Break The Silence

By Gregory De Vries

It’s nearly a year since we commemorated world AIDS day and the time has come for us to do so again. December 1st is a time for the whole world to come together under one cause; to fight against AIDS, one of the most awful diseases on the planet. On every world AIDS day there is a theme and slogan, this year theme is Leadership for Prevention and the slogan is Zero Tolerance against new infections. However, whilst world AIDS day is a fantastic occasion, the fight against AIDS is an ongoing problem and therefore we as a community must treat it as such; this year let us make a point of not only working against this horrible disease on December 1st but also work against it all year round.

HIV-AIDS is not black or white, it affects us all in Lüderitz and it’s about time that every Buchter plays his or her part. If you are infected with the virus know that every sunrise and sunset brings new possibility for a better life for you. This month make it your goal to see every day God gives you as an opportunity to improve your life, turn your past disappointments into future opportunities and focus on where you want to go instead of where and how you got the virus. Make being happy your number one priority.

BTS KNOW THIS: Cigarette smoking is a bad habit even for those in good health, but it is particularly dangerous for those with HIV. If you are HIV positive and smoke you are more likely to develop opportunistic infections, you are more likely to have lower CD4 counts and more likely to have an HIV related disease developing at a quicker rate; studies have shown HIV positive smokers develop AIDS faster than non –smokers. HIV positive smokers are also less likely to have successful HIV drug therapy; researchers think smoking may cause anti-retroviral drugs not to work as well as they should.