I'm not gonna be so quick to denounce these people. The way these stories are covered in the media it's as if there's no other explanation than the malicious intent of one person to go around intentionally infecting and inflicting harm upon others.

But I don't see any evidence of that. Negligence and irresponsiblity? Sure, that's there. But the impression these stories give of HIV + people lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting victims and assault them with a retrovirus is kind of misleading.

It takes two to tango, and people are just as responsible for protecting themselves as anyone else is for protecting others.

These kinds of sensationalist media stories do more to harm than help. Just like the case of David Acer and Kimberly Bergalis, where the whole nation was up in arms about this dentist having infected this pure, innocent, virgin victim. And what do we not hear of? Numerous investigations by the CDC never having been able to determine just how Acer could possibly have infected Bergalis and that every possible scenario authorities tried to come up with to explain how it could have taken place were dropped and abandoned as entirely unlikely. That's not to take away from the tragedy of what happened to Bergalis (she passed away, as I'm sure people are aware), but it points to how the media only delivers part of the story, and in a fashion that leaves people no choice but to leave with an impression that might not be accurate.

Certainly people should be open and honest with their partners. But I can only imagine that's easier said than done, and the kind of anxiety, stress and fear involved in doing so shouldn't be ignored or underestimated. Are these people running about willfully infecting others out of malice? Hardly. Is there so much fear, misunderstanding, and hysteria surrounding HIV/AIDS that people make the wrong decisions or have the wrong motivations about it? That's what I think is most likely.

Here's the lesson of the day... protect yourself. That way it don't matter what anyone else says about their status because you've taken your own in to your own hands.