[size=4][/size]Sisnor made an interesting comment with his post about HIV, especially when he mentioned the ignorance among us the youth. It's scary and somewhat inconceivable to think that people still engage in unprotected sex, but it's also a reality we need to accept and work hard to address before it's too late. Although it already seems bleak [statistics have long been speculated to be around +-50% of HIV infections in Nkomazi], it sends a chill down my spine, i can already imagine me or a loved one forming part of these statistics.
I believe there're plenty of things that can be done to curb the spread of the virus, for starters we can form a lot more organisations that are geared towards raising awareness among the youth. This may sound silly to you, but there are actually people out there who are still unsure about many issues surrounding HIV and how it is contracted, better yet, there are people who do not understand the threat it poses to their livelyhood, their future, as well as the dreams and ambitions they hold so dearly and close to their hearts.
Awareness is the key, when a person has knowledge he or she is in a better position to make informed decisions, especially that of whether to engage in sex, more critically, unprotected sex.
Parents also have a huge role to play in this regard. I know it's still unthinkable for most households in nkomazi to have the parent talking openly about issues of sex and sexuality, but times have changed and the rate at which the youth are cotracting HIV has placed us in a position where we have to resort to any means neccessary to stop the spread of the virus.
Getting tested is also a good start towards preventing further infection. Along with preaching awareness, we now need to address the issue of HIV testing. It's unbelievable, but 9 out of 10 of my peers whom i have asked on whether they had ever considered getting tested all shrugged the whole idea off. No one seems to want to get tested, willingly. Then imagine a situaton where you and your partner have been using protection for months or even years, you then decide that you trust each other and that you're faithful enough to engage in sex without condoms! How can this be? Only an HIV test can determine whether sex without a condom is safe and wont lead to the contraction of HIV or not. This makes HIV testing neccessary even if you trust your partner, it begins with bot of you being cleared trough that dreaded test! It also helps because having gone through it and establishing your status you can approach life differently, and perhaps even end the promiscuity!
This was just a starter, feel free to add more views about sex that may help your fellow man and/or woman!

Mandla........signing out