AIDS. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused bye infection with HIV. By affecting our immune system it makes us prone to other diseases which slowly degrade our health. AIDS has no cure or vaccine, however there exists an antiretroviral treatment that slows the disease and may allow the infected to live "normally" from 9 to 11 years.
There are various ways to transmit HIV/AIDS, like blood transfusions and unprotected sexual intercourse.
AIDS is an important problem that affects us now more than it did several years ago. There are countries with high poverty and prostitution whose index of people who have AIDS is very high.
What worries me more, is that Playa del Carmen has one of the highest percentages of infected people, and most of them are teenagers.
With AIDS being so spread in our small town, and with the most affected being my age, it worries me a lot. This kind of thing wouldn't have happened 10 or 20 years ago. Sexual education campaigns each year inform us about the many risks there exist; unprotected sex shouldn't be a thing, but it is; because of all the information we have, teenagers tend to think they are safe from harm, we think AIDS or teen pregnancy can't happen to us, it just happens in movies.
I don't worry for myself, because I'm very cautious and thoughtful about my actions and decision, I worry for the ones I know and surround me. There is a risk that threatens anyone, anywhere, but specifically here this risk is very high.
I can't find a solution for our community if sex-ed didn't work. There must be a way for us teens to become self-conscious and be aware of the risks out there, but I can't think of anything else than taking the precautions we have already taken.
Excellent article Ricardo, I didn't know AIDS was a big problem here in Playa and this article provides a good intro and summary of the causes, effects and solutions. I think that if you dug a little deeper, interviewed some friends and young people this topic and your insight would have produced a publishable article. That says a lot about how well you write, and especially how much you've improved over the course of this year. I hope you can maintain your sharp eye and curiosity next year. Congratulations!
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