An international epidemic, a local understanding

While events around the campus this week will draw attention to people with HIV and AIDS around the world, students last night were warned the dangers of the disease are closer than they might think.

On World AIDS Day, Alli Matson, the sexual health programs coordinator at the University Health Cetnter, detailed the facts about HIV and AIDS, including risk factors, symptoms and testing methods, in a presentation at the Eppley Recreation Center.

Young people account for more than half of the world's new HIV diagnoses, so college students need to be as aware of the dangers of the virus as they are of other sexually transmitted diseases, Matson said. However, only three students attended the event.

Despite the low turnout, Matson stressed that getting tested is crucial for college students because they are more likely to participate in risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex. She said it's important for students to be smart about sex because although there is treatment for HIV and AIDS, both remain incurable.

"Our HIV rates would be considerably higher than the national average because of our proximity to D.C. and because we are an urban campus," said Matson, citing that one in 20 people are expected to have HIV in Washington. "But not everyone gets tested on the University of Maryland campus."

Though only a few students attended the presentation, Matson said there are other events in recognition of World AIDS Day scheduled for this week, including free AIDS testing at the health center on Wednesday. Normally, the health center offers two confidential AIDS testing options: the $25 rapid test that provides results in 20 minutes and the $10 state test that provides results in five to 10 days.

"It's important for students because it could happen to them, or anyone they know," said Monica Machado, a senior bioengineering major.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that everyone from age 13 to age 64 get routinely screened for HIV, in an attempt to increase sexual health awareness and alleviate the stigma surrounding HIV testing.

"The absolutely only way to know if someone is HIV positive is to get tested," Matson said. "It's your right to know it. It's your sexual health. It's your responsibility."

The health center will also offer students the chance to commemorate people affected by HIV and AIDS. On Thursday, students will be able to create quilt panels, miniature versions of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt, which will be displayed in the health center.

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