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Subscribe to RSSAnna Fowlkes, 64, didn't date for years after her husband, Sonny, died of a brain tumor. And after she finally did, she learned she’d become infected with HIV. She taught her son about safe sex, she says, but, like many other seniors, it didn’t occur to her that she needed to practice it too.
“We are of a generation where that was not something we have to think about,” she says. “Now I know better.”
Anna Fowlkes contracted HIV from a man she had a relationship with in her 50s. Now 64, she's found purpose doing HIV and AIDS outreach and education for other seniors.
One in 10 people newly diagnosed with HIV are age 50 or older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2006 statistics, the last year for which there is data. Dr. Brad Hare, the medical director of San Francisco General Hospital’s HIV/AIDS clinic, Ward 86, says up to half of the new infections seen in San Francisco among that age group are in women. That’s far higher than the 27 percent of new infections that occur in women of all ages, according to the CDC’s 2006 statistics.
Some, like Fowlkes, may be entering a new sexual relationship for the first time in decades after the death of a spouse and may not be aware of the risk, says Hare. In other cases, women may have believed they were in a monogamous relationship with a husband or partner, who wasn’t monogamous with them.
Today, Fowlkes, is an advocate for HIV prevention among her peers. “I don’t want [others] to have to go down the road I’ve gone down,” she says. “I want them to get tested.”
Msnbc.com health editor Linda Dahlstrom teamed up with Katja Heinemann (Aurora Select), a freelance photojournalist who has been documenting the graying of AIDS since 2005, to report the video above and this story.
See more of Heinemann's work on the subject at www.grayingofaids.org
Leave a Comment:
Good job. Growing up we figured that a simple shot could cure all of our issues. Things have changed. I'm glad someone is out there educating us, the older generation, about the need to practice safe sex. For someone to step out and admit they are ineffected and willing to speak up says a lot about that person. I solute you, and thank you. I have not been infected, but for the grace of God. I used drugs and slept with any women that was willing, so I'm one of the lucky ones. Thank you for speaking up, again I solute you.
Good response Bill.
BTW, isn't it illegal to knowingly give HIV to someone without their knowledge?
Permisquise, it was her generation that aids began being widly spread by, I gues they are back for round 2, nothing learned. Should I feel badly for this person?
I feel badly for you since you do not know to spell! The word is "promiscuous."
Stick with me kid, send me an address and I'll pay you a nickol to go behind me and spell check.
Nickel*
Try to cast judgment again "Can't spell spell sht"? Three strikes and you're out.
What a doldt!
HIV is a joke. There is proof by several Nobel Prize winners that HIV is does NOT cause aids but the public so been lied to so long people have no clue. If you don't believe me, do the research. Pregnant women test positive for HIV, but they call that a false positive. LOL The experts of today are corporate owned. You need to be your own expert on health issues. If you believe what the FDA and the media tell you, you are in for a long and spendy ride through our horrible health care system.
The Sun also causes skin cancer... oh wait, they just changed that last week. Now getting sunlight in an amount as to not cause a sunburn is actually healthy. Opps... looks like the FDA has classified sunlight as toxic as Plutonium, maybe they should stick with promoting Monsanto products and stay out of the health industry.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/43243334#43243334 Don't judge her before watching this. :3
Stop having Medicare pay for Viagra, Cialis, Levitra. I wonder how much that will save.
Can't do it: You did not read the article or worse did not understand it. She was married her husband died, then she dated someone else who infected her with hiv. Where is the promiscuity in that story ...or maybe I should ask you for your definition of the word. Every sexually active person engaging in unprotected sex runs some risk of contracting hiv. One partner might be faithful and the other is not...no matter who or where. Gov Arnold Schwarzeneger kept his secret at the governors mansion and John Edwards kept his while running for president... No one is totally immune
Hey John 1481207:
It's "dolt" ...without the extra "D"
Thank you all for your contributions to today's English lesson.
No wonder that for those of us, for whom English is a second language,
have such difficulty learning it, not to mention writing it correctly.
It is amazing how much help the "spell check" button is.
I think the people who think that variety is the spice of life should group up and stay away from the ones that want to stay healthy physically and mentally ...
Ditto
That's ridiculous, people over the age of 50 should be wise to the ways of the world by now.
I'm finding it hard to find sympathy for people who have been around the block that many times.
Mine shrunk and fell off, so I think I'm safe.
This is a subject that needs to be explored more. A women's organization I have membership in (Old Dominion Chapter, of The Links Incorporated) held a Health Symposium in April. The membership agreed that the number one area of health to focus on was HIV-AIDS, especially in women. The other 2 health topics were Heart Disease and Diabetes.
I don't think some people want to accept that HIV-AIDS numbers are increasing with women. Also, the spread is not just among women who abuse drugs either. There is lots of fear around discussing this, as if to discuss it makes it true. As we know, fear of things can prevent you from taking necessary action. FDR said it best.
middle -
Your post is almost babble.
Folks need to take responsibility for their actions. Having sex with anyone can be dangerous, but stupidity seems to run rampant amongst many that do with no caution nor thought process. Next thing you will tell me is that these people also vote.
Join groups and discuss the heck out it, but have safe sex and don't blame the world for your own stupidty if you don't.
Don't play "old and stupid" or "young and stupid" and expect sympathy.
This has been discussed to heck, there are those that just don't listen.
It is a real shame that when the "AIDS" outbreak first started, people were not concerned about its victims. (It's just a gay disease.)
How the story has changed, since the discovery that heterosexual people could also contract it.
Maybe if all the concern being shown now, had been shown 30 years ago, we would already have a cure.
How true! I can recall people actually applauding aids when it was stilled called GRID. There was NO concern as long as it was just happening to "those" people.
Early in HIV's history, blood transfusions created some innocent victims. By now, all transmissions are the direct results of personal life style choices. Isn't it time to address the huge costs associated with HIV as a matter of personal responsibility, like with tobacco? Why do we need to be politically correct when it comes to one group, but so high and mighty when it comes to others?
People with HIV, or with life styles that risk getting AIDS, should pay health insurance premiums that are on par with the expected life time costs of their illness. The rest of the risk pool should not cover for their sins. No?
DAm.. and here I was praying to God ..... I'll be sure to change to M.Onger who are in heaven.....he who is without sin let them cast the first stone.
Guess we can stop paying for fat people and you poor souls who choose to live in tornado alley, guess you're out of luck for any help. AND you fools who choose to live along a river, nothing for you either etc.etc.
the perfect M. Onger has spoken!
Dear John,
By no means, keep praying to God. I am so far from perfect, that my own sin taxes are driving me bancrupt. I cannot afford to pay for those of others as well.
Interesting points about fat, tornadoes and rivers. But two of these three are natural disasters, without an easily predicted occurence. So maybe they are different.
On the other hand, would you like subsidizing heating oil for people who choose to live in Antarctica?
M. Onger, many people are being lied to by non-monogamous partners. (That was in the article.) Most women do not ask the men they are married to to wear a condom and the request suggests suspicion. Also in many developing countries, women have little control over their bodies. My point is that having sex, or not having sex, as well as the conditions under which sex occurs is not always under the control of all who are involved. And because of the absorbency of the vagina (as compared to the penis), women are disproportionately infected. AIDS is the #1 killer of African American women ages 18-34 in the U.S. The CDC has no verified reports of its spread between women, although it seems that it should be able to be spread between women, too. My point is that heterosexual sex, or intravenous drug use, is the culprit when a woman is HIV+ or has AIDS.
As a single person, I'm at a point where I'm aware of the fact that sex is just plain dangerous. I'm aware of so many closeted people and people who believe that they are heterosexual who engage in homosexual sex that it's scary. Homophobia gets in the way of HIV/AIDS prevention because it causes denial and/or sneakiness. When people are being sneaky they re often not being responsible. Maybe as a society we need to look at the cost of homophobia.
Brenda,
When people drive irresponsibly and hurt somebody, they get sued, and their insurance goes up. And if you haven't noticed, the more miles one drives, the higher one's exposure is, so one also pays more for insurance. Put an odometer on the pecker, and charge accordingly?
Good luck, M. Onger. Most people who are infected do not know who infected them. The woman in the article doesn't, for instance. Was her husband not monogamous or was a subsequent partner HIV+? Also, you can sue someone under a renter's or homeowner's policy for being negligent in infecting you if you can prove that person was the source of the infection and knew that they were HIV+ (or had any other disease) and didn't disclose it and did nothing to protect you.
I am sorry for your cross. Many of us do not realise how lucky we were later in life. We took our chances with little or no thought to the outcome . I will apologize for being ok. Only because we as humanity must be responsibile to each other. I am one of those that wants us all to be together in harmony but we are few and far between. How ever we will never let the basterds win. We that feel the hardships are lucky. We can understand what a few minutes of relief means so much. I honestly pity those that never feel the pain of life, they cannot know the joy of victory. You will prove to be a light for others and a source of hope. But I will leave you my final thought that rules my life "NEVER LET THE BASTERDS WIN"
Brenda, are you sure about getting sued under your property policy for knowingly spreading the germ?hmmm.
The bottom line: If you put the dipstick in, and it's contaminated-or if the pan is corroded, big problems can happen. Using a filter can help.
I won't even waste my time reading or listening to Anna's story. NO BRAINS. Want sex? Prepare or abstain!
I was a sr. property and casualty claims representative with a large insurer for many years. Yes, I am sure you can sue under the liability portion of the policies.
Mine use to sit up and watch me shave in the morning. Now it's like a good old dog who lays down and watches me tie my shoes!
Marry a woman younger than you. She can teach the old dog new tricks.
The wife is 21 years my junior, you would be surprised at the number of new tricks... Ha! Ha!
BTY - We have been married for over 7+years now...
Just a little FYI Bill, it is quite possible to lay dormant in the system for up to 20 years after exposure.
So you might want to be tested periodically, due to your past sexual encounters and drug use.
As an African-American woman, Anna Fowlkes was entitled to know that she is a member of a group at elevated risk for HIV infection.
I wonder if that message ever got to her ?
No, she is at no more risk of AIDS infection than anyone else, provided she uses the brains God gave her, has a degree of self-control, and stays far away from any sexual partners who are either impulsive, plain stupid, or a combination of both.
Watson, for the record, the HIV rate among African American women is at least 15x higher than for white women.
You'd suppress that information in favor of your own insulting rhetoric.
j68 - Saying that she is at risk of AIDS simply b/c she is black is "Insulting!" and "racist!" So, funk you! It doesn't matter if the rate is higer for blacks than for whites, b/c it's NOT due to race! Clearly, you have limited scinetific training, it shows by your confusuing "cause and effect." I'll try to simplify for you. ex. "all apples are red, so it must be b/c they are apples" (never mind there are also green apples, thus merely being an apple is NOT the cause of its color) Evidence shows that the likelhood of getting AIDS is related to the degree of education and moral compass each individual has, color is NOT a cause! Of course you libtard whiners would, and DO, suppress that kind of information don't you! (-: I wonder why? Why your obsession with race, when interpretation of data points to so many other more likely causes?
btw - you probably don't even know what "rhetoric" means, because I am making no arguments, merely stating my viewpoint.
I'm more worried about some inept medical employee infecting me.
condoms anyone?
Boomers are all about free sex. Mean while the rest of the country is getting screwed financially!
Yep! Ask Arnold and John and...insert your favorite sexy Republican or Democrat...anyone of them could have brought the virus home. So it is not just the poor and uneducated.
I'm 65 and my wife of 34 years passed away 4 years ago. It's been so long since I've had sex I probably don't remember how to do it, even if I wanted to, which I don't, so I think I'm safe.
This must be a mean blow to the AshleyMadison web site, and the other dating sites that bored husbands and wifes as well as singles check out. Guess the computer age , might not be the right stage for not having protection from others.
I feel very bad for people who are infected through an accident / medical procedure etc. But if we refrain from having sex outside of marriage and stay faithful to our married partner we would reduce STD etc. dramiticaly. I'm not suggesting I am perfect, I am only suggesting that with discpline and faithfullness many of these health and social problems would be greatly reduced.
Amen!
Let's knock off the nonsense, AIDS started in the Black and gay community, and it continues on primarily in the black and gay community (with exceptions). I'm sick and tired of the media trying to convince everyone that it effects EVERYONE, b/c it's not true. Honest statistics show AIDs primarily affects those with either little education, and or lack of self control (impulsivness) - period.
Watson! You are completely WRONG with your information! Get a clue from the CDC as to which demographics are most infected/affected before spouting off your racist, homophobic rhetoric. You obviously( and to my way of thinking, unfortunately) have access to a computer. Do the research before you bleat out your fear based message.
Well actually it did originate in the homosexual/drug abuse community in this country. In Africa it was the hetersexual community. Just because someone states the facts does not make them racist. Arabs crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center. Does that make me an Arab racist?
If you have one sex partner who does not have aids and stay away from drug abuse the chances of someone catching HIV is extremely remote. Probably stand a better chance of getting hit by an asteroid.
HIV is EXTREMELY easy to avoid. You actually have to go looking for it.
Jack-2510943,
While HIV/AIDS usually requires direct actions on someones part to catch. There are other concers connected to people with HIV/AIDS...
The USA demographics for HIV/AIDS;
1. The leading numbers of new cases are due to MSM and MSM IDUs.
2. The fastest growing demographic is African women, due to their bi-sexual partners.
3. AIDS being spread due to birth or medical practices is well below 1%.
4. The infection rates among MSM in SF & NYS is over 20%.
5. The infection rate for the general public in Washington DC is over 3%.
In the EU the HIV/AIDS infection rates for the IDU is as high as 80%.
In Thailand the HIV/AIDS infection rates are between 30 & 50% for the IDU and 1.5% for the general public.
In China HIV & HIV related TB is the leading cause of infectious diseases. Enviromental caused cancer is currently the leading cause of death.
In Africa the HIV/AIDS infection has been at epidemic rates for decades. Amont ALL demographics...
People usually do not die from HIV/AIDS, it is the TB related diseases that kills them...
IMO - TB and drug resistent TB is a much higher threat for EVERYONE, because of HIV and AIDS treatment programs. TB is the largest KILLER of people in the world and you just have to be on the same area to catch it... No condoms, drugs, or mask will be ably to protect you or your family...
Craig - please, spare us your libtard rhetoric. Why is it that anytime anyone says something you whiners disagree with it's "racist?" or "hmophobic" Why is that? Does merely citing statistics make a person one or the other. It's dopes like you that are the problem, instantly attacking anyone who deviates from you tidy little world view. Well, the facts are the facts (I notice you failed to cite any from CDC), but rather chose to simply run you mouth and make ad hominem attacks instead...typical...and pathetic.
Get a degree of education, get your impulses under control (if necessary), use common sense, AND stay far far away from those who lack these qualities. I would think that the odds would then be in your favor.
fricking baby boomers. Why not suck more out of the medical industry. The rest of us will pay for their screws ups for the next 50 years. Really a shame that this is happening in our country.
Now that they're growing older maybe the focus and dollars spent will be less. That's what happened to all the old hippies with Hepatitis C. HCV infects 4 times as many people as HIV and kills 8 times as many. People who are co-infected have a much greater chance of dying from HCV. But the Hollywood crowd has adopted HIV as its poster child, and people with HCV have received peanuts, when it comes to research dollars.
STOP! STOP! STOP the ignorance!! HIV is a harmless passenger virus that DOES NOT cause AIDS!! PLEASE read up on Peter Duesberg, a REAL scientist. His book "Inventing the AIDS Virus" is right on and he explains that HIV does NOT cause AIDS, AIDS is NOT contagious, and AIDS is NOT sexually transmitted!! Skeptical? Of course you are!! Read about Duesberg's credentials and his research. You WILL be amazed at how the Government is spreading disinformation about AIDS and also how they are ignoring incontrovertible PROOF that HIV does NOT cause AIDS!! As you might have guessed, MONEY is the reason for all the deception!!Check it out for yourself. Don't continue being one of the Sheeple!
THIS JUST IN!!!
It has been reported today that Peter Duesberg is a fictitious character invented by someone with the handle Avenger.
LOL
And I guess the ENTIRE medical communtiy is in on it as well plus all other scientists besides this Peter Duesberg. Yeah.
I'm so old , if i have to chose between a good nights sleep or a romp in the hay, sleep wins every time.
There are many many widows, mothers, grandmothers with a host of different diseases. What makes someone with aids so frickin special???
FYI, sex was not lax back in the day, don't blame us. Today's generation is far more promiscuous than our generation ever was.
I don't think San Fransisco is the best place to test for anything.
We've been getting information crammed down our throats for how long that circumcision prevents HIV. Most older American men are circumcised. I guess condoms are still our best bet.
Circumcision does not prevent HIV infection. One study, from Africa of all places, proves nothing. Condoms lower the risk, but do not guarantee zero risk. Monogamy is the best prevention, but both partners must be monogamous.
I'm a boomer! In my romper years, whether drunk or sober, if I had a 1 nite-stand, I used a condom. Once I became involved in a committed relationship (marriage with trust) then the condom was disregarded!
I DO NOT FEEL SORRY FOR ANYONE WHO HAS SOMETHING UNPLANNED IN SEX! (exception is a victim of rape). There should be an intelligence test before the organ can perform! So many idiots in this world!