【B1】 【B11】

I am amazed at some of the statements concerning Greg Louganis’s decision not to broadcast the fact that he was HIV-positive. Although AIDS has been a household word since the early 1980s, it appears that people still don’t have a clue concerning the realities of the situation. Even though the ways of contracting HIV are well-known, the general public still seems to react with absolute fear for their own well-being when dealing with someone who they know is HIV-positive or has AIDS. But because people who know that they are HIV-positive are very conscious of this fact, they certainly will take more precautions in protecting other people than will the millions of walking time bombs who don’t know their HIV status. The point is that if you don’t know a person’s HIV status, then you should simply assume he or she is HIV-positive. That means that the doctor should use gloves, that first aid kits contain plastic gloves and that condoms are used during sex. Education is the key to this very complicated issue. If people were truly informed, they might deal with HIV and AIDS with a bit less hysteria.