12/01/09

Here in America, many people think that both AIDS and HIV are diseases that only affect a small part of the population. But in other places around the world, that's not the case.

In the country of Malawi, Africa, there are 1.4 million orphans whose parents have been killed by the disease AIDS.

Every three months a woman from Jerome visits Malawi, where there's now a place called 'McKallie's Home of Future and Hope' to help the survivors build new lives and make the transition to adulthood.

Founder Tracy Hills says, “What happens to the middle age of population of people are dying. So you're left with the very young and the very old. The very old don't have the resources or the ability to take care of the enormous amounts of children that are being left.”

Worldwide 33 million people have the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, while roughly one million of those are in the U.S. That translates to 600 people in the Gem State, and 55 of them in south central Idaho.

CSI student Robert Fink says, “There was such a large sum of people with AIDS that I never knew about.”

20 years ago, AIDS and HIV patients had to take 20 to 30 pills a day at strictly regulated times, which were very toxic to the human body. These days, people testing positive for HIV may only have to take one to three pills a day. But because the virus mutates once every minute and a half, an effective vaccine is nearly impossible to formulate.

Jill Schultz, RN, Coordinator of STD and HIV Programs says, “Yes, South Central Public Health does offer free HIV testing, it is confidential. We do, do a finger stick, so it is a little bit of a blood test. But you can call 737-5932, that is my direct line, and we can schedule a test.”