May 18th is National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day

It’s a day to thank the thousands of people around the world and here in Seattle who are working hard to create a vaccine.  It’s also a day to remember that 29 years after AIDS began changing the world, we need to use the tools we already have to prevent the spread of HIV.

At Lifelong, one of the hardest things we fight every day is complacency.  Our staff and volunteers do community outreach to help people make healthier decisions about sex, and all too often talk to those who think that HIV will never happen to them – until it does.

When used correctly, condoms are very effective against spreading HIV.  They’re cheap and easy to find.  Many places give them away!  Stop by Lifelong’s office and take a few.  Speaking of free, there’s no reason to share needles when King County has an excellent needle exchange (a program still banned in many places) and Lifelong hosts the Capitol Hill location six nights a week.  If you do have HIV or AIDS and are taking medications, be sure to take them correctly to reduce your viral load which, along with condom use, makes it harder to transmit HIV. 

May 18th is National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, not National HIV Vaccine Day.  It’s your job to protect yourself and others by preventing the spread of this still-incurable disease.  And until there is an effective vaccine and the spread of HIV ends, until HIV/AIDS is no longer associated with stigma and discrimination, until everyone living with HIV/AIDS has equal access to healthcare, the loving support of family and friends, and can meet their basic human needs for things like food and housing – Lifelong will be here to help.

  

Edited to add: if you would like to help work toward these goals, please partner with Lifelong as a donor or volunteer.