The first question to be asked is why shouldn't we care about those with HIV/AIDS? It is a disease like any other, for example, cancer. Cancer is a life threatening disease like HIV/AIDS, but people are less afraid of those with cancer than those with HIV/AIDS.

Why? Because of ignorance. HIV is a new disease in the world. It first started in South Africa, but now has spread throughout the world.

A person does not get HIV/AIDS on purpose, so they should not be judged because they have it. It seems that because it is sexually transmitted, or a disease related to drug users' shared needles, or a disease that was first prevalent in the homosexual community, people tend to be prejudiced against anyone with HIV/AIDS. This should not happen because now the disease is also very much in the heterosexual community.

AIDS sufferers tend to look very sick during the last stages of their lives -- often becoming very sick -- thin and often full of sores. People are afraid of them because of these symptoms and think they might catch the disease from them by touching or hugging them.

This is not true. Those with AIDS need the same love and affection as they always did. They need to feel loved, hugged and cared about, just as those without a disease.

There is no need to be afraid to touch a person with AIDS. It is not a contagious disease like chicken pox -- it is only sexually transmitted or transmitted by shared needles of drug users. It is a disease that is transmitted through semen or blood.

In closing, I would like to stress that you should treat people with HIV/AIDS no differently than you or me. Those with the disease still want to laugh, play and be loved. The only sad thing is that their lives will end before their time.

We are not comfortable with this terrible disease yet. Let us hope a cure is found before we are too comfortable with it.