Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Blade - May 15, 2009
Robert Turner, robert@turner-dc.com
Two weeks ago, I updated my Twitter account (@DCbigpappa) with a pithy comment about Topic A in the national spotlight: the H1N1 flu virus - notoriously known as the swine flu (but don't tell the pork producers). In that update, I said, "90 people get swine flu & everyone wants to wear a mask. Over 1 million people get AIDS & no one wants to wear a condom."
For those who don't know, Twitter is one of the latest Web 2.0 platforms that is used for social networking and micro-blogging, and enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets in 140 characters or less. I've had my Twitter account for nearly nine months now. Where's yours?
The reason the notion to contrast these two diseases is so vital is because of the recent revelation about the HIV/AIDS rate here in our nation's capital. Nearly two months ago, the District of Columbia HIV/AIDS Epidemiology 2008 Update was released by the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration, citing that at least 3 percent of District residents have HIV or AIDS. And that number is likely an undercount, according to its director, Shannon Hader.
ALTHOUGH I AM barely old enough to vividly call to mind the original outbreak here in America at the dawn of the 1980s, I specifically recall the broadcasts about Rock Hudson (1985) and Freddy Mercury (1991) dying of AIDS, and Magic Johnson (also 1991) contracting HIV. Imagine today, in our 24/7 all-things-breaking-news cycle, if we had our first HIV case identified. The Twitterverse would be running amuck.
It speaks a lot to media attention and how the public reacts. The swine flu has been in the news for some three weeks now, and panic is everywhere. AIDS has been around for three decades and the media pay little attention to the danger that is still present. Even more, the deaths associated with it are infinitely higher than those of the swine flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that around 1.1 million people are living with HIV in America, including those not yet diagnosed and those who have already progressed to AIDS. There have been 2,500 cases of H1N1 infections in the country, with only three deaths.
One of the many problems is that today, the LGBT community is too removed from it. Having HIV or even AIDS is no longer a death sentence. So many people don't care about the realities of using a condom and practicing safer sex. Sadly, people are sheep and are led by media, the influence of friends and their social sphere. If people were talking about AIDS as much as they are talking about swine flu right now, maybe it would be different.
H1N1 HAS BECOME a media-created creature. The 24-hour news cycle needs something to talk about. HIV/AIDS, because of its cocktail of medicines, is far down the list of killer diseases. Fewer people actually die from the disease, yet, contracting it is another story. Unsafe practices like refusing to wear a condom and crystal meth use, plus a complacent attitude, are what keep this disease going in our community. Ignorance is no longer bliss.
With all the social networking occurring on the Internet, there should be no excuse. We need to talk about it more. Make sure our friends are educated on the issue. And yes, get tested! Post it on your Facebook page. Send a tweet.
The core value of Twitter, at least to this writer, is the ability to get true up-to-the-minute updates on what's going on. Last week, as legislatures in Maine and New Hampshire were debating marriage equality, I didn't seek out CNN or Fox News to find out what was going on. Nor did I try to log on to major publications in that region. I went straight to my Twitter account and hit refresh. That truly is news, when you want it.
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Robert Turner is President of The Turner Group, a D.C.-based government relations firm, and can be reached at robert@turner-dc.com.
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