The two UNM groups will hold a National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day seminar in the SUB on Feb. 19 where there will be educational presentations and talks from a panel of people who are living with HIV.
“I think a lot of people think that (HIV) only affects certain populations depending on age, race, status,” said Abdul Onesimus Al-Amin, Community Outreach Coordinator for the UNM Black Student Union. “I think it’ll be eye-opening, especially to let teenagers know that they’re not immune.”
The event will also be providing rapid testing for HIV provided by the New Mexico Department of Health. The testing is free and confidential.
“I think we need to pull out all stops,” Al-Amin said. “Especially in minority communities, HIV is growing very fast.”
Since its emergence nearly 30 years ago, the virus HIV has been met with fear and misunderstanding. Since its spread, the scientific community has studied the virus to determine its behavior and transmission. During that time great strides have been made in discovering the nature of HIV/AIDS, according to Avert.org.
Despite new discoveries and treatments, Avert.org has provided evidence that HIV/AIDS is still misunderstood and feared by society. But the site also states that measures are being taken by various organizations to help prevent the spread of HIV.
The NMDOH states that one in 200 African Americans in New Mexico is HIV positive, and the infection rate among African Americans is three times higher than any other ethnic group in the state. The NMDOH also says that oftentimes many individuals who have HIV are not aware they are infected.
“I feel a lot of people have misconceptions about (HIV), like how you can get it or how it can be transferred,” said Jacklyn Asamoah, UNM Black Student Union president. “If you actually do have it, a lot of people think they’ll just die immediately, but that’s obviously not the case.”
Asamoah said she believes there will be immediate effects on the community after the event.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day at UNM is part of a series of events orchestrated by the NMDOH that have taken place around Albuquerque since Feb. 5. The NMDOH HIV Prevention Program aims to help prevent the spread of the virus and to teach individuals to make safer choices such as condom use, not sharing syringes and disclosure of HIV status to their partner, according to a press release.
“The Office of African American Affairs is working closely with the Department of Health and other community advocates to identify health disparities among African Americans. We recognize that in New Mexico HIV and AIDS disproportionately affects African Americans,” Yvette Kaufman-Bell, director of the Office of African American Affairs, said in a recent press release from the NMDOH. “We hope that people will recognize these problems exist and take the opportunity to participate in one of the many events offering free HIV testing for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.”
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The education seminar and patient panel goes from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the SUB Ballroom A. The free and confidential HIV testing runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Fin Martinez is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @FinMartinez.
