Tomorrow, December 1st, is World Aids Day

Yes, tomorrow is World Aids Day. The first Aids patient was 30 years ago, but still this is a top health issue globally. The two themes of focus this year are universal access to treatment and human/civil rights of HIV positive persons.

But first, you may wonder why I'm writing about Aids in a cancer blog? Because people with Aids or HIV get cancer. The most common types are Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Other AIDS-related cancers include Hodgkin disease and cancers of the lung, mouth, cervix, and digestive system.

Universal Access to HIV/Aids Treatments: Many areas of Africa are rampant with the disease and have no way to get care. Similarly, poverty-striken people in many parts of the world cannot access medical treatments. In fact, this is a huge problem right here in the USA. Hopefully, this will change with the new univeral healthcare programs.

Human Rights of HIV Positive Persons: Even 30 years later, we need to safeguard the rights of HIV/Aids infected persons. They deserve the same human dignity, understanding and the respect any person does. There is a stigma against persons with HIV. They have been fired from their jobs or denied employment. They have been labeled "deviants" and received workplace discrimination, which makes them feel isolated and vulnerable. Today, there is need to federal legislation to protect these marginalized Americans.

You can help by contacting your congressmen or donating to HIV/Aids organizations.