|
You are here:  Home
|
|
|
|
| The UK's National LGBT Youth Organisation
| |
|
|
 Community News | |
|
|
Welcome to the Queer Youth Network!
The National Organisation for LGBT Youth.
Standing up for our rights.
Uniting and Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Young People all over the United Kingdom. |
 |
Our members have made a total of 121143 posts
We have 11771 registered members
The newest member is NineTailFox09
Most users ever online was 100 on Nov 21 2008, 11:05 PM |
|
|
Today's Issue |
HIV/AIDS
People don't die of HIV nor do they catch AIDS, however there seems to be a mixed idea about what exactly is HIV and AIDS.
70,000 people living in the UK are HIV+, one third of those people don't know they have it. 1 in 8 gay men are HIV+ (according to THT), so for our community we need to be extra careful. However lesbian women are the least at risk of catching HIV. HIV is on the increase every year in the UK.
Once somebody becomes infected (or positive), HIV attacks the immune system, and can make a person very unwell. If it is not diagnosed for years and years, it can then make the viral load (your immunity) drop so much that then develops into AIDS. However people don't die of AIDS, they die of an AIDS related illness, such as pneumonia.
HIV is now a chronic (a long term) illness like Diabetes, and no longer a terminal (leads to death) illness like some Cancers.
HIV & AIDS has only been in this country just about 25 years now, and we still don't have a vaccine or a cure for it, however what we do know is that as long as HIV+ people keep taking there anti-retroviral medication, and keep to healthy lifestyles as possible they can live as long as any other person. Once its been around for say 60/70 years then we will have a better picture of HIV.
HIV can be passed on by someone's (who is HIV+) bodily fluids mixing with someone elses. Which include: precum, cum, blood, urine, breast milk and saliva. But you will need roughly 6 pints of there saliva all at once to catch HIV (so you cant catch HIV from kissing!)
Once you become infected it will take 3 months to be noticable on a blood test. If you believe there has been a high chance of you becoming infected, then there is such treatment as PEP, which should be accessed within 72 hours (the earlier the better). This consists of having 1 months worth of anti-retroviral medication. However if you do recieve PEP, and you were to become HIV+ at a later date, it does increase the risk of anti-retroviral medication not working as well.
PEP or anti-retroviral medication should not be taken lightly, there are many side affects and can restrict and maybe even change your lifestyle completely.
If you are HIV+, you still need to protect yourself as well as others, as there are different strains of HIV and it has been the case for some unfortunate people where they carry a several strains of HIV, which makes it a lot harder for medication to work therefore shortens there mortality.
The only contraception out there currently at the moment to protect yourself and your partners from HIV is using barrier methods such as condoms and femidoms.
In society we need to beat down this stigma of HIV and everyone should be aware of it and protect there own and other's health. |
|
|
 Newest Members
|
|
|  Latest Blogs
|
Tune in to Queer Youth Radio |
 "The Group" - Sex, Drugs and Cyndi Lauper! It's been described as byker grove meets queer as folk, but on the radio! The weekly gay youth radio drama, lesbian and gay youth group in the fictional town of 'Bradchester'.
Join them for a new adventure every week as the group prepares to battle with
drugs, HIV, homophobia, sex, gender identity, and coming out in these edgy but hilarious episodes
serialising the real lives of LGBT Youth.
|
|
Server Status: Busyish Mirros: 3
Uptime: 99.98%
[ Load time: 2.0362 ]
[ 39 queries ]
[ GZIP Enabled ] [ Server Load: 0.68 ] |
|
About | Contact | Help Desk
"Queer" is used as an empowering, umbrella term to describe the diverse spectrum of communities recognised as being minoritised or socially disempowered due to their gender identity or sexual orientation.
|
|
| |
Member Login
152 online
Upcoming Events
