Posts tagged HIV prevention
Spike in HIV
9 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Testing
Spike in HIV: Testing Climbs Because of Face-to-Face Social Networking
One of the biggest concerns in the battle against the spread of HIV is not being aware that one is infected. This is the leading reason for HIV’s continuing spread in developed countries, like the United States of America. In fact, as many as one in five people who are infected with HIV are asymptomatic and completely unaware of the infection. Because of this, they usually continue in the high-risk activities that exposed them to HIV in the first place (i.e. men who have sex with men, sharing drug utensils, etc). Traditional counseling, training, and referral (CTR), are the current mainstream programs designed to spread awareness of HIV and prompt people to get tested. However, these usually yield minimal results (less than one percent of those tested in this manner are shown to be HIV positive). A new form of face-to-face social networking, however, has resulted in a spike in HIV among high-risk individuals. That is, more HIV infected individuals have been found, not that HIV has actually increased in the populations at the highest risk of contracting the disease. What has been behind this success in finding HIV-positive individuals?
Social network strategies (SNS) programs, focusing on high-risk environments that encourage people to refer their friends and acquaintances (with a small monetary reward for each tested referral), has yielded a roughly 2.5 percent increase in positive tests. These programs proactively find high-risk environments and the people within them, as opposed to the CTR programs, which passively foster testing. SNS programs actively prompts those with HIV-positive and unaffected alike to recruit others they know to be involved in the various high-risk activities commonly associated with HIV infection. Of course, some worry about the cost of rewarding individuals for ever reference that gets tested. Indeed, there has been a minimal amount of “abuse” of gaining a monetary reward for each tested referral (roughly $10-20 per tested referral). However, others feel that the spike in HIV found among high-risk people is worth this price, and that it will be more cost effective overall. For example, a study of SNS programs and testing methods illustrates that the 30th or 40th person referred for testing through SNS had just as high (if not a higher) probability of being HIV positive, as did the first five or ten people referred in this manner. Certainly, more people being aware of being HIV positive, and at an earlier stage of the infection, means more are able to seek earlier treatment. Indeed, it is very important for HIV infected patients to get onto the life-saving anti-retroviral regimen as early as possible. Doing so will suppress the virus and prevent the progression to AIDS.
Life After AIDS
Life After AIDS: A Realistic Timetable
Up until 2001 and the advent of antiretroviral (ART) medications, HIV and AIDS was considered an epidemic, with death almost a certainty. Or, at least this was the case for those who were not wealthy or heavily covered by health insurance. AZT, the first popular antiretroviral drug, was extremely expensive. It was also only available in limited quantities, as manufacturers strained to produce enough of the drug for the needs of the worldwide population. This has all changed. Because of new research, a greater awareness of HIV, and insight into what the virus is and how it works, many scientists and doctors are reasonably hopeful in a future life after AIDS. In fact, some are even creating realistic timetables as to when this could be realized.
There is still no known cure for HIV infection. It is this virus – when left untreated – that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). There are several drugs available today, however, which can either deactivate HIV cells or kill them outright. Through a regimen of these drugs, a person can survive with HIV for many years, even decades, without ever developing AIDS.
Moreover, this new phase of research into anti-HIV medications has resulted in an outpouring of education and understanding about the virus and disease. Certainly, the stigmas that were once attached to AIDS in the 1980’s have lessened. Because of the new treatments and changing attitudes, many have come forward to be tested who, in the past, might have assumed they would die and didn’t come forward for treatment to avoid the ‘shame’ of being HIV positive. Thanks to this domino effect of research and awareness the number of deaths from AIDS, although still unacceptably high, has been drastically reduced to 3 million per year. It has also led to fewer new infections from HIV, which numbers around 3.5 million per year.
In impoverished countries, those without adequate access to drug therapies, medical facilities, and proper HIV education, the number of deaths to AIDS along with new cases of HIV is still on the rise. This is the biggest hurdle to achieving the lofty goal of a life after AIDS. Even so, with the dramatic results in the past 13 years in countries like the United States, many are hopeful that by the later end of the 21st century, it is possible there will be no new infections. This will only happen when drugs have advanced to the point that they can completely sterilize the virus and when said drugs are accessible to everyone in the world.
HIV and Bacteria
10 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV Management
HIV and Bacteria: Good and Bad Bacteria in the Body
The fact that our bodies are carriers of bacteria is not something we like to think about, but it is a fact of life. Some of these bacteria, however, are healthy, and actually work to our advantage. In the case of HIV and bacteria, some can actually fight transmission of HIV between partners. There are other good bacteria colonies in the body that prevent the transmission of STDs. Of course, with the spread of STDs on the rise, it’s questionable why these bacteria aren’t as effective anymore. There are several reasons for this.
For one thing, we alter the good bacteria by sometimes inadvertently destroying it; at other times, by simply inhibiting its ability to do its job. Some of the things that researchers are looking into are the effects that various medications, contraceptives and douche solutions have on good bacteria found around and in our sexual organs. Antibiotics, for example, attack both good and bad bacteria, which is why they may cause digestive issues.
In the case of HIV, good bacteria can actually fight the transmission of the virus between partners. If someone has HIV, good bacteria can help antiretroviral treatment take effect. Conversely, in the case where good bacteria are not present—or worse, taken over by “bad” bacteria—the disease then may worsen. Or, it can make a person may be more prone to sexually transmitted diseases and other infections. When the bacteria in the body are out of balance, antiretroviral drugs may not be as effective as well. It’s a delicate balance that our bodies maintain.
So what can you do to ensure that your body’s defenses are at their best? This has to do with improving one’s health and making smart, healthy lifestyle choices. Eating a healthy diet, exercising, and getting proper sleep are all vital to maintain the body’s delicate balance. Eliminating bad habits like smoking are also vital to maintaining proper immune system health.
To a great degree, a body’s ability to fight disease is the result of how well it’s been taken care of. This makes it vital to educate young people about good health practices. In the case of HIV and bacteria, and its role in reducing transmission, it’s important to treat your body right. When you do, your body will return the favor by doing its best to fight off disease.
A World Without AIDS
A World Without AIDS: How Far Off?
If you are middle-aged or older, you may remember a world without AIDS. After all, it didn’t become a commonly known or understood disease until it started taking the lives of some famous individuals in the 1980s. Today, it is a worldwide epidemic with more than 35 million HIV-positive individuals across the globe. With we ever see a world without AIDS again? That was the question posed at a convention held this past year.
Researchers and top physicians gathered from around the world to discuss the steps involved in getting rid of HIV and AIDS for good. Hopes are high because of the emergence of a few cases of cured individuals. In fact, the first man ever cured from the disease addressed the audience of doctors and researchers, inspiring them to reach their ultimate goal. However, while we wait for the dream of an HIV free world to come about, what else is being done for those who have the disease and what is being done to reduce transmission?
Antiretroviral treatments exist today that allow people with HIV to live a normal lifespan. Of course, this has led to other previously unknown complications of the disease. Now that HIV no longer quickly advances to AIDS, cutting a person’s life short, doctors are discovering that HIV can cause many secondary problems. One of these complications is a series of neurological problems.
Other issues involve the fact that many HIV-positive people around the world live in poor countries. Some of these countries can’t afford proper screening to identify HIV-positive individuals. Others don’t have the refrigeration needed for various treatments. Additionally, most of these nations can’t afford to provide treatment for people who can’t afford it themselves.
This means that, at least for now, the war on HIV is about preventing its spread. This means education for those in the highest risk categories for becoming infected. It also means developing regular and affordable screening for all. These are some of the goals that major contributors to the cause—such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—are working towards.
In the meantime, it is important for everyone to follow safe sex practices to avoid contracting HIV. It also involves a willingness to get tested. Finally, it means sticking closely to a treatment regimen if you are infected with the disease. This is what individuals can do to play a role in eliminating HIV and AIDS for good. It is a wonderful goal: to once again see a world without AIDS.
HPV is a Risk Factor for HIV
10 years ago
by ADMIN
in HIV and HPV
HPV is a Risk Factor HIV: Study Confirms
The most common Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) in the United States today is human papillomavirus (HPV). How common is it? Most sexually active men and women will get some form of HPV in their life, with an average of about 79 million Americans carrying the virus each year. Fortunately, HPV is rarely life-threatening, and though it has been linked to some forms of cervical cancer, this too is uncommon. Moreover, precancerous signs can be treated. In view of this fact, many doctors refer to HPV as the “common cold” of STDs. Because HPV is so common in the United States, and around the world, doctors usually never screen women for it until they are over the age of thirty. Unfortunately, no known HPV screening process exists for men, which is unfortunate as a study has confirmed that HPV is a risk factor for HIV.
The study linking these two STDs was performed in Kenya, a country where both HIV and HPV is very common. Research indicated that those with HPV, for various reasons, were 300 percent more likely to contract HIV. More surprising was this statistic was found to be true for both women and men.
It is perhaps to be expected that the likelihood of cancer resulting from HPV infections increases with each new exposure. One of the startling findings from this research, however, is the odds of contracting HIV immediately increases with only one infection of HPV. Therefore, if you are sexually active, it is highly encouraged that you receive an HPV vaccination.
This is important for a few reasons. First of all, there is no vaccine for HIV. So, anything a person can do to reduce the risk of contracting HIV is well worth it. Second, although an HPV vaccination is not inexpensive, this is nothing compared to the cost of cancer treatment, or of the daily cocktail of antiretroviral treatments that are needed to counteract HIV.
Hopefully, now that we know that HPV is a risk factor for HIV, it will encourage people to get vaccinated for HPV. This is a simple step that you can take to protect yourself, not only from HPV, but from the potential of contracting both cervical cancer and HIV.
