So, after a wayyyy too long absence, I thought I’d post some stats about HIV worldwide, and within Canada.  I got this off the AVERT website (www.avert.org).  The stats are a few years old but hopefully they will be able to give you a bit of insight, and maybe spark some interest in the area and you can continue reading.

https://www.mosaicmethod.com/

http://thecommons-ccd.com/2010/06/cornell-university-researchers-mutilating-girls/

Here’s the link to the article, if you’d like to read:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/safe-sex

For a long time after HIV/AIDS was discovered, sex became a topic overruled by fear.  In the years and decades that followed, along with new information about the virus that was always coming to light, the idea of “safer” sex vs. “unsafe” sex seemed to have quite an impact.  While fear-based prevention is not the best way to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS, maybe a little bit of fear is a good thing?  If people today continue thinking that HIV and AIDS can be cured, they may continue to practice “unsafe” sex and become at risk for contracting or transmitting the virus.  Maybe there needs to be a level of fear which keeps people practicing “Safer” sex and enjoying themselves?

But there are so many reasons to ignore the practice of safer sex:

-My partner doesn’t want to use protection

-It doesn’t feel as good

-Condoms and lube are expensive

-People these days don’t die from HIV/AIDS

-It’ll never happen to me

-I know my partner would never put me in harm’s way

The list could go on and on….  but the truth is, none of these should be satisfactory reasons to practice unsafe sex.  If you don’t feel comfortable insisting that your partner use a barrier, perhaps they are not a partner worth sleeping with.  Sex with protection can feel just as good if not even more exciting with all of the products on the market today to chose from.  While condoms and lubricants etc can be pricey, there are all kinds of co-ops and university sex shops where you can buy many of the most popular products for lower prices.  While people today who are seropositive are living longer than when the virus was first discovered, there still is no cure for HIV or AIDS.  People may live longer, but are on many different medications for the rest of their lives, and do eventually pass due to the virus weakening their system.  While you may think that you are invincible, you have no way of knowing that something will “never happen to you”.  And, it is always possible that your partner doesn’t know that they have any kind of STI which they may be passing on to you.

Perhaps it is just that we chose not to ask the hard questions, or chose to look the other way now that people are not dying in the streets from HIV/AIDS like in the 80′s.  There are no huge protests, no one pressuring governments the same way as 20-25 years ago.  However, it is still an issue which affects our society today and should be taken seriously.  One way in which we can address it is by practicing safer sex in our own lives and sharing this information with others.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/visualculture/safesex.html

 Which ones do you think are the most effective?  

Why?

 Which ones do you feel are the least effective?  

What makes an ad effective or not effective?

Who are they marketing these ads towards?

How well done is the analysis?

What are your other thoughts?

Hope you are all doing lovely on this fine day!!!!

Acute Infection: The time period just after a person is first infected with HIV but before their body mounts an antibody response that is detectable by conventional HIV tests. Frequently accompanied by “flu-like ” symptoms such as fever, rash, headache, swollen glands in your, joint and muscle aches, and fatigue. Also called primary infection. See HIV Basics section Symptoms of HIV for a description of the early infection period and symptoms.

Adverse Reaction: (Adverse Event.) An unwanted effect caused by the administration of medications or vaccine. Onset may be sudden or develop over time (See Side Effects).

Advocacy and Support Groups: Organizations and groups that actively support participants and their families with valuable resources, including self-empowerment and survival tools.

Antibody: An infection-fighting protein molecule in blood or body fluid that attaches to, neutralizes, and helps destroy bacteria, viruses or other harmful toxins (antigen). Antibodies, known generally as immunoglobulins, are made by white blood cells in response to a foreign substance. Each specific antibody binds only to the specific antigen that stimulated its production. (See also immunoglobulin; binding antibody; enhancing antibody; functional antibody; neutralizing antibody.)

ART: Formally known as HAART [Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment], ART is defined as treatment with at least three active anti-retroviral medications (ARV’s), typically two nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI’s) plus a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) or a protease inhibitor (PI) or another NRTI called abacavir (Ziagen). ART is often called the drug “cocktail” or triple-therapy. [See HIV Basics >Treatment Options and HIV Basics > Topic of the Month January 2003]

Attenuated Virus: A weakened virus. Attenuated viruses are often used as vaccines because they can no longer produce disease but still stimulate a strong immune response, like that to the natural virus. Examples of attenuated virus vaccines include oral polio, measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines.

Baseline: Information gathered at the beginning of a clinical trial, just before a participant starts to receive the treatment(s) that are part of the study. At this reference point, measurable values such as CD4 count are recorded. The safety and efficacy of a drug are often determined by monitoring changes from the baseline values.

Bias: When someone’s point of view prevents impartial judgment on an issue. In clinical studies, bias is controlled by blinding and randomization [See Blind and Randomization].

CD4 Cell Count: A type of cell also known as “helper” T-cells, which help by mobilizing your immune defense when your body has an infection. [SeeUnderstanding Test Results].

Clinical Trial: A clinical trial is a research study designed to answer specific questions about vaccines or new therapies or new ways of using known treatments. Clinical trials (also called medical research and research studies) are used to determine whether new drugs or treatments are both safe and effective. Carefully conducted clinical trials are the fastest and safest way to find treatments that work in people. Trials occur in four phases: Phase I tests a new drug or treatment in a small group; Phase II expands the study to a larger group of people; Phase III expands the study to an even larger group of people; and Phase IV takes place after the drug or treatment has been licensed and marketed. [See Phase I, II,III, and IV Trials].

Drug-Drug Interaction: A modification of the effect of a drug when administered with another drug. The effect may be an increase or a decrease in the action of either substance, or it may be an adverse reaction that is not normally associated with either drug.

Drug Resistance: Occurs when the virus a person is infected with is no longer sensitive to a medication. Even when the viral load is undetectable, a small amount of virus is still present and copying itself in an HIV-positive person’s body. The ‘copies’ (of the replicating viruses) that survive are those which the drug cannot suppress. These surviving copies have mutated and developed resistance to the medication. Sooner or later, the number of copies of this mutated virus will increase and may require someone to change their treatment.

Drug Resistance Testing: Measures which of the 16 HIV medications an infected person’s virus may have developed resistance to[See Reading Test Results].

Efficacy: (Of a drug or treatment). The maximum ability of a drug or treatment to produce a result regardless of dosage. A drug passes efficacy trials if it is effective at the dose tested and against the illness for which it is prescribed. In the procedure mandated by the FDA, Phase II clinical trials gauge efficacy, and Phase III trials confirm it [See Food and Drug Administration] [See Phase 1, 2, 3, and 4 Trials].

Epidemiology: The branch of medicine that studies the number of new cases of a disease or condition, the way a disease or condition is distributed across different groups, and the methods of controlling a disease or condition..

HAART: Stands for Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment. HAART is defined as treatment with at least three active anti-retroviral medications (ARV’s), typically two nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI’s) plus a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) or a protease inhibitor (PI) or another NRTI called abacavir (Ziagen). HAART is often called the drug “cocktail” or triple-therapy. [See HIV Basics >Treatment Options]

Helper T-cell: lymphocyte bearing the CD4 marker. Helper T cells are the chief regulatory cells of the immune response. They are responsible for many immune system functions, including turning antibody production on and off, and are the main target of HIV infection. (See also CD4+ T lymphocyte.)

HIV Viral Set Point: The natural amount of HIV an HIV-positive person accumulates in their body after primary infection. The amount of virus differs from person to person.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, type 1 (HIV-1): The retrovirus isolated and recognized as the cause of AIDS. HIV-1 is classified as a lentivirus in a subgroup of retroviruses. The genetic material of a retrovirus such as HIV is RNA . HIV converts its RNA into DNA and inserts into the host cell’s DNA, preventing the host cell from carrying out its natural functions and turning it into an HIV factory.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, type 2 (HIV-2): A virus closely related to HIV-1 that has also been found to cause AIDS. It was first isolated in West Africa. Although HIV-1 and HIV-2 are similar viruses, are transmitted in the same way, and cause the same sorts of illness, HIV-2 is less aggressive than HIV-1 and does not always react to HIV medications in the same way as HIV-1.

Hypothesis: The idea or assumption which is the basis of an argument or research study.

Immune Deficiency: A breakdown or inability of certain parts of the immune system to function, thus making a person susceptible to diseases (or “opportunistic infections”) that they would not ordinarily develop.

Immunity: nNatural or acquired resistance provided by the immune system to a specific disease. Immunity may be partial or complete (meaning someone may or may not be totally immune to a disease), specific or nonspecific (meaning that the immunity may apply to a single disease or multiple diseases), long-lasting or temporary (meaning the immunity may last someone’s entire life or may eventually go away).

Immunotherapy: a treatment that stimulates or modifies the body’s immune response.

informed consent: The process of learning the key facts about a clinical trial before deciding whether or not to participate. It is also a continuing process throughout the study to provide information for participants. To help someone decide whether or not to participate, the doctors and nurses involved in the trial explain the details of the study. There is also an informed consent document which states why the particular clinical trial is being done, what procedures will be done during the course of the study, what possible risks there may be and information about the rights and responsibilities of a study participant. This document must be signed by the clinical trial participant before any study procedure can begin.

Intervention: Primary interventions being studied. Types of interventions are Drug, Gene Transfer, Vaccine, Behavior, Device, or Procedure.

Investigational New Drug: A new drug, antibiotic drug, or biological drug that is used in a clinical investigation. It also includes a biological product used in vitro for diagnostic purposes. Investigational New Drug is a status given to an experimental drug after the FDA agrees that it can be tested in people.

Isolate: a particular strain of HIV-1 taken from a person.

Lipoatrophy: Lipoatrophy is abnormal fat loss, often in the face, arms, and legs which may alter someone’s appearance. Fat inside the abdomen may also increase.

Lipodystrophy: A condition in which the body produces, uses, and disproportionately distributes fat. Lipodystrophy may also be referred to as “buffalo hump,” “protease paunch,” “crixivan potbelly,” or “AIDS belly.” Lipodystrophy is thought to be related to the use of protease inhibitor and NRTI drugs, though how these drugs may cause or trigger lipodystrophy is not yet known. Lipodystrophy symptoms involve the loss of the thin layer of fat under the skin, making veins seem to protrude, wasting of the face and limbs, and the accumulation of fat on the abdomen (both under the skin and within the abdominal cavity) or between the shoulder blades.

Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor (NRTI): A type of antiretroviral drug whose chemical structure is made up of a modified version of a natural nucleoside. These compounds suppress reproduction of retroviruses by interfering with reverse transcriptase enzyme, a protein needed for HIV to reporduce.

Opportunistic Infection: An illness caused by an organism that usually does not cause disease in a person with a normal immune system. People with advanced HIV infection suffer opportunistic infections of the lungs, brain, eyes and other organs.

Pathogen: Any disease-producing microorganism or material.

Pathogenesis: The origin and development of a disease. More specifically, it’s the way a microbe (bacteria, virus, etc.) causes disease in a person.

Placebo Effect: A physical or emotional change, occurring after a substance is taken or administered, that is not the result of any special property of the substance. The change may be beneficial, reflecting the expectations of the participant and, often, the expectations of the person giving the substance.

Polyvalent Vaccine: a vaccine that is produced from multiple viral strains, or is made to induce immune responses against multiple strains.

Prevention Trials: Refers to trials to find better ways to prevent disease in people who have never had the disease or to prevent a disease from returning. These approaches may include medicines, vitamins, vaccines, minerals, or behavioral changes.

Preventive HIV Vaccine: a vaccine designed to prevent getting infected from HIV.

Primary Care Provider (PCP): Refers to a health care professional who provides you with comprehensive medical care. A Primary Care Provider can be a medical doctor or physician [MD], a physician’s assistant [PA] or a nurse practitioner [NP]. He or she conducts your regular physical exams and takes care of your health care needs. When necessary, your primary care provider refers you to a specialist for further examination and treatment.

Protease Inhibitor: one of a class of anti-HIV drugs designed to inhibit the enzyme protease and interfere with virus replication. Protease inhibitors prevent HIV precursor proteins from dividing into smaller cells of active proteins, a process that normally occurs when HIV reproduces.

Receptor: a molecule on the surface of a cell that serves as a recognition or binding site for antigens, antibodies or other cellular or immunologic components.

Resistance Testing:
There are three types of resistance testing:

• Genotype Testing: a type of resistance test that looks for changes (mutations) in HIV that may be associated with drug resistance (this is when HIV is no longer controlled by drugs).
• Phenotype Testing: a kind of resistance testing that, instead of using mutation analysis, grows the virus in the presence of various concentrations of drug to see which drugs the HIV is still sensitive to (not resistant to). Standard phenotype tests take approximately 4 weeks to show results and the test is very expensive.
• Virtual Phenotype: a system used to give the same information as the standard phenotype test – that is, information about which drugs will work to control the HIV – by comparing information gathered from over 35,000 actual phenotype tests to see which drugs will still have an effect on those mutations. This is done by entering the results from a genotype test into the database of available information. All these tests can be very helpful in making treatment decisions about which medications will work against the mutations one has developed in order to try to get the HIV under control and reduce viral load.

Retrovirus: HIV and other viruses that carry their genetic material in the form of RNA rather than DNA and have the enzyme, reverse transcriptase, that can transcribe it into DNA. In most animals and plants, DNA is usually made into RNA, hence “retro” is used to indicate the opposite direction.

Reverse Transcriptase: the enzyme produced by HIV and other retroviruses that enables them to direct a cell to synthesize DNA from their viral RNA.

RNA (ribonucleic acid): a single-stranded molecule composed of chemical building blocks, similar to DNA. The RNA segments in cells represent copies of portions of the DNA sequences in the nucleus. RNA is the sole genetic material of retroviruses.

Serostatus: positive or negative results of a diagnostic test, such as an ELISA, for a specific antibody, in this case HIV.

Side Effects: Any undesired actions or effects of a drug or treatment. Negative or adverse effects may include headache, nausea, hair loss, skin irritation, or other physical problems. Experimental drugs must be evaluated for both immediate and long-term side effects [See Adverse Reaction].

Standards of Care: Treatment regimen or medical management based on state of the art participant care.

Surrogate Marker: an indirect measure of disease progression. In HIV disease, the number of CD4+ T cells per cubic millimeter of blood is often used as a surrogate marker.

Therapeutic HIV Vaccine: a vaccine designed to boost the immune response to HIV in a person already infected with the virus. Also referred to as an immunotherapeutic vaccine.

Vaccine: a preparation that stimulates an immune response that can prevent an infection or create resistance to an infection.

Viral Load: Measures the amount of new HIV produced and released into a person’s bloodstream. [See Understanding Test Results]

Viremia: the presence of virus in the bloodstream.

Virus: a microorganism composed of a piece of genetic material : RNA or DNA : surrounded by a protein coat. To replicate, a virus must infect a cell and direct its cellular machinery to produce new viruses.

Window Period: The ‘window period’ is period between an exposure and the time it can take to develop antibodies. If you take a HIV test during the “window period” the results may not be a true reflection of your HIV status.

www.hivinfosource.org

On another note, after said brilliant colleague came up with the idea of a blog, I got excited and was starving, so I went to grab some pizza before sitting down and figuring this blog stuff out.  As I was joyfully returning to the Centre, delicious, greasy, fresh-out-of-the-oven-pizza in hand, I had an experience that felt like a slap across the face.  I passed by two men, in business suits, walking down the street and one of them looked at his friend and said: “That could bring me my lunch any time.”  I couldn’t believe it.  Now, I’m not sure if it was the use of the word “that”, or the fact that in the year 2010, people still believe that these types of derogatory comments are okay, but I couldn’t help but let my jaw drop in disbelief, and turn around to stare at the speaker.  I don’t care who you are, or who you’re talking about, but using a word like “that” to describe someone, followed by a blatantly sexist remark is unacceptable.  

I mean, really,  how in this day and age could this be considered okay?  How are we still laughing at these ‘jokes’ or remarks?  Does insulting a woman make you feel like a superior being?  How about insulting anybody else?  People often brush it off, or too often say things without realizing the impact that it may have on others.  In these cases, how do we effect change?  I say we stand up and say that these jokes are not funny, they are offensive, and we refuse to laugh.  No one should be made to feel like an object or anything less than a beautiful human being.  Everyone is beautiful, in some way.  We should celebrate our diversity, not be made to feel like we are not good enough to even be referred to as a person and not an object.  

On that note, I hope that everyone enjoys this project as much as I already have!  

Wishing you all smiles and warm fuzzies!