tested and purged of potentially infected block. “At-risk” populations were urged to have HIV tests. With high visibility, most people in the US quickly learned about AIDS and how it was transmitted. Although nearly 500,000 individuals have died of AIDS in the US, the rate of infection has decreased by 70% since 1994. Those who are HIV positive have also benefited from drug therapies that have prolonged their lives.
Elsewhere, the situation is much worse. In poor countries, many people still do not know about the risk of AIDS. When people in impoverished villages are infected they are often already in bad health and malnourished, so their bodies have difficulty fighting the disease. Ineffective heath care systems have spread the infection through tainted blood supplies and no-sterile instruments and facilities. Lack of understanding has also led to myths and denial, which has only helped the disease spread.

HIV/AIDS by Region of the World (2004)

Sources: The Skeptics Guide to the Global AIDS Crisis, www.unaids.org.

Is it a problem here in Colorado?

Estimates are that over 10,000 people living in Colorado today are HIV positive. Locally, El Paso County has approximately 1,200 people who are infected by HIV. Each year over approximately 60,000 people become infected in the US.

Sources: Southern Colorado AIDS Project (SCAP) and El Paso County Dept of Health

Learn what Woodmen is already doing in response to this crisis

Woodmen Valley Chapel is working with the following strategic and tactical partners who are addressing HIV/AIDS directly.

Children’s HopeChest

Compassion International

Global Action

HCJB Global

Mosaiek Church / Emthonjeni Community Centre

RZIM Wellspring International