My name is Xing Wen Wu but most people call me Xing.

My issue is HIV/AIDS and I have worked to prevent the spread of HIV for more than 7 years. I was born in China and now live with my family in Chinatown, New York City. Currently I am one semester away from graduating from Hope College in Holland, Michigan.  Ironically, I will complete my academic studies at Peking University in Beijing.

BE SMART, PROTECT YOURSELF FROM HIV!!!

“HIV/AIDS? I won‘t get it...

HIV/AIDS is almost always perceived as a gay disease, but that's not the case! According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, HIV is a sexually transmitted virus. And, both men and women become HIV infected when they engage in unprotected sex with partners who are HIV infected. These partners can be either male or female (a man with a man, a man with a woman, or a woman with a woman). So, labels don't matter much at all. But, protecting yourself against HIV infection does -- regardless of your sex partner’s gender!

HIV does not discriminate. It only takes one HIV positive person to start a chain of HIV infected And, once you are HIV infected, you are HIV infected for life. There is no vaccine against any of the strains of HIV and there is no cure for AIDS.

You can’t get AIDS without HIV and no one has to get HIV infected in the first place!. The spread of HIV can be prevented! Always use condoms when having sexual intercourse. Get tested for HIV. An alarming number of teens are getting infected through unprotected sex and some still don’t know that they have HIV. They never thought to get tested for HIV.

Did you Know…

NYC has the highest AIDS case rate in the country, with more AIDS cases than Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Washington DC combined? Both New York State and New York City topped the charts with the overwhelming number of AIDS cases.

New York State has over 170,000 AIDS cases, while California has almost 140,000 AIDS cases.

New York City continues to be the center of the epidemic in the United States, followed by Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Why should New York City youth care?

• Because young people are having UNPROTECTED SEX
• Because it only takes one incidence of unprotected sex to get infected
• Because it only takes 1 person to infect many other people
• Because 68% of 13-19 year old males and 65% of 20-24 year old males became infected with HIV through having sex with other men (MSM)!
• Because 55% of 13-19 year old girls and 60% of 20-24 girls became infected withHIV through heterosexual sex.
• Because 32% of males and 26% of females got AIDS. 27% of these 13-24 year olds have died.
• Because in 2005 alone, 3,194 HIV infected youths from the age of 13-24 are living with HIV/AIDS.
• Because as of December 2005, 2,493 13-19 year olds were reported HIV infected and 9,643 20-24 year olds were reported HIV infected
• Because HIV/AIDS is a horrible way to die

New York City Statistics (Reported HIV/AIDS Diagnoses and Deaths in 2005 and Reported Pesons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH)  a of 12/31/2005, New York City:

In the United States

• More than 1,000,000 are living with HIV/AIDS
• More than 50,000 have died after developing AIDS
• “As of December 2005, a total of 956,019 diagnoses of AIDS have been reported in the USA (unadjusted). There have been 538,310 reported deaths of persons with AIDS through December 2005 (unadjusted).”
• “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 40,049 cumulative cases of AIDS among people ages 13 to 24 through 2004. Since the epidemic began, an estimated 10,129 adolescents and young adults with AIDS have died.”

Young people in New York City – as well as everyone who is sexually active anywhere in the world -- should protect themselves against HIV infection. AIDS is a horrible way to die! Use a condom and protect yourselves against becoming HIV infected!

Remember, you can’t get AIDS without HIV.

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