She Fourteen, She's Dying, and She Still Doesn't Know Why

I hear a lot of stories about HIV and AIDS in DC but this one I had to share with you. A staff person at a local medical facility today told me about a fourteen year old in the District of Columbia who is losing her battle against HIV/AIDS. Tragic as this is, it still happens, especially in the District. DC still has a higher HIV/AIDS Death Rate than any state.

What makes this case particularly tragic is that the young woman does not even know she is HIV positive. (She was born with HIV, a challenge that continues to plague our city. While there are treatments that prevent HIV positive pregnant moms from passing HIV on to their children in most cases, The District of Columbia also has the highest perinatal HIV transmission rates in the country).

And in this case, her mother has decided not to tell the young woman about her HIV status, and the Doctor is unfortunately obliged to respect her wishes.

I've heard second-hand information about several such cases at both Howard University Hospital and Children's National Medical Center. Despite the fact that young people in DC have the right to confidentially access sexual health services beginning at 13, there are young people aged 13, 14, 15, and even sixteen, that have not been told they are HIV positive.

Sometimes the parents may be concerned about how the children react. Sometimes the parents may be concerned about their own HIV status being revealed to friends and family. Either way, it continues to happen.

In the case of this fourteen year old girl, it seems to me outrageous that she could leave us and never know the truth about her HIV status.

But it is also outrageous to have sexually active teenagers in the District of Columbia who are HIV positive and don't even know it.

Given what we know about young people in DC from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data it's quite possible these youth are sexually active for several years before they even find out they are HIV positive. It's hard to believe, but true. And it may be yet another factor contributing to our high HIV/AIDS rates in the District.

Young adults have a right to accurate and honest information about their health and well-being. They should also have a right to know their HIV status.