>From:    Tom Banus <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: ferrets and AIDS...advice please
>
>Here is the thing I just found out see is that this neighbor is actually
>gay and has a male lover that frequently visits.  I am now terrified
>that my 2 ferrets could have caught AIDS while they were being watched
>by these two people.  I have them in quarantine and am only feeding them
>and changing their cages with rubber gloves and a mask until I know they
>are safe.  I HAVE GRANDCHILDREN!!  They are visiting frequently but not
>until I can figure out what to do about these ferrets who now may have
>AIDS.  What to do please???
 
Perhaps entering the 21st century and opening your mind a bit would be
good for starters?
 
Who's most likely to get HIV/AIDS?
 
Getting HIV depends on what you do, not on who you are.  But some people
are more likely to take risks than others.  They include:
 
- THE YOUNG-who do not always consider the consequences of their sexual
  and drug decisions
 
- THE UNINFORMED-who do not understand how HIV is transmitted
 
- THE MISINFORMED-who wrongly believe that only gay men and drug users
  get AIDS, or who believe other myths like, "AIDS is God's punishment
  for sinners"
 
- THE POOR-who tend to be unmarried and may have unprotected intercourse
  with more sex partners than those who are more economically secure and
  more likely to be married
 
- THE SECRETIVE-who believe they must hide their sexual desires or drug
  addictions, and who may be more likely to share high-risk behaviors
  with anonymous partners
 
- THE POWERLESS-who are put at risk by sex partners who take advantage
  of them.
 
Unless your ferrets or your grandchildren fall into one of these
categories I'd say they're all pretty safe....
 
Might I suggest some reading for you?
 
http://www.aids.org/
 
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm
 
http://www.staying-alive.org/en/knowfacts_03.jhtml
 
I can't imagine someone in 2004, 23 years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic,
seriously behaving like this.  Your last name; however, seems to identify
you as a troll.  But even trolls need to be educated!
 
[RT]
[Posted in FML issue 4404]