Betty Brandt Williamson: HIV not lifestyle choice

Regarding the May 27 letter “Wrong research”: As a person who worked in the health care industry for 31 years, I agree with the writer that a cure for Alzheimer’s is desperately needed. However, I disagree with her assertion that only people with Alzheimer’s get the disease “through no fault of their own.”

HIV can be contracted by health care workers via accidental needle sticks when processing samples. This happened to me. I could have contracted HIV by doing my job.

HIV can be transmitted via childbirth. The baby was just being born and was not making a conscious choice. If spouses or partners have sex with a person outside a relationship, they could potentially acquire HIV and pass it along to their spouse or partner, who was not making a lifestyle choice.

A person could be raped by a person who carries HIV. Being raped is not a lifestyle choice.

HIV is not a gay disease or a straight disease. It is a vicious disease that can afflict anyone, no matter sexual orientation, ethnicity or socioeconomic class.

I do not think it serves a purpose to say what disease should get research based on societal judgments.

This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Betty Brandt Williamson: HIV not lifestyle choice."