Area CEO warns students about risks of spreading HIV
by Brian Shults, se news editor

    A local CEO of HIV Prevention and Consulting, Inc., urged students on SE Campus to be aware of the risks associated with HIV and take action to prevent it from spreading.

   Dr. Frederick Ogunji discussed the escalation of HIV infections among young people.

   “HIV is something I am very concerned about because I am a parent,” he said.

   “HIV is not like most STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) where you can take antibiotics and get rid of it. HIV is a death sentence,” he said.

   Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS, which prevents the body from fighting infections, allowing them to become deadly, Ogunji said.

   “HIV is 100 percent preventable. In essence, if people would only change their lifestyle and avoid risky behavior, it could be contained,” he said.

   As a doctor, Ogunji first encountered an HIV-infected person in the mid-’80s.

   Since then, his career has centered on preventing and researching the virus. He stressed it has been rewarding to work in the research field and encouraged students entering the medical profession to make the most of their careers.

   “The medical field is a noble profession. Working in health and medicine takes dedication and perspiration,” he said.

   Ogunji views the rising number of infections and public ignorance of them as a reason to dedicate his life’s work to educating others about the dangers of HIV.

   “I want you to go out of here with the knowledge that you can affect change with your behavior,” he said.

   Ogunji believes people are the key to the disease’s prevention.

   “The ultimate cause, which spreads HIV, is moral decadence and sexual frivolity. And we can stop it if we race for prevention,” he said.

   Regarding the potential for a cure or vaccine, Ogunji was skeptical.
A potential vaccine was developed recently that aroused much interest within the scientific community, Ogunji said.

   “The researchers gave the monkey the vaccine and then infected it with HIV, and the monkey still died,” he said.

   Ogunji speculates that a cure or vaccine is a minimum of 10 years away.

   In the meantime, he stresses the importance of education and prevention.

   “It seems to me that society is in a state of self-denial. It is not acknowledging the severity of the disease. Never has a disease received so much public attention, but there are still many people who are not aware of the consequences of HIV,” he said.

   Ogunji titled his lecture Millennium Health Challenge: HIV Pandemic because he contends the rate and number of those infected constitutes a pandemic.

   The term pandemic describes something that affects a wide geographic area whereas an epidemic affects only a localized area such as a community or country, Ogunji said.

   “When you hear the word pandemic, it makes you think about the word pandemonium. And that is what is happening,” he said.

   He added examples of attitudes people have expressed in ignorance, worsening the spread of the disease.

   “There are those who believe and tell others that HIV does not cause AIDS. That is preposterous. It is a travesty of the truth,” he said.

   Ogunji pointed out that HIV is spread primarily by unprotected sex and intravenous drug use.

   Both are avoidable lifestyle choices, Ogunji said.

   “Let us just use reason and learn how we can protect ourselves. Please, take precaution,” he said.