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HIV symptoms not being diagnosed properly, claims charity
People showing the symptoms of early-stage HIV infection are routinely being misdiagnosed by doctors, according to a report by the National AIDS Trust.
NAT, the UK’s leading independent policy and campaigning charity on HIV and AIDS, has found that in one Brighton study, almost half of those who sought medical advice for what eventually turned out to be HIV symptoms were not diagnosed correctly.
Symptoms of early-stage HIV include sore throat, fever and rash and will show within two to six weeks of infection in 70-90 per cent of cases.
But the study found that GPs and other healthcare professionals were commonly dismissing these symptoms as signs of common viral infections, with comments such as: "Probably glandular fever" or "Come back in two weeks if you’re not feeling better."
NAT argues that while these symptoms may seem innocuous, coupled with recent risky behaviour, they should suggest possible HIV infection and the need for a HIV test.
"Diagnosing HIV at an early stage could have a significant impact on reducing HIV infections in the UK," said NAT Chief Executive Deborah Jack.
"Our advice is simple; if you suspect you may have been infected with HIV seek medical advice immediately. Do not wait."
HIV testing has seen great advances in recent years. The majority of cases can now be diagnosed from 12 days after infection.
However, the figures for HIV infection rates in the UK remain high. Over 80,000 people live with HIV.
A third of people with HIV are not diagnosed, and a third of those that are diagnosed are diagnosed late.
Should patients have to specify if they're potentially high-risk for exposure to HIV on a routine visit to the doctor with something like a sore throat, fever and rash, when they could be perfectly benign symptoms? Is it up to the GP to search out this kind of sensitive information, or is it for the patient to volunteer it? Is it possible to have a trusting and sympathetic relationship with your GP (I've rarely seen the same one twice in my local surgery) or does that not even matter?
People showing the symptoms of early-stage HIV infection are routinely being misdiagnosed by doctors, according to a report by the Nat... more -
Government to release revised US HIV estimates
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday it will soon release long-awaited revised estimates of how many Americans become infected with the AIDS virus every year.
Activists have been saying the numbers are sharply higher and have been urging the CDC to release the numbers.
In June, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he believed the numbers had risen from 40,000 to 50,000 a year, although the CDC denied he had seen the new estimates.
Late on Tuesday, the CDC said it would release the new estimates on August 3 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday it will soon release long-awaited revised estimates of how many Am... more -
The Business of AIDS
In southern Africa, the most dangerous thing an uninfected man can do is get married. Elizabeth Pisani explains why, and debunks other conventional wisdom about HIV and AIDS. Pisani is an epidemiologist and the author of “The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels and the Business of AIDS.” She spoke with New America Media editor and UpFront host Sandip Roy.
The numbers of reported AIDS patients were recently dramatically downsized for different countries. Why was this?
Downsizing the numbers was actually related to getting better data, particularly in India, the second most populous country. Small differences there can make very big differences in the numbers. The data is improving, and so they’re getting better estimates.
The World Health Organization’s department of HIV/AIDS also said there would be no generalized epidemic of AIDS in the heterosexual population outside of Africa, so there wouldn’t be a big, ticking time bomb in China.
We now know that HIV is not going to rage through the general populations of any continent outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Frankly, we’ve known that for 10 years or more, but we haven’t been able to say so because there are huge vested interests in keeping people worried. We have to face the fact that it’s essentially concentrated among men who have sex with one another, among people who buy and sell sex and among people who inject drugs.
None of which are popular government constituencies.
Exactly. Unless we can pretend it’s going to affect innocent women and babies, it’s very difficult to get governments to take an interest. That’s one side of the story. The other is that if it’s not everybody’s problem, then UN agencies, NGOs or government agencies that don’t want to deal with sex and drugs, can’t get a crack at that huge and ballooning AIDS funding.
In cities like San Francisco and New York, activists, gay men mostly, really forced the establishment to pay attention to the disease. But you’re suggesting that it has also created its own brand of orthodoxies that have been exported around the world and don’t necessarily fit the way HIV is spreading in different parts of the world.
That’s exactly right. One of the things that activists did was they forced governments to take it seriously. They also turned it into an issue of individual rights, and the rights of people who may be in marginalized communities.
How was it different for someone getting diagnosed with HIV in the 1980s compared to today?
In the mid 1980s, an HIV diagnosis was like having ‘wicked person’ branded across your forehead. It meant that you were quite likely to lose your insurance, your job, possibly be thrown out of your family, rejected by your friends and there was not a single thing we could for you, because there was no treatment.
Today, we have quite effective treatment in much of the world. So the idea that we shouldn’t test people unless they specifically ask to be tested is one that we now call into question.
So what is the message we are giving people today?
We’re really giving people mixed messages. We’re saying, ‘Don’t worry, HIV’s completely normal, you can live healthfully with it for many years.’ But on the other hand we’re saying, ‘Don’t worry, if we test you, you don’t have to tell anyone, and it can be a big secret.”
***Article Continues, click link to read***
In southern Africa, the most dangerous thing an uninfected man can do is get married. Elizabeth Pisani explains why, and debunks other... more -
Two genes may prevent HIV infection
Scientists have isolated two genes which may prevent people from contracting HIV or at least slow the rate at which they develop AIDS, a new study has found.
The genes were isolated by comparing the genetic profiles of people in their first year of HIV infection with those who managed to resist infection despite repeated exposure to the virus.
The "good" versions of the two genes were present in 12.2 percent of those who resisted infection compared with only 2.7 of patients in primary HIV infection.
Researchers are not yet sure how this protection works.
One of the genes codes for a receptor on the surface of the immune system's natural killer cells which destroy infected cells in the body.
The other codes for a protein which binds the first gene and dampens the natural killer cell activity.
The most likely explanation is that HIV prevents the protein that dampens the killer cell activity from being expressed, allowing the killer cells to destroy cells infected with HIV.
Scientists have isolated two genes which may prevent people from contracting HIV or at least slow the rate at which they develop AIDS,... more -
Anti-gay slurs painted on houses and cars in South Florida's gayest neighborhood
"Three homes and five vehicles were sprayed with anti-gay slogans in the 2800 block of NW 7th Ave in Wilton Manors early Friday morning.
One resident was using soap and water to wash out the anti-gay messages sprayed on his property that said "fag".
He explained to CBS4 Reporter Ted Scouten that he's not gay, which is all the more worrying why he was a target.
Another resident, Ron Helfrich, said his home and car were defaced, "They wrote gay on the door, in the living room, and on the couch."
''There's no reason for this to happen,'' Aaron Challancin said. ``We didn't do anything to anyone. We're normal people trying to live normal lives.
The incidents are being investigated by the Wilton Manors police department." "Three homes and five vehicles were sprayed with anti-gay slogans in the 2800 block of NW 7th Ave in Wilton Manors early Friday mornin... more -
Achilles heel of HIV found
Scientists in the United States believe they have uncovered the Achilles heel in the armour of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a development that may be useful in the treatment and prevention of the infection that continues to kill millions around the world.
Researchers led by Sudhir Paul at The University of Texas Medical School, Houston, believe that they have found the weak spot of the virus, a tiny stretch of amino acids numbered 421-433 on gp120, which is now under study as a target for therapeutic intervention.
“Unlike the changeable regions of its envelope, HIV needs at least one region that must remain constant to attach to cells. If this region changes, HIV cannot infect cells,” said Paul, who is lead author on a paper linked to this theory in the June issue of the journal Autoimmunity Reviews.
Additional data on the theory are to be presented at the XVII International AIDS Conference from August 3-8 in Mexico City. Scientists in the United States believe they have uncovered the Achilles heel in the armour of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a d... more -
Plans for human trial of H.I.V. vaccine canceled
Plans for a large human trial of a vaccine against the AIDS virus in the United States were canceled on Thursday because federal health officials said the vaccine was unlikely to prove effective and might increase the risk of H.I.V. infection among volunteers.
The decision is another major setback in efforts to develop an H.I.V. vaccine, which health officials contend would be their best weapon to control the AIDS pandemic. Several other H.I.V. vaccines are in various stages of testing among people in many countries.
Scientists have been trying for more than 25 years to make an effective H.I.V. vaccine. They say that getting one to market — if one is ever developed — is years off.
After a meeting sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in March, many AIDS experts said researchers needed to go back to the drawing board before they could develop an effective vaccine.
The trial canceled on Thursday was supposed to have begun enrolling 8,500 volunteers last October to receive a vaccine developed by the infectious diseases agency. The study is known as PAVE, for Partnership for AIDS Vaccine Evaluation. PAVE is a consortium of United States government agencies and government-financed organizations involved in developing and evaluating experimental H.I.V. vaccines. Its goal is to develop an effective vaccine that no pharmaceutical company or institution is likely to accomplish on its own.
But the PAVE trial was postponed after a test of a similar, much-heralded vaccine made by Merck failed in its two main objectives: to prevent infection and to lower the amount of H.I.V. in the blood among those who did become infected.
Also, the findings among the 3,000 participants in nine countries in which the Merck vaccine was tested suggested it might have increased the risk of becoming infected with H.I.V.
After a safety monitoring committee detected the problems with the Merck vaccine in September, the company stopped its study immediately.
Scientists have found no obvious explanation for the failure of the Merck vaccine, which had been considered the most promising candidate for an H.I.V. vaccine. The infectious diseases agency helped pay for the vaccine trials
Plans for a large human trial of a vaccine against the AIDS virus in the United States were canceled on Thursday because federal healt... more -
U.S. ban on visitors with HIV could end soon
The U.S. is one of a dozen countries — including Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Russia — that ban travel and immigration for HIV-positive people.
A two-decade ban on people with HIV visiting or immigrating to the United States may end soon through a Senate bill aimed at fighting AIDS and other diseases in Africa and other poor areas of the world
I had no clue there was a ban on HIV positive people, did you? The U.S. is one of a dozen countries — including Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Russia — that ban travel and immigration for HIV-posit... more -
"Is there a virus in the house?"
Hidden behind the high walls that surround most middle-class suburban homes in South Africa is one of the largest and most marginalised black, female workforces in the country.
Hidden behind the high walls that surround most middle-class suburban homes in South Africa is one of the largest and most marginalise... more -
US ban on Visitors with HIV could end soon....
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - A two-decade ban on people with HIV visiting or immigrating to the United States may end soon through a Senate bill aimed at fighting AIDS and other diseases in Africa and other poor areas of the world.
The U.S. is one of a dozen countries — including Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Russia — that ban travel and immigration for HIV-positive people.
Even China, said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., recently changed that policy, deciding it was "time to move beyond an antiquated, knee-jerk reaction" to people with HIV.
"There's no excuse for a law that stigmatizes a particular disease," Kerry said Tuesday at a speech to the Center for Strategic & International Studies HIV/AIDS Task Force. Even people with avian flu or the Ebola virus have an easier time than those with HIV when it come to applying for visas, he said.
Kerry and Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., are trying to repeal the ban, first implemented in 1987 and confirmed by Congress in 1993. The two have attached their measure to legislation — which the Senate may pass this week — that would provide $50 billion over the next five years to fight AIDS and other diseases in Africa and other poor areas.
Foreign citizens, students and tourists can apply for a difficult-to-obtain special waiver for short-term visits, but an HIV-positive person has little chance of obtaining permanent residency.
Under current law, HIV is the only medical condition explicitly listed under immigration law. The Kerry-Smith provision would make HIV equivalent to other communicable diseases where medical and public health experts at the Health and Human Services Department — not consular officials at U.S. embassies — determine eligibility for admission.
Those with HIV seeking legal permanent residency would still have to demonstrate they have the resources to live in this country and would not become a "public charge."
The HIV ban was "adopted during a time of widespread fear and ignorance about the HIV virus," said Allison Herwitt, legislative director of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay and lesbian civil rights group.
Among the consequences, experts on HIV and AIDS who are themselves infected have been unable to attend conferences in the U.S. Students and refugees in the country who may be at risk of infection have been reluctant to seek testing or treatment.
"Health care professionals, researchers and other exceptionally talented people have been blocked from the United States," some 160 health and AIDS groups said recently in a letter urging Congress to end the current policy. "Since 1993, the International Conference on AIDS has not been held on U.S. soil due to this policy."
Herwitt said some HIV-positive people seeking visas lie on their applications and then don't bring their medications. "It's not only wrongheaded and discriminatory, but can also cause people to not tell the truth."
Both President George H.W. Bush and President Clinton sought to ease the policy and in 2006 the current President Bush asked the Homeland Security Department to streamline the waiver process. Congress so far has not gone along.
.....more at link By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer ... more -
Post-violence sex work booms in Kenya
Kenya's coast is one of its most popular tourist destinations and there, commercial sex work is one of the main ways many women earn money: "The killing in my village taught me a lesson and prepared me for a tough life, and now I do not fear death any more.I do not fear HIV," said one sex worker. "I believe that you will die when your day arrives, and the disease will not determine, but only God." Kenya's coast is one of its most popular tourist destinations and there, commercial sex work is one of the main ways many women earn m... more
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Life-saving lubricant?
"...VivaGel, a product in development that promises to give women greater control over their sexual health. By applying the gel in the two hours before sex, women can protect themselves from genital herpes and HIV, as well as significantly reduce the chance of pregnancy.
While the lifestyle implications are significant in the developed world, it is in the developing world, particularly where HIV looms large, that the product could have a revolutionary impact."
(The article discusses the advantage for women, but I imagine it's a bonus for gay men as well.)
Also,
"...For now at least, it's likely most users would also want the assurance of their partner wearing a condom. For this reason, Starpharma has taken the step of partnering with SSL International, the makers of Durex condoms, to include the microbicide in one of its product lines."
Brilliant!
Kudos to the Australian company, Starpharma, for developing such a product. Extra protection if the condom breaks!
"...VivaGel, a product in development that promises to give women greater control over their sexual health. By applying the gel in the... more -
HIVBIGDEAL episode 1: The Morning After
A video about four gay men and talking about HIV status with a sex partner.
View episode 2 on our website, http://www.hivbigdeal.org A video about four gay men and talking about HIV status with a sex partner. ... more -
Kenyan wins landmark HIV ruling
"A HIV-positive Kenyan woman has won $35,000 in a landmark ruling against her employer for unfair dismissal.
The 45-year-old waitress, whose identity has been withheld, also sued her doctor for revealing her HIV status without her consent.
The High Court ruled that it was unlawful to end employment on the grounds of a person's HIV status. None of the defendants admitted liability.
About 2.5m out of 32m Kenyans are currently living with HIV/Aids." "A HIV-positive Kenyan woman has won $35,000 in a landmark ruling against her employer for unfair dismissal. ... more -
Red Cross discrimination
The Red Cross, although a humanitarian organization, continues to openly discriminate against homosexuals and men who sleep with men in their effort to keep the blood supply "safe". Although the guidelines tend to appear quite outdated in today's society, there doesn't seem to be any effort to change or update the current system of blood screening.
Anyone who actively gives blood knows about the barrage of questions that the Red Cross nurses ask during the screening process. These safety measures are delegated by the Food and Drug Administration. Since safety of our blood supply is paramount, this is a necessary precaution. But, out of these questions, one question in particular stands out: "have you had sexual contact with a male, even once, since 1977?"
If you answer "yes" to this question, you will be refused the opportunity to give blood.
The American Red Cross, on their website (under "donor eligibility guidelines") describes these guidelines as "intended to protect the health and safety of the donor as well as the patient who will receive the transfusion". The guidelines go on to classify men who sleep with men in the same category of intravenous drug users and people who exchange money for sex, under the heading "HIV/AIDS". This representation alludes to the rumor that gay men and men who sleep with men, along with intravenous drug users and prostitutes are the only persons who can become infected with HIV/AIDS. This is false representation of a safety measure, and propagates the rumor that people in this classification are the only individuals who can contract or spread HIV/AIDS.
These guidelines can be found at: http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_557_,0...
It does not matter to the Red Cross if you are a monogamous gay male in a healthy relationship. It doesn't matter to the Red Cross if you've cheated on your spouse (straight or gay), it doesn't even matter if you've contracted syphilis or gonorrhea (as long as you wait 12 months before donating!)...but it does matter if you have "sex with men", or even fooled around with a man, even once in 30 years.
With all of our scientific knowledge about the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, it seems surprising that the Red Cross would continue to perpetrate false information about Homosexuals and the spread of HIV/AIDS in the name of safety. The Red Cross blames the Food and Drug Administration for this policy, and the FDA blames the Red Cross for not being discriminatory enough in protecting the blood supply. So we are left in a bind of open discrimination by our government and a world health organization.
The Red Cross and the FDA also fail to acknowledge that men (and women) who sleep with many partners are also at a high risk of becoming infected with HIV/AIDS. There is no question in the guidelines reflective of persons who have sexual contact with multiple partners, or persons who have unprotected sexual contact with others, or persons who engage in unsafe sexual practices. These persons, as long as they do not use intravenous drugs, charge for sex, or have sexual contact with men can still donate, and be a "hero".
Although our blood supply organizations should continue to carry out the highest standards of blood safety, the current guidelines must be revised to reflect our modern culture if organizations like the Red Cross intend to promote safety and well being. The truth about HIV/AIDS and other diseases must be reflective of scientific fact, and not old rumors. The truth about the safety of our blood supply is, if you look closely, a half truth riddled with discrimination.
The Red Cross, although a humanitarian organization, continues to openly discriminate against homosexuals and men who sleep with men i... more -
High risk and underground in Haiti and abroad
In countries like Haiti, Uganda and Thailand it's not uncommon for people to visit informal medical practitioners for injections of vitamins, antibiotics or traditional serums. In Haiti, those who do the injecting are referred to as "picuristes", or "injectionists", and the practice, which continues among Haitians living in other countries, may be putting people at risk of contracting HIV and other illnesses, new research has found.
In countries like Haiti, Uganda and Thailand it's not uncommon for people to visit informal medical practitioners for injections of vi... more -
Gels to protect women from HIV may help men more
Gels aimed at helping women protect themselves from the AIDS virus may end up helping men as much or more, researchers predicted on Monday.
Gels aimed at helping women protect themselves from the AIDS virus may end up helping men as much or more, researchers predicted on Mo... more -
Zimbabweans forced to flee country for medical treatment
Although there are no official figures, it is estimated that more than 100 Zimbabweans are getting ARV treatment in the province of Manica, in central Mozambique.
Khuda Mutchato is one of them. She crosses the border to get her medication and then returns to Zimbabwe, where only about 100,000 of the estimated 321,000 people in need of ARVs are receiving them through the public health sector.
Although there are no official figures, it is estimated that more than 100 Zimbabweans are getting ARV treatment in the province of Ma... more -
The worlds children
10 Facts about Children in the world
Fact 1
A child's risk of dying is highest in the first month of life, when safe childbirth and effective neonatal care are essential. Preterm birth, birth asphyxia and infections cause most newborn deaths. Once children have reached one month of age, and up until the age of five years, the main causes of loss of life are pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles and HIV. Malnutrition contributes to more than half of all child deaths.
Fact 2
Newborn life is fragile. Almost four million children die every year within a month of their birth. Health risks to newborns are minimized by:
* quality care during pregnancy,
* safe delivery by a skilled birth attendant, and
* strong neonatal care: immediate attention to breathing and warmth, hygienic cord and skin care, and exclusive breastfeeding.
Fact 3
Pneumonia is the largest single cause of death in children under five years of age. Out of 154 million cases each year, nearly three-quarters occur in just 15 countries. Addressing the major risk factors for the illness - malnutrition and indoor air pollution - is essential to prevention, along with vaccination. Antibiotics and oxygen are vital treatment tools.
Fact 4
Diarrhoeal diseases are a leading cause of sickness and death among children in developing countries. Exclusive breastfeeding helps prevent diarrhoea among young children. Treatment for sick children with Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) and zinc supplements is safe, cost-effective and saves lives. The lives of more than 50 million children have been saved in the last 25 years as a result of ORS.
Fact 5
Every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria in Africa. It is the leading cause of death in that region among under-fives. Insecticide-treated nets prevent transmission and increase child survival. Early treatment with anti-malarial medication saves lives.
Fact 6
Over 90% of children with HIV are infected through mother-to-child transmission, which is preventable with the use of antiretrovirals, as well as safer delivery and feeding practices. An estimated 2.3 million children under 15 years of age are living with HIV, and every day more than 1400 are newly infected. Without intervention, more than half of all HIV-infected children die before their second birthday. Antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected children greatly improves survival rates and quality of life.
Fact 7
About 20 million children under five worldwide are severely malnourished, which leaves them more vulnerable to illness and early death. Around three-quarters of these children can be treated with "ready-to-use therapeutic foods". These highly fortified and energy-rich foods provide ample nutrients for malnourished children aged over six months to be treated at home. They need no refrigeration, and can be used even where hygiene conditions are not ideal.
Fact 8
Child survival rates differ significantly around the world - three-quarters of child deaths occur in Africa and South-East Asia. Within countries, child mortality is higher in rural areas, and among poorer and less educated families.
Fact 9
Child health is improving, but serious challenges remain to achieve global goals to reduce deaths. Still, about two-thirds of child deaths are preventable through access to practical, low-cost interventions, and effective primary care up to five years of age. Stronger health systems are crucial for improving access to care and prevention.
Fact 10
Greater investment is key to achieving the target of Millennium Development Goal 4: to reduce the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds by 2015. Public and private partners must come together to fill the gap - estimated at around US$ 50 billion - in order to meet this ambitious, but achievable, goal. The launch of the International Health Partnership, the related Global Campaign for the Health MDGs, and several large bilateral donor pledges in recent months are important steps in the right direction.
10 Facts about Children in the world Fact 1 ... more -
Gene editing could make anyone immune to AIDS
Some people have a mutation that makes them amazingly resistant to HIV -- and now, scientists may have found a way to give that immunity to anyone. Some people have a mutation that makes them amazingly resistant to HIV -- and now, scientists may have found a way to give that immuni... more
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