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/
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Take A Moment
Lately, life has been really hectic. There has been so much going on, things that I have planned and other things which I have no control over. I feel like I get so caught up in my daily activities that I never take a moment to just look at my life, the direction it is headed, if I am becoming the person I envisioned, or how fortunate I am. There is so much crazy stuff that goes on in this world, and I feel like all of my problems are laughable. I could never imagine waking up in a third world country, not have anything to eat or drink, and to just be engulfed by poverty. Even the idea of having HIV/AIDS is mind blowing. It definitely seems like one of those diseases that will transform every aspect of your life. The stigma that surrounds the disease, secondary illnesses that are all too easy to contract, and the way it would change the way that you view and live life. Just looking at life from that perspective makes a lot of my pursuits and problems pretty childish. I think it is pretty healthy to take a moment and reevaluate your life every now and again. Otherwise, I feel like you will just get so caught up in the moment that you will end up somewhere that you never intended. Also, it seems like you never have that moment of realization until something life altering happens, and personally I hope that it never gets to that point. I feel like this point was really driven home after doing my "Did You Know" section. There is so much need in the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, and I feel like I should actively be doing something to help rather than being absorbed in my own life.
Did You Know?
This week I have decided to take a look at Swaziland. As of 2009, there are approximately 180,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Swaziland. (UNAIDS,2009) There is a 25.9 % prevalence rate among adults age 15-49. (UNAIDS,2009) Once again, there are more women than men that are infected with HIV/AIDS, approximately 100,000. (UNAIDS,2009) It is estimated that there are 14,000 children that have HIV/AIDS, and 86,000 that have been orphaned by AIDS. (UNAIDS,2009) Another alarming figure related to women is that in 2004, the HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women was 42.9%. (UNAIDS,2009) As of 2007, there are 58,250 people that need antiretroviral medication. (UNAIDS,2009) Swaziland is definitely one of the countries that have been hit hardest by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
I have also included an excellent video. It is somewhat lengthy but it makes an excellent point. It really depicts just how urgent the HIV/AIDS situation is in developing countries.
Did You Know?
This week I have decided to take a look at Swaziland. As of 2009, there are approximately 180,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Swaziland. (UNAIDS,2009) There is a 25.9 % prevalence rate among adults age 15-49. (UNAIDS,2009) Once again, there are more women than men that are infected with HIV/AIDS, approximately 100,000. (UNAIDS,2009) It is estimated that there are 14,000 children that have HIV/AIDS, and 86,000 that have been orphaned by AIDS. (UNAIDS,2009) Another alarming figure related to women is that in 2004, the HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women was 42.9%. (UNAIDS,2009) As of 2007, there are 58,250 people that need antiretroviral medication. (UNAIDS,2009) Swaziland is definitely one of the countries that have been hit hardest by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
UNAIDS. (2009). Swaziland. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/swaziland/
I have also included an excellent video. It is somewhat lengthy but it makes an excellent point. It really depicts just how urgent the HIV/AIDS situation is in developing countries.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Perspective
Doing the interviews for the question of the week was very interesting for me. I liked getting the opportunity to see what others thought's were towards HIV/AIDS. I asked a lot of people that I have known for quite some time, and it was odd that we had never talked about it. Usually, you talk about things that are having an affect on the world population or even the national. Everybody talks about an event if important people are involved in some kind of accident or assassination; however, there is a disease that is running rampant through every country in the world, killing millions, and orphaning millinos more. I just find it very puzzling that the topic has never really come up before. It might be that I have never been personally affected by it nor have my loved ones. I do not think that is a very good excuse though. I want to be concerned with things that are affecting millions of people, I do not want to wait until it personally affects my life. In the past I have been to Haiti and since then I have been very concerned with poverty. I have done various things to try and help people that are living in such terrible conditions. I want to have that kind of concern for people that are living with HIV/AIDS because they definitely have a lower quality of life. I mean that in a physical sense, I do not doubt that there are people afflicted with HIV/AIDS that are much happier than people that are physically sound.
http://www.helpforhiv.com/
I thought this was an awesome website.
Did You Know?
This week I have decided to take a look at HIV/AIDS in Malawi. This country interests me because I had two friends that did an internship over the summer. Out of 14 million people in Malawi, there are 1 million people living with HIV/AIDS (AVERT, 2011). "AIDS is the leading cause of death among adults in Malawi, and is the major factor in the countries low life expectancy of just 43 years." (AVERT, 2011) That is awful. "Between 1985 and 1993, HIV prevalence amongst women tested at urban antenatal clinics increased from 2% to 30%." (AVERT, 2011) That is a huge increase in such a short amount of time, luckily it has decreased to 17% (AVERT, 2011). HIV/AID is more common in women than men, 60% of the affected population being women (AVERT, 2011). "In 2009 an estimated 120,000 children in Malawi were living with HIV, and more than half a million children had been orphaned by HIV/AIDS." (AVERT, 2011) Last week I looked at Kenya and there was a similar trend among women. More women were affected by HIV/AIDS than men. I assume this is because of prostitution. It is extremely sad to see how many children are affected by this disease. It is overwhelming.
Bibliography:
http://www.helpforhiv.com/
I thought this was an awesome website.
Did You Know?
This week I have decided to take a look at HIV/AIDS in Malawi. This country interests me because I had two friends that did an internship over the summer. Out of 14 million people in Malawi, there are 1 million people living with HIV/AIDS (AVERT, 2011). "AIDS is the leading cause of death among adults in Malawi, and is the major factor in the countries low life expectancy of just 43 years." (AVERT, 2011) That is awful. "Between 1985 and 1993, HIV prevalence amongst women tested at urban antenatal clinics increased from 2% to 30%." (AVERT, 2011) That is a huge increase in such a short amount of time, luckily it has decreased to 17% (AVERT, 2011). HIV/AID is more common in women than men, 60% of the affected population being women (AVERT, 2011). "In 2009 an estimated 120,000 children in Malawi were living with HIV, and more than half a million children had been orphaned by HIV/AIDS." (AVERT, 2011) Last week I looked at Kenya and there was a similar trend among women. More women were affected by HIV/AIDS than men. I assume this is because of prostitution. It is extremely sad to see how many children are affected by this disease. It is overwhelming.
Bibliography:
AVERT. (2011). HIV & AIDS in malawi. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from http://www.avert.org/aids-malawi.htm
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
World Vision: AIDS Experience
While I was thinking about what to write about for my blog I remember something that I had done recently. Sometime in the past few months, there was an event at my church that I attended. It was called the AIDS Experience and was presented by World Vision. It was an awesome experience. They would give you a headset that told a story as you walked through the exhibit. It put you in the perspective of a child who was affected by HIV/AIDS and lived in a developing country. Personally, I got a child who lived in Kenya. He lived off of the AIDS Highway, so the disease had a large impact on his life. Eventually, his mom became sick and died from the "big disease" (that is what they called it in Kenya). Years later, after being shunned by friends because they assumed he had the disease because his mom had it, he discovered that he was HIV positive. It was a very powerful experience. It was very humbling to look at the disease from the perspective of an innocent child. It was very heart wrenching to imagine the pain he must of experienced. He lost his mother and was shunned by society all at once. To top it off, he was then diagnosed with HIV years later. I know if that happened to me I would experience despair like I cannot imagine. HIV/AIDS is impacting the world in ways we cannot even fathom.
I have added a video that advertises the AIDS Experience, and also a link that has a little more information about the exhibit. I remember that I walked through the Kombo track.
http://www.worldvisionexperience.org/
Did You Know?
This week I have decided to follow the theme that I began with the first part of the blog. I am going to look at how HIV/AIDS has affected Kenya. It did not take me long to discover that HIV/AIDS is literally wreaking havok in Kenya. There are approximately 1.5 million people living with it, and around 1.2 million kids have been orphaned by the disease. The HIV prevalence rate peaked in 2000 but has dropped drastically. One of the reasons for the drop is the high death rates. To me that was very shocking. Thus far, when I have been conducting research for HIV/AIDS I have never seen the HIV prevalence rate drop because of high death rates. It is awful.
Bibliography:
HIV and AIDS in kenya. (2011). Retrieved February 2, 2011, from http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-kenya.htm
I have added a video that advertises the AIDS Experience, and also a link that has a little more information about the exhibit. I remember that I walked through the Kombo track.
http://www.worldvisionexperience.org/
Did You Know?
This week I have decided to follow the theme that I began with the first part of the blog. I am going to look at how HIV/AIDS has affected Kenya. It did not take me long to discover that HIV/AIDS is literally wreaking havok in Kenya. There are approximately 1.5 million people living with it, and around 1.2 million kids have been orphaned by the disease. The HIV prevalence rate peaked in 2000 but has dropped drastically. One of the reasons for the drop is the high death rates. To me that was very shocking. Thus far, when I have been conducting research for HIV/AIDS I have never seen the HIV prevalence rate drop because of high death rates. It is awful.
Bibliography:
HIV and AIDS in kenya. (2011). Retrieved February 2, 2011, from http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-kenya.htm
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Blog #2 - Catching Up
Well, I have been slacking pretty intensely since the semester started. I have had a lot going on, and now, unfortunately, it is time to start catching up. This class looks like it is shaping up to be a lot of work, but I think this will be overall beneficial. I have other on-line classes and I can safely say that I have not really retained any information because all I have to do is take quizzes weekly. So, I think that this information will stick with me. I have a hard time believing that this disease will simply disappear, so it is good that I retain this knowledge, because odds are, I will need it in the future. Just after doing the first assignment and reading the instructions for the second, my whole perspective on HIV/AIDS has changed. I have not really heard too much about thrush or PCP, and the fact that they are prevalent among people that have HIV/AIDS makes me have a lot of sympathy for them. I could not imagine what it would be like to have to go about my day while dealing with either of those diseases. I have added a link of some one's personal testimony of what it was like finding out they were HIV positive. It is very sad but at the same time inspiring to see the way that they learn to deal with it and face it head on. The one that I am referring to is labeled "Caring One." All of them are very moving.
http://www.avert.org/living-with-hiv.htm
Did You Know?
My research topic is about individuals and families that have HIV/AIDS in developing countries. This week I have decided to do it on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The statistics are shocking. "Over 1.3 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. One hundred thousand people have died of AIDS. More than 930,000 children have lost one or both parents. Only 5% receive anti-retroviral treatment that need it." (DRC, 2007) Those are by far some of the worst that I have seen thus far. I cannot imagine how the country is dealing with not only the disease, but all of the orphans. I cannot imagine what it must be like for the children who have lost their parents to this disease. A lot could be done if the people could just receive some of the medication. It is a very overwhelming situation. Here is a video of one man that represents more than a million that does is not receiving the necessary medication.
I have also attached a video that shows just how helpful the medicine is. It is amazing to see the transformation in 90 days.
If you have some free-time I would recommend that you look into it yourself, and the ways that you can help. A simple sacrifice on our part could go a long way in a developing nation.
Sources:
http://www.avert.org/living-with-hiv.htm
Did You Know?
My research topic is about individuals and families that have HIV/AIDS in developing countries. This week I have decided to do it on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The statistics are shocking. "Over 1.3 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. One hundred thousand people have died of AIDS. More than 930,000 children have lost one or both parents. Only 5% receive anti-retroviral treatment that need it." (DRC, 2007) Those are by far some of the worst that I have seen thus far. I cannot imagine how the country is dealing with not only the disease, but all of the orphans. I cannot imagine what it must be like for the children who have lost their parents to this disease. A lot could be done if the people could just receive some of the medication. It is a very overwhelming situation. Here is a video of one man that represents more than a million that does is not receiving the necessary medication.
I have also attached a video that shows just how helpful the medicine is. It is amazing to see the transformation in 90 days.
If you have some free-time I would recommend that you look into it yourself, and the ways that you can help. A simple sacrifice on our part could go a long way in a developing nation.
Sources:
HIV/AIDS in the democratic republic of Congo (DRC). (2007). Retrieved January 26, 2011, from http://hub.witness.org/en/TakeActionNow
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Blog #1 - And So It Begins...
When you think of HIV and AIDS as a disease that is literally devastating mankind, unable to be cured or even controlled, it makes me realize that I am pretty selfish. The only thoughts that I have about being in this class is that it is going to be way more difficult than it should be. I was hoping for an easy class that was going to boost my GPA, but I now realize that this is going to require diligent work. However, by the end of the class I hope to have a new respect for HIV/AIDS. I want to be constantly aware of what it is doing to millions of people, and be actively doing things that contribute to the battle against it. I no longer want to be one of the people that are indifferent because it does not directly affect them. I want to always remember that there is a disease in the world that is constantly destroying families, and that any amount from help is worthwhile. Ultimately, I just want to get to the point where the constant need in the world, whether it is HIV/AIDS or poverty, will disturb me to the point that I can look past my wants and needs and realize that there is a bigger picture and that I can do something about it. I am intrigued by the challenge and hope that by the end of the class I will not doubt that the time I invested was well worth the knowledge I gained.
Did you know?
For my "Did You Know" section I decided to research the effects of HIV/AIDS on individuals and families in developing countries. I chose this because I have an interest in eventually going to developing countries to conduct medical missions, and I know that HIV/AIDS is definitely something that I will run into and have to deal with.
http://www.compassion.com/aids_orphan/
This week I am going to look specifically at the country of Haiti, and how HIV/AIDS are affecting the citizens in that nation. It is estimated that 120,000 people in Haiti are living with HIV/AIDS, and an overall adult (15-49) prevalence of 1.9%, as of 2009(Caribbean HIV/AIDS statistics, 2001). In 2009, approximately 7,100 people were killed by AIDS(Caribbean HIV/AIDS statistics, 2001). The Caribbean has the second highest prevalence rates among adults, second only to Sub-Saharan Africa(Caribbean HIV/AIDS statistics, 2001). Antiretroviral drugs are now being administered but only reach about 43% of adults that are in need(Caribbean HIV/AIDS statistics, 2001).
Bibliography:
Web: Caribbean HIV/AIDS statistics. (2001). HIV and AIDS Statistics. Retrieved Janruary 19, 2011, from http://www.avert.org/caribbean.htm
Did you know?
For my "Did You Know" section I decided to research the effects of HIV/AIDS on individuals and families in developing countries. I chose this because I have an interest in eventually going to developing countries to conduct medical missions, and I know that HIV/AIDS is definitely something that I will run into and have to deal with.
http://www.compassion.com/aids_orphan/
This week I am going to look specifically at the country of Haiti, and how HIV/AIDS are affecting the citizens in that nation. It is estimated that 120,000 people in Haiti are living with HIV/AIDS, and an overall adult (15-49) prevalence of 1.9%, as of 2009(Caribbean HIV/AIDS statistics, 2001). In 2009, approximately 7,100 people were killed by AIDS(Caribbean HIV/AIDS statistics, 2001). The Caribbean has the second highest prevalence rates among adults, second only to Sub-Saharan Africa(Caribbean HIV/AIDS statistics, 2001). Antiretroviral drugs are now being administered but only reach about 43% of adults that are in need(Caribbean HIV/AIDS statistics, 2001).
Bibliography:
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