[lizardlady]

Not sure if this really needs a trigger warning, but thought I'd err on the side of caution.

I just finished a CEU training on HIV/AIDS. One of the things that stood out for me was the incidence of HIV/AIDS in folks 50+. The training said that 15% of all newly diagnosed cases in 2005 were in folks 50+. And 29% of folks living with the infection are 50+.

People tend to think of AIDS as a young person's illness. It's not. I know it would probably shock a lot of younger folks, but old fogeys are sexually active too. Ladies, the training specifically mentions post-menopausal females. Getting pregnant is no longer a concern so folks think they don't need to worry about protection.

Personally, I'm almost 20 years post-menopause and a widow for 15 years. I hated dating as a young person. Have ABSOLUTELY no interest in dating now. This kind of information just reinforces how I feel. For those of you who are still out there, please be careful.

[Perna]

Not as big a problem for while females, it looks like: CDC - HIV Among Older Americans - Age - Risk - HIV/AIDS

I suppose, looking at the numbers, that there are more older gay white and Hispanic men being diagnosed and the black women have "down low" men as dates: Focusing "down low": bisexual black men, HIV risk and heterosexual transmission.

[Little Lulu]

Thanks for this lizardlady. I will add that the CDC recommends that all adults born between 1945 and 1965 be tested once for Hepatitis C, regardless of any known risk factors such as a history of IV drug use. It is a simple blood test that can be done along with other routine blood work.

Below is a link to the CDC about why Hepatitis C testing is important in the baby boomer population.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...f87VhOD6AKFkuA