DEAR ABBY: I am a 33-year-old HIV-positive man. Last week at my office, I was shocked when two of my co-workers declared that they could tell whether or not people are HIV-positive just by looking at them.
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Abby, this is no laughing matter. Please inform your readers that someone can be HIV-positive and appear to be physically healthy. I shared my health status with my office mates, and by doing so, I hope I have changed some minds by shattering that myth. Sign me ... POSITIVE IN D.C.
DEAR POSITIVE: Not everyone would have been so generous or courageous, because there is still a lot of prejudice, ignorance and misunderstanding when it comes to HIV. There is more than one lesson to be learned from your letter.
(1) You CANNOT tell a person's HIV status by his or her appearance.
(2) It is imperative that couples not have unprotected sex unless both partners have been screened for HIV.