Bob
Bowers brings passion, humor,
as well as a wealth of knowledge
and life experience to his
presentations. Each presentation
is unique and topics may
vary based on his audience.
His talks are real, frank,
from the heart and extremely
thought provoking.
Mr. Bowers possesses the
unique quality of touching
peoples hearts in a profound
and lasting manner. Having
the ability to keep it real
and passionate, Bob has
been able to gain a wide
array of support from lawmakers,
educators, media, law enforcement,
Principals, Professors,
AIDS Service Organizations,
as well as the youth who
are absolutely in awe of
Bob and his passion for
life and compassion for
others.
Bob Bowers' story is truly amazing. When he was 10 years old, his mother died and when he was a young adult, he contracted HIV by sharing a needle with his friends. However, he has been able to look past all of his hard times and see the wonder and beauty of life. His story was uplifting and his speech was very informative. He seemed very happy and treasured the fact that he was even alive; this should be a message to all people.
HIVictorious
promoting at
the Willy Street
Fair in Madison,
WI
Thank you to
our volunteers
and our Board
of Directors!
Thank you to
our volunteers
from UW-Madison
for helping
to promote the
ONE Campaign!
It was a productive
and rewarding
experience!
"Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
~ Margaret Mead
HIV/
AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria
are devastating entire communities
and economies. Poor countries
are losing their teachers, doctors
and nurses. Businesses are losing
their workers. Governments
are losing their civil servants.
Families are losing their breadwinners.
TB kills an estimated 2
million people each year
and is the leading cause
of death for people with
AIDS.
At least 1 million people
die from malaria each year,
mostly children in Africa.
AIDS is the world’s fourth
leading cause of death.
Since first being reported
in 1981, AIDS has killed
over 25 million people.
AIDS killed an estimated
3 million people in 2006
alone.
Globally, 15 million children
have lost one or both parents
to AIDS. 12 million of those
live in sub-Saharan Africa.
CDC: At Least 1 in 4 Teenage Girls Has Sexually
Transmitted Disease
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted
disease, or more than 3 million teens, according to the first study of its kind
in this age group.
A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually
transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall
prevalence is among black girls — nearly half the blacks studied had at least
one STD. That rate compared with 20 percent among both whites and
Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention found.
Among girls who admitted ever having sex, the rate was 40 percent. While some
teens define sex as only intercourse, other types of intimate behavior including
oral sex can spread some infections.
For many, the numbers likely seem "overwhelming because you're talking about
nearly half of the sexually experienced teens at any one time having evidence of
an STD," said Dr. Margaret Blythe, an adolescent medicine specialist at Indiana
University School of Medicine and head of the American Academy of Pediatrics'
committee on adolescence.
But the study highlights what many doctors who treat teens see every day, Blythe
said.
Dr. John Douglas, director of the CDC's division of STD prevention, said the
results are the first to examine the combined national prevalence of common
sexually transmitted diseases among adolescent girls. He said they likely
reflect current prevalence rates.
"High STD rates among young women, particularly African-American young women,
are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at
risk," Douglas said.
The CDC's Dr. Kevin Fenton said given that STDs can cause infertility and
cervical cancer in women, "screening, vaccination and other prevention
strategies for sexually active women are among our highest public health
priorities."
The study by CDC researcher Dr. Sara Forhan is an analysis of nationally
representative data on 838 girls who participated in a 2003-04 government health
survey.
The results were prepared for release Tuesday at a CDC conference in Chicago on
preventing sexually transmitted diseases.
Four common diseases were examined — human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can
cause cervical cancer and affected 18 percent of girls studied; chlamydia, which
affected 4 percent; trichomoniasis, 2.5 percent; and herpes simplex virus, 2
percent.
Blythe said the results are similar to previous studies examining rates of those
diseases individually.
HPV can cause genital warts but often has no symptoms. A vaccine targeting
several HPV strains recently became available. Douglas said it likely has not
yet had much impact on HPV prevalence rates in teen girls.
Chlamydia and trichomoniasis can be treated with antibiotics. The CDC recommends
annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women under age 25. It also
recommends the three-dose HPV vaccine for girls aged 11-12 years, and catch-up
shots for females aged 13 to 26.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has similar recommendations.
Douglas said screening tests are underused in part because many teens don't
think they're at risk, but also, some doctors mistakenly think, "'Sexually
transmitted diseases don't happen to the kinds of patients I see.'"
Blythe said some doctors also are reluctant to discuss STDs with teen patients
or offer screening because of confidentiality concerns, knowing parents would
have to be told of the results.
The American Academy of Pediatrics supports confidential teen screening, she
said.
“AIDS
is not a just a
medical curiosity,
but an obstacle
to social and economic
development and
also a threat to
security
and stability.”
- UNAIDS (United
Nations Organization
for Acquired Immuno-deficiency
Syndrome) Executive
Director Peter Piot
At
the end of 2003, an estimated 1,039,000
to 1,185,000 persons in the United States
were living with HIV/AIDS.CDC has estimated
that approximately 40,000 persons in the
United States become infected with HIV each
year.
