It is unbelievable how fast the semester has gone. I honestly don't know where the time went. Despite this being the fastest, and easiest semester (perhaps there is a correlation), I have learned a lot from my classes. The thing that I really enjoy about being in a health-oriented major is that you learn so much useful knowledge. This is the stuff that you can take with you and help people. HIV Disease: A Human Concern, has definitely fit that mold. I have learned a ridiculous amount about HIV/AIDS. When I tell people that I am in a class that focuses on HIV they usually ask how there is enough material for an entire semester worth of work. Previously, I would have wondered the same thing. I don't know if this is a naive statement, but I feel like there are not many diseases that yield enough information and complications to make into a semester long class. It is unfortunate that this is the case with HIV/AIDS, but I am glad that I took the class. I do not think that this disease is going to be resolved in the near future, so I am confident that I will be dealing with it in the future.
Our society does a horrible job of portraying the disease. I was taught in middle school that is a disease transmitted through sex, and it is in your best interest to avoid it. I do not think that is an adequate description of the disease. In this class, we have learned that it is a disease that transforms every aspect of your life. The M & M simulation did a great job of this. The prescription regimens are difficult enough to manage, but when side-effects (or just general complications of AIDS) are included it makes it seemingly miserable. Personally, I had a hard time asking strangers to take pictures of me with my HIV egg. I cannot imagine what it is like to live with the knowledge of having the disease, especially the affect it would have on your love-life. Luckily, I think there is hope for those that already have the disease. The Men and Women's Infected Panel did a great job of portraying that. It is by no means a manageable disease, but it does not signify the end of your life either. As long as you have a positive attitude it seems very feasible to have a fulfilling life.
Overall, I am very grateful for everything that I have learned. There are so many applications for it. Personally, I have the knowledge to avoid contracting the disease, and the capability to raise awareness among people that I interact with. Professionally, I have know enough about the disease to not perpetuate the stigma, and to counsel those that have contracted the disease (this applies on a personal level as well). I definitely have a new respect for HIV/AIDS, and I want to join the fray and help those already fighting this truly terrible disease. Looking at all of the statistics for this disease can be very disheartening and overwhelming, but I know that in order to combat something change has to start individually.
"Did You Know"
For my last Did You Know section I have decided to look at Botswana. This country appears to be in a very bad situation. The HIV prevalence rate is 24.8% (UNAIDS, 2009). I am fairly certain that is the highest I have seen. A quarter of their population has HIV! Additionally, that prevalence rate only accounts for ages 15-49. There are 16,000 children (age 0-14) that are living with HIV (UNAIDS, 2009). There needs to be some serious intervention there to help them recover. There are approximately 320,000 people infected with HIV, of that number 170,000 are women (UNAIDS, 2009). There have been 5,800 deaths due to HIV/AIDS, and 93,000 children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2009). This country is a pretty representative example of where countries in Africa are headed if they do not receive some much needed aid.
After researching different developing countries it has become very evident that they need desperate help. The greatest need is in Africa. There are some developing countries in Asia and the Americas that seem to be fairing pretty well. I do not know if HIV is relatively new in these areas, or if it has more to do with the culture. Nevertheless, this research just shows that there are many areas of HIV/AIDS awareness that need to be spread. I feel like everyone is aware of how bad it is in Africa but they do not know the severity of HIV/AIDS, and no one really takes any action. I know that I am and have been guilty of this, but I would like to change this. We have so much in the United States it would be simple to spare money every month to help those that are in such great need.
References:
UNAIDS. (2009). Botswana. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/botswana
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Blog #11 - Men's Infected Panel
I really enjoyed the Men's Infected Panel. The speakers were men that had been through so much, but despite all that they had been through they seemed light-hearted and strong. I really admired this about them. One of them had had HIV for half of his life. That fact alone was incredible. He contracted HIV in the mid 80s, a time when it seemed like everyone that contracted HIV died shortly thereafter, and during this time he has also had two different types of cancer. It seems like he has seen so much hurt in his life, but tonight he presented himself as someone that loves life and is ready for whatever else is thrown at him.
Another aspect that was very admirable was their dedication to raising awareness. Each of them was very involved in spreading the word about HIV. They were all speaking to multiple groups about ways that they could prevent HIV. Each speaker seemed emotionally involved in their cause. One speaker's little brother had contracted HIV recently, and it was evident that the he was very disappointed in himself. It was almost like he had taken it as a personal failure on his part. One of the other speakers expressed how raising awareness had been a central part of his life. There was a point in his life where he had lost two people to HIV that he cared dearly about, and he was at the point where he was ready to give up and quit taking his medication. However, he received a phone call soon thereafter from a support group that wanted him to give back to the HIV community by raising awareness. The speaker's determination to spread the word about HIV/AIDS became his motivation for living.
Overall, I was very moved by the stories of the Men's Infected Panel. I really admired all that they were doing, and all that they had been through. It truly was testament of what the human mind, body, and soul can handle.
Did You Know?
This week I decided to look at HIV/AIDS in Guatemala. Recently, I talked to a pastor at my church that returned from Guatemala, and things sound pretty bleak over there. He told me that there is a large group of people that live on a landfill, and they spend their time looking for trash that is edible of salvageable. There are a lot of children over there that sniff some sort of substance that makes their hunger pangs go away. However, the consequences of this are pretty dire. The substance destroys the neurons of the brain at an alarming rate, and the result is a large portion of the people that are like a zombie population. They just wander the streets and it is pretty clear that there is little brain activity. So, I was curious to see if on top of all of that that are having to deal with HIV/AIDS as well.
There are approximately 62,000 people that are infected with HIV/AIDS in Guatemala, of that number 40,000 are adult men and 20,000 are adult women (UNAIDS, 2009). There is an HIV prevalence rate of .8% among adults aged 15-49 (UNAIDS, 2009). There have been a total of 2,600 people killed by HIV (UNAIDS, 2009). There was no data available for the number of children with HIV, or the number of children that have been orphaned by HIV.
References:
UNAIDS. (2009). Guatemala. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/guatemala
Another aspect that was very admirable was their dedication to raising awareness. Each of them was very involved in spreading the word about HIV. They were all speaking to multiple groups about ways that they could prevent HIV. Each speaker seemed emotionally involved in their cause. One speaker's little brother had contracted HIV recently, and it was evident that the he was very disappointed in himself. It was almost like he had taken it as a personal failure on his part. One of the other speakers expressed how raising awareness had been a central part of his life. There was a point in his life where he had lost two people to HIV that he cared dearly about, and he was at the point where he was ready to give up and quit taking his medication. However, he received a phone call soon thereafter from a support group that wanted him to give back to the HIV community by raising awareness. The speaker's determination to spread the word about HIV/AIDS became his motivation for living.
Overall, I was very moved by the stories of the Men's Infected Panel. I really admired all that they were doing, and all that they had been through. It truly was testament of what the human mind, body, and soul can handle.
Did You Know?
This week I decided to look at HIV/AIDS in Guatemala. Recently, I talked to a pastor at my church that returned from Guatemala, and things sound pretty bleak over there. He told me that there is a large group of people that live on a landfill, and they spend their time looking for trash that is edible of salvageable. There are a lot of children over there that sniff some sort of substance that makes their hunger pangs go away. However, the consequences of this are pretty dire. The substance destroys the neurons of the brain at an alarming rate, and the result is a large portion of the people that are like a zombie population. They just wander the streets and it is pretty clear that there is little brain activity. So, I was curious to see if on top of all of that that are having to deal with HIV/AIDS as well.
There are approximately 62,000 people that are infected with HIV/AIDS in Guatemala, of that number 40,000 are adult men and 20,000 are adult women (UNAIDS, 2009). There is an HIV prevalence rate of .8% among adults aged 15-49 (UNAIDS, 2009). There have been a total of 2,600 people killed by HIV (UNAIDS, 2009). There was no data available for the number of children with HIV, or the number of children that have been orphaned by HIV.
References:
UNAIDS. (2009). Guatemala. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/guatemala
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Blog #10 - Careers
Last night I got my acceptance letter into the UCF Nursing Program. I am pretty excited that I got in, it really makes my life easier (in the sense that I don't have to try to find an alternative degree or school). Now that I am working on assignments for this class it makes me wonder how often I will run into HIV/AIDS in my nursing career. I am also interested to see if those patients will be treated differently by the hospital staff. I remember one of the women on the panel saying how a dermatologist refused to touch her. I hope that the hospital will be the one place where HIV/AIDS patients can go and know that the staff is knowledgeable enough to not discriminate. According to AVERT.org, "people with HIV can experience stigma and discrimination such as being refused medicines or access to facilities, receiving HIV testing without consent, and a lack of confidentiality. Such responses are often fueled by ignorance of HIV transmission routes amongst doctors, midwives, nurses and hospital staff." (AVERT, 2011) So, it sounds like there is still some progress to be made, and hopefully I will be able to educate my fellow staff so that those stigmas can be eliminated. Then, maybe the hospital will become a place where HIV/AIDS patients will know that they will receive help and not discrimination. I imagine it most be humiliating and hurtful to have hospital staff treat you different or be afraid of you.
References:
AVERT. (2011). HIV & AIDS stigma and discrimination. Retrieved March 30, 2011, from http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-stigma.htm
Did You Know?
Initially, I was interested in finding HIV/AIDS data on Afghanistan; however, interestingly enough, UNAIDS did not have any available information. That is shocking and disheartening. It must be pretty nasty over there if organizations that are completely neutral and just want to help are not allowed access. So, I decided to look at one of the United State's neighboring countries, Mexico. Currently, there are 220,000 people that have HIV, with an HIV prevalence rate of 0.3% (UNAIDS, 2009). According to UNAIDS there are no children that have HIV, and of the 220,000 adults, there are 59,000 women that have HIV (2009). It is estimated that there have been 6,400 - 12,000 deaths caused by HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2009). This is another country where there are more men than women with HIV. The trend in Africa was for the majority of infected individuals to be women, however in China and Mexico it has been the opposite. It makes me think that women have very few rights in Africa and must be treated poorly.
References:
UNAIDS. (2009). Mexico. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/mexico
References:
AVERT. (2011). HIV & AIDS stigma and discrimination. Retrieved March 30, 2011, from http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-stigma.htm
Did You Know?
Initially, I was interested in finding HIV/AIDS data on Afghanistan; however, interestingly enough, UNAIDS did not have any available information. That is shocking and disheartening. It must be pretty nasty over there if organizations that are completely neutral and just want to help are not allowed access. So, I decided to look at one of the United State's neighboring countries, Mexico. Currently, there are 220,000 people that have HIV, with an HIV prevalence rate of 0.3% (UNAIDS, 2009). According to UNAIDS there are no children that have HIV, and of the 220,000 adults, there are 59,000 women that have HIV (2009). It is estimated that there have been 6,400 - 12,000 deaths caused by HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2009). This is another country where there are more men than women with HIV. The trend in Africa was for the majority of infected individuals to be women, however in China and Mexico it has been the opposite. It makes me think that women have very few rights in Africa and must be treated poorly.
References:
UNAIDS. (2009). Mexico. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/mexico
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Blog #9 - Craziness
This weeks QOTW made me wonder about the craziest documented cases of HIV transmission, so I did a little research. The craziest documented case of HIV infection that I could find was during acupuncture (Drug3k.com, 2011). HIV had been transmitted through human bites as well but that makes sense because of the blood that would be involved (Drug3k.com, 2011). It makes it seem highly unlikely that anybody would be able to get HIV from being scratched by a dog that had previously scratched someone that is HIV positive.
One very interesting thing that I did find during my research was a wacko that is trying to spread HIV rumors. She wrote a book and according to web site that advertises it, the author reveals that, "the AIDS [HIV] virus survives outside the body for days. That blood on intact skin can transmit AIDS. That AIDS has been transmitted through contact sports. That the water supply is in danger. There are potential dangers in the food supply. The government could control the AIDS epidemic immediately and why they refuse to do so." (Day, 2011) It is pretty unfortunate that there are still people out there trying to get everyone to panic about HIV. It seems like the physician is just trying to stir up trouble for the CDC, and revive all the negative stigmas toward people that are HIV positive. I just hope that most people will be intelligent enough to trust hundreds of researchers and physicians rather than just believe the opinion of one. A large majority of what she is claiming is pretty absurd, almost to the point of being humorous. The way that she claims that the "food and water supply is in danger" makes it sound like she is trying to sell some new end of the world theory. Unfortunately, I am sure that there are people that will go along with her, just like there were people that believed that the world was going to end in the year 2000.
References:
One very interesting thing that I did find during my research was a wacko that is trying to spread HIV rumors. She wrote a book and according to web site that advertises it, the author reveals that, "the AIDS [HIV] virus survives outside the body for days. That blood on intact skin can transmit AIDS. That AIDS has been transmitted through contact sports. That the water supply is in danger. There are potential dangers in the food supply. The government could control the AIDS epidemic immediately and why they refuse to do so." (Day, 2011) It is pretty unfortunate that there are still people out there trying to get everyone to panic about HIV. It seems like the physician is just trying to stir up trouble for the CDC, and revive all the negative stigmas toward people that are HIV positive. I just hope that most people will be intelligent enough to trust hundreds of researchers and physicians rather than just believe the opinion of one. A large majority of what she is claiming is pretty absurd, almost to the point of being humorous. The way that she claims that the "food and water supply is in danger" makes it sound like she is trying to sell some new end of the world theory. Unfortunately, I am sure that there are people that will go along with her, just like there were people that believed that the world was going to end in the year 2000.
References:
Day, L. (2011). AIDS: What the government isn't telling you. Retrieved March 23, 2011, from http://www.drday.com/aidsinfo.htm
Drug3k.com. (2011). HIV from urine on toilet seat. Retrieved March 23, 2011, from http://www.drug3k.com/forum1/STDs/HIV-from-urine-on-a-toilet-seat-17159.htm
Did You Know?
This week I have decided to look at China. They are still considered a developing country despite their recent economic boom. I have to say that HIV/AIDS is not as bad as I would have imagined in a country with the highest population in the world. There are 740,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, and a prevalence rate of 0.1% among adults age 15-49 (UNAIDS, 2009). Of the 730,000 adults infected (age 15-49) only 230,000 are women (UNAIDS, 2009). This is one of the few developing countries that I have looked at where there are more infected men than women. Overall, there have been 26,000 deaths caused by HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2009). I was very interested to look at the statistics for China because of their massive population, but interestingly enough, they have a tiny prevalence rate and a small infected population. I suppose this indicates that society and culture have a lot to do with the prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
References:
UNAIDS. (2009). China. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/china
UNAIDS. (2009). China. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/china
I have also included a video wherein an author claims that 90% of the cases of HIV are a result of unclean transfusions. The author also claims that the communist regime has oppressed a lot of the AIDS activists. This makes me wonder about the accuracy of the data I got from UNAIDS.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Blog #8 - Spring Break
Personally, I had an awesome Spring Break. I went to Crested Butte, Colorado and went snowboarding for six days. It was a great time in a quaint little city. In general, Colorado was a breathtaking state, between the mountains and mounds of snow everywhere. It is a place that I would definitely like to visit again, for a much longer period of time. I was thinking about how much I enjoyed my Spring Break and it got me to thinking about some of the stereotypes that go along with Spring Break. I am from Daytona Beach so I know that it tends to get pretty crazy over the break. I looked up the top ten states with the highest HIV diagnosed population, and not surprisingly Florida was number three (). I just hope that all of the people that came to Florida for their vacation were wise enough to take the necessary precautions to avoid contracting this disease. Between the high prevalence rate in Florida and all the people that brought it with them on vacation I'm sure the disease has an easy time getting around. I feel like this illustration depicts the importance of HIV education. If young adults are not aware of HIV and ways to prevent contraction, the disease can get a hold of them very easily, especially on vacation. It is really to lose touch with reality when you are on vacation leaving all of your responsibilities behind temporarily, but HIV is one thing where you can never let your guard down. It is very important that that fact is taught to all individuals. It almost would not be a bad idea to have a quick warning videos on airlines before you get off at a popular tourist hot spot.
References:
Korry Goodheart. (2010). The 10 States with the Highest AIDS/HIV Rate. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.risingstarstv.net/profiles/blogs/the-10-states-with-the-highest
Did You Know?
This week for my "Did You Know" section I have decided to look at the United Republic of Tanzania. There are 1,400,000 people living with HIV, of that number 730,000 are women and 160,000 are children (UNAIDS, 2009). There have been 86,000 HIV/AIDS related deaths, and there are 1,300,000 children that have been orphaned by the disease (UNAIDS, 2009). Overall, there is a 5.6% HIV prevalence rate among adults age 15-49. There are only 199,400 people that are receiving antiretroviral medication, that is not even 15% of the HIV positive population (UNAIDS, 2009). These statistics are devastating, but I cannot even began to grasp the depravity of the situation. I am here in the United States in a cozy little library and all that I see are numbers. I do not see the millions of people that are HIV positive or have lost loved ones to this disease. I don't really know how to describe it, I guess I just feel guilty because I have it so good and it sounds so awful for them. I feel like I am just recording data and not really telling the heart wrenching stories of these individuals.
I think that these children can tell it better than I can because they are actually experiencing it firsthand.
UNAIDS. (2009). United Republic of Tanzania. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/unitedrepublicoftanzania/
References:
Korry Goodheart. (2010). The 10 States with the Highest AIDS/HIV Rate. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.risingstarstv.net/profiles/blogs/the-10-states-with-the-highest
Did You Know?
This week for my "Did You Know" section I have decided to look at the United Republic of Tanzania. There are 1,400,000 people living with HIV, of that number 730,000 are women and 160,000 are children (UNAIDS, 2009). There have been 86,000 HIV/AIDS related deaths, and there are 1,300,000 children that have been orphaned by the disease (UNAIDS, 2009). Overall, there is a 5.6% HIV prevalence rate among adults age 15-49. There are only 199,400 people that are receiving antiretroviral medication, that is not even 15% of the HIV positive population (UNAIDS, 2009). These statistics are devastating, but I cannot even began to grasp the depravity of the situation. I am here in the United States in a cozy little library and all that I see are numbers. I do not see the millions of people that are HIV positive or have lost loved ones to this disease. I don't really know how to describe it, I guess I just feel guilty because I have it so good and it sounds so awful for them. I feel like I am just recording data and not really telling the heart wrenching stories of these individuals.
I think that these children can tell it better than I can because they are actually experiencing it firsthand.
UNAIDS. (2009). United Republic of Tanzania. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/unitedrepublicoftanzania/
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Blog #7 - Women's Infected Panel
I just left the Women's Infected Panel, and I have to say that it was very interesting. Three of the women there had contracted HIV from monogamous relationships and the other from a needle stick. It reinforced the idea that HIV/AIDS is not limited to any one gender or orientation. It truly is a disease that does not differentiate between people that it infects. One aspect that stuck with me was that one of the woman said that the stigma associated with HIV has not diminished one bit. She claimed that it is as powerful and prevalent as it has always been. It is very sad that the stigma is still so powerful when there is so much knowledge about the disease. It was to be expected that humans would result to discrimination when HIV was an unknown killer, but now that we know how it is transmitted I think that the stigma should not be as bad. This idea was reinforced by one other woman describing how her dermatologist refused to touch her at all. I thought that it was very sad that some medical professionals were ignorant enough to treat their patients like that. I feel that out of anyone they should be the most aware of how transmission occurs and that it would be perfectly safe to touch her skin. The last thing that was very shocking was the cost of the medication. The women said that it was anywhere from $1,500 to $2.500 per month! That is like having to pay the mortgage on a second house.
Despite the conditions described above, it was very encouraging because the women were very positive. They said that there family had been extremely supportive of them, and had helped them get through a lot of it. They were very optimistic about the whole ordeal, and were still enjoying their life, taking it a day at a time. Also, it appeared that the antiretroviral drugs were very helpful. I think they were a living testament of how important it is that everyone receive the drugs. I am excited to see the differences between the Men and Women's Infected Panel.
"Did You Know"
This week I have decided to shift my focus from Sub-Saharan Africa to Asia, specifically India. There are approximately 2,400,000 people that are HIV positive, with a prevalence rate of 0.3% among adults age 15-49 (UNAIDS, 2009). There are 2,300,000 adults 15 and up living with HIV, and out of that number 880,000 of them are women (UNAIDS, 2009). Of the 2,300,000 people that are HIV positive only 123,000 people are receiving ARV drugs (UNAIDS, 2009). Overall, there have been 170,000 people that have died from HIV (UNAIDS, 2009). These statistics reveal that the situation in India is bad, to say the least. UNAIDS did not even have an estimate of how many children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, which to me is a very bad sign. It seems that in the media Africa gets a lot of the attention, but I feel like India could definitely use the assistance of the developed world.
I thought that this was a very powerful video depicting what HIV/AIDS looks like in the life of one person in India.
UNAIDS. (2009). India. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/india/
Despite the conditions described above, it was very encouraging because the women were very positive. They said that there family had been extremely supportive of them, and had helped them get through a lot of it. They were very optimistic about the whole ordeal, and were still enjoying their life, taking it a day at a time. Also, it appeared that the antiretroviral drugs were very helpful. I think they were a living testament of how important it is that everyone receive the drugs. I am excited to see the differences between the Men and Women's Infected Panel.
"Did You Know"
This week I have decided to shift my focus from Sub-Saharan Africa to Asia, specifically India. There are approximately 2,400,000 people that are HIV positive, with a prevalence rate of 0.3% among adults age 15-49 (UNAIDS, 2009). There are 2,300,000 adults 15 and up living with HIV, and out of that number 880,000 of them are women (UNAIDS, 2009). Of the 2,300,000 people that are HIV positive only 123,000 people are receiving ARV drugs (UNAIDS, 2009). Overall, there have been 170,000 people that have died from HIV (UNAIDS, 2009). These statistics reveal that the situation in India is bad, to say the least. UNAIDS did not even have an estimate of how many children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, which to me is a very bad sign. It seems that in the media Africa gets a lot of the attention, but I feel like India could definitely use the assistance of the developed world.
I thought that this was a very powerful video depicting what HIV/AIDS looks like in the life of one person in India.
UNAIDS. (2009). India. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/india/
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Blog #6 - HIV/AIDS Vaccine
I was uncertain of what I wanted to blog about this week so I started researching for my "Did You Know" section, and I came upon a video about research that is being conducted for an HIV vaccine. So, I decided to blog about that.
The video was posted on YouTube in August of 2009, and I was interested to see how there research has progressed. As of January 28, 2011, they are screening for potential participants for their trial run of their HIV vaccine (DOM, 2011). "The trial is testing the safety and effectiveness of a combination of two HIV vaccines to see if they will stimulate an immune response to HIV or decrease the amount of virus in the blood if a person later becomes infected." (DOM, 2011) I think that the idea of an HIV vaccine is extremely exciting. It would be beyond amazing if they could create a vaccine that could eradicate HIV, similar to the way that past vaccines have nearly eliminated all cases of diseases like polio and smallpox. I am very intrigued by the idea of a vaccine and actually found very interesting information. According to the Wall Street Journal, they have a discovered a naturally occurring antibody that kills 91% of HIV strains (Schoof, 2010). This antibody was found in a "60-year-old African-American gay man." (Schoof, 2010) This is a huge leap of progress, but unfortunately it will still take years to develop an effective HIV vaccine. (Schoof, 2010) I have included a video that summarizes the findings and the link to a time-line of HIV vaccine research.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703609004575355072271264394.html#project%3DAIDS_TIMELINE0909%26articleTabs%3Dinteractive
References:
Did You Know?
This week I have chosen to look at the statistics for Rwanda. There are 170,000 people living HIV in Rwanda, 88,000 of them are women (UNAIDS, 2009). The adult prevalence rate among adults 15-49 is 2.9% (UNAIDS, 2009). There are 22,000 kids living with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda, and 139,000 kids have become orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2009). There have been 4,100 deaths due to HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2009). Surprisingly, these statistics are not as bad as some of the other countries that I have looked at, they are horrific nonetheless, but I expected it to be worse because of the recent hostility in Rwanda. I also found a video about people making probiotics that have helped with HIV/AIDS in developing countries. I think that it is an awesome, inexpensive way to help those that cannot afford or do not have access to antiretroviral drugs.
References:
UNAIDS. (2009). Rwanda. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/rwanda/
The video was posted on YouTube in August of 2009, and I was interested to see how there research has progressed. As of January 28, 2011, they are screening for potential participants for their trial run of their HIV vaccine (DOM, 2011). "The trial is testing the safety and effectiveness of a combination of two HIV vaccines to see if they will stimulate an immune response to HIV or decrease the amount of virus in the blood if a person later becomes infected." (DOM, 2011) I think that the idea of an HIV vaccine is extremely exciting. It would be beyond amazing if they could create a vaccine that could eradicate HIV, similar to the way that past vaccines have nearly eliminated all cases of diseases like polio and smallpox. I am very intrigued by the idea of a vaccine and actually found very interesting information. According to the Wall Street Journal, they have a discovered a naturally occurring antibody that kills 91% of HIV strains (Schoof, 2010). This antibody was found in a "60-year-old African-American gay man." (Schoof, 2010) This is a huge leap of progress, but unfortunately it will still take years to develop an effective HIV vaccine. (Schoof, 2010) I have included a video that summarizes the findings and the link to a time-line of HIV vaccine research.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703609004575355072271264394.html#project%3DAIDS_TIMELINE0909%26articleTabs%3Dinteractive
References:
Department of Medicine. (2011). Case western Reserve/University hospitals join nationwide HIV vaccine clinical trial. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://cwrumedicine.org/blog/case-western-reserveuniversity-hospitals-join-nationwide-hiv-vaccine-clinical-trial/
Schoof, M. (2010). Advances in quest for HIV vaccine. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703609004575355072271264394.html
Did You Know?
This week I have chosen to look at the statistics for Rwanda. There are 170,000 people living HIV in Rwanda, 88,000 of them are women (UNAIDS, 2009). The adult prevalence rate among adults 15-49 is 2.9% (UNAIDS, 2009). There are 22,000 kids living with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda, and 139,000 kids have become orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2009). There have been 4,100 deaths due to HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2009). Surprisingly, these statistics are not as bad as some of the other countries that I have looked at, they are horrific nonetheless, but I expected it to be worse because of the recent hostility in Rwanda. I also found a video about people making probiotics that have helped with HIV/AIDS in developing countries. I think that it is an awesome, inexpensive way to help those that cannot afford or do not have access to antiretroviral drugs.
References:
UNAIDS. (2009). Rwanda. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/rwanda/
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