`I discovered later in life that I needed to make better choices about taking care of my sexual health’.
It was not long ago when I realized that many people are sexually active far into their eighties. I understood that when I was talking with a 79-year-old relative I’m very close to. I was telling her about my activism around HIV/AIDS and sexual health. Suddenly her animated, engaged expression froze into a look of horror. “Oh, my God, can I get it?” she asked. Then she revealed that she had been having unprotected sex with her partner, and that she knew he had relations with other women too. What’s more she herself admitted she had another male friend with whom she was occasionally intimate.
Having looked at my personal experience I knew that unprotected sex regardless of age-could lead to a sexually transmitted disease (STD). At the age of 50, I realized that my lover of three years had given me one. I was astonished that this had happened to me! I started consulting women my age and older, I heard many stories of mature women who had been infected by husbands or partners who had sexual contacts on the side. This woke me up.
I came to conclusion then that the only person in the world whose sexual behavior I could be certain about was me. When I was younger, only unwanted pregnancy was the big fear. Later, menopause freed me from that concern. But suddenly I was discovering I needed to be more careful about my sexual life, so I could make better choices about protecting myself.
The HIV statistics in Black communities all over the world is sobering. The transmission of STDs, HIV and hepatitis B can be reduced by the use of condoms. But in spite of extensive public-health campaigns to promote safer-sex practices, many people over 50 still do not see the need to use condoms.
This attitude has contributed to a startling statistic: According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 1991 and 1996 HIV infections transmitted through heterosexual sex rose by 94%n men over 50, and 96% in women over 50. Although the number of patients with AIDS among seniors is relatively small-1,400 in 1996, up from 700 in 1991-experts are convinced these figures probably underestimate the problem because older people are less willing to be examined for HIV than younger adults. The symptoms of the illness can even be masked by other diseases or attributed to aging. As a consequence, one of the fastest-growing HIV demographic groups is heterosexuals age over 50.
What if you have never used condoms before? Whatever happened to growing wiser as you grow older? It’s a wonderful achievement that nowadays people with HIV have access to the best drugs, can feel better and live longer than before. But the real triumph will come when all people have the information and the personal self-respect to embrace the tools of prevention-the consistent, correct use of condoms by sexually active people, no matter how old we are.
Paul Douglas - PharmacyCenter.org
COPYRIGHT 2006
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