Teenagers & AIDS: Do They Know Enough?

            In reviewing recent public health data, AIDS incidence and prevalence among teenagers and young adults in the U.S. is still consistently high and disturbing.

            One reason for this is that, according to some studies, the average age of sexual initiation has gone lower, sometimes as young as 13 to 15 years old. This would translate that teenagers entering high school have already lost their virginity and may have been engaging in active sexual life. This also places the need of implementing a sexual education especially designed for younger minds, so as to prevent the establishment and practice of reckless and unsafe sex early on. And even if there is a sex education course in place, most of them possess some significant flaws, like the emphasis on just one method of birth control and the exclusion of homosexuality from discussion. The stigma associated with being gay is still quite prevalent in schools and those that feel inclined toward it are pressured to keep it a secret, thereby missing out on vital information needed to protect themselves while enjoying a healthy sex life later on.

            Another probable cause for prevalent HIV transmission among teenagers is the lack of adequate awareness about it. Most students simply does not concern themselves with AIDS prevention, barely possessing knowledge on the risk factors associated with it. Most would probably contend that condom use is an effective way to prevent HIV infection. What they don’t realize that this is only partially true. Emphasis should be place on the proper handling and use of the condom they use to achieve significant efficacy as a birth control and against any type of sexually transmitted diseases. An example of this is the instance that although demonstrations are made on how to put on a condom, many still don’t get it right when it comes to the real thing.

            The teenage mind might also be filled with several misconceptions when it comes to AIDS.  

            Some may think that you cannot get AIDS through oral sex. Though HIV transmission is admittedly lower, it can still infect though mouth to genital contact. The virus, which is found in the seminal fluid and secretions from the vagina, can easily transmit to the mucous membrane of the mouth, especially if there is a break in the skin or there are open sores. One way to address this misconception is promoting the use of condom every time you agree to please your sex partner through your mouth and tongue. There are several types of condoms suited for this kind of activity, like the Durex Natural Feeling Non-Lubricated condom, used with any water-based lubricant of choice or several flavored varieties that disguise latex taste found in any common condom variety.

            Then there are those who engage in anal sex, who think that any kind of condom will do. Keep in mind that the rectum is significantly drier and rougher compared to the vagina and that engaging in anal sex would need a thicker condom and lots and lots of choice water-based lubricant. Petroleum-based and oil-based ones are simply not advisable, as they make condoms prone to breakage.

            But probably one of the more disturbing aspects of teenage behavior is their increasing apathy toward HIV, thinking that they have no risk of getting it and that those infected with the virus does not proceed to die of AIDS. There are numerous medications that extend the life of an HIV-positive person, true, but there is no cure for it. AIDS still kills, may it be sooner or later. This is one reason why the practice of safe sex needs to instilled into the minds of teenagers as early as possible and let them know that apart from abstinence and fidelity, they also have the options of using protective devices such as a male condom.