The influence of the race

 

 

The Influence of...

RACE

IDU

A SOLUTION

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LAWRENCE                EAGLE-TRIBUNE                        MASS. HEALTH                 CDC

A problem with the HIV/AIDS policies for school settings is that it does not state that women specifically may be at risk (20). Though women may not account for a large percentage of the cumulative AIDS cases, the greatest HIV/AIDS risk for women is heterosexual sex (23). Sexual contact with an injection drug user allows for an even greater means of infection for women. It would be uncommon for a sexual partner to identify themselves as a high-risk individual prior to sexual intercourse. Women then are at risk for lack of knowledge concerning STDs, especially for Hispanics (24). Nearly 45% of teenagers in Massachusetts have had sexual intercourse at least once (21), a large percentage of these teenagers are most likely Hispanic, since, of the students in Massachusetts, 25% of all students drop out of high school, and 54% of these drop outs are Hispanics (25).

Scholastic education has not proved to be the solution of the AIDS pandemic, so maybe publicly addressing toward the communities with the overwhelming cases of AIDS will. According to the Massachusetts STD and HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report (2005), there were 806 new HIV infections, in which men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for 40% of these new cases. Homosexuality is not commonly witnessed in Lawrence; however, there may be a link between the recent MSM cases and the people of the cities in Essex County. In Lawrence, the Hispanic population is growing to more than 60% of the city’s ethnic population (26). If homosexuality is not the case, then bisexuality might account for the recent HIV cases within Massachusetts. Young Latino men who have sex with men (YMSM) are twice as likely as their White counterparts to be HIV seropositive (27). Latino men may not identify themselves as gay, as opposed to bisexual, for a variety of reasons. The internalized fear of homophobia, feeling disconnected from their ethnic community because of their sexuality, and wanting to be perceived as a man contribute toward bisexual-identification (28). Bisexually identified men are said to be less comfortable with their sexuality and have fewer friends that know about their sexual practices (29, 30). Therefore, the large percentage of new infections being MSM may be due to the 20% prevalence of bisexuality amongst MSM (31). Letting know that homosexuality and bisexuality is acceptable liberates them from social restrain and may increase safer-sex as well.

A factor that is significantly contributing to the number of IDUs are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). These incidences, in which children undergo psychiatric difficulties, has been predominant the White race. Whites reported the highest drug use as an effect of ACE in comparison to Hispanics and Blacks, as well as the highest mental health effects due to ACEs in general. Since childhood adversities persist well into adulthood, prevention strategies from these experiences are needed (34). If children of the White ethnicity continue to suffer from adverse experiences, they are at a greater risk of using drugs. Not only do injection drug users need to be treated, but people becoming IDU despite their past incidences need severe attention too.