In 1983, both Newsweek and TIME devoted cover stories to a new, strange, and deadly disease, with terrifying titles like "Epidemic" and "The AIDS Hysteria." In those awful days, nearly three decades ago, it seemed like AIDS was everywhere--the grimmest of reapers, waiting to strike, without hope of prevention or cure.
Then, in 1984, Dr. Robert Gallo and Dr. Luc Montagnier co-discovered HIV as the cause of the disease. And by the mid-1990s, exciting progress was being made on anti-retroviral therapies that kept the infection at bay.
More than 20,000 delegates from around the world have convened in Washington, D.C. to attend the 2012 International AIDS Conference--to celebrate progress, share scientific discoveries, and seize the potential to definitively "turn the tide" on AIDS.
It's a thrilling moment -- and yet, it's a moment of serious challenge as well: a challenge to all of us to make sure we stay aware, stay educated, and stay engaged, so that we can sustain the momentum and keep moving forward instead of back.
Did you know, for example, that in this country, African Americans are the racial group most affected by HIV? We make up 14% of the U.S. population, yet account for 44% of new HIV infections, with black men's estimated rate of infection more than six times that of white men, and black women's estimated rate 15 times the rate for white women. In Washington, D.C., which has epidemic rates of infection, black women account for nine of every 10 women with HIV. Nationwide, Hispanics and Latinos are also disproportionately affected. According to the CDC, at some point in life, 1 in 36 Latino men will be diagnosed with HIV.
Did you know that while there are estimated to be more than a million Americans living with HIV/AIDS, as many as one in five still aren't aware that they're infected? Understanding your status is critical to keeping yourself healthy, and to keeping your loved ones safe. A breakthrough study last year found that people with HIV placed on antiretrovirals early on in their infection were 96 percent less likely to pass HIV on to their partners. In other words, treatment is prevention; it can not only save one life, it can save many. Just a few weeks ago, the FDA approved an at-home rapid HIV test, OraQuick, making it possible to test in the privacy of your home. And Walgreens, in partnership with the CDC, is piloting a program to offer free HIV screening in selected pharmacies in Washington D.C., Chicago, and elsewhere. All it takes is a mouth swab. You'll get your results in 20 minutes.
Did you know that while men who have sex with men remain the most severely affected population in the United States, individuals infected through heterosexual contact accounted for 27% of estimated new HIV infections in 2009? Or that injection drug users represented 9% of new infections that same year? Programs that provide clean needles to drug users are some of the most effective ways to reduce rates of HIV infection among intravenous drug users, but conservative politicians have insisted on making federal funding of these programs illegal. This isn't just bad policy -- it's deadly policy, and we need to raise our voices against it.
Did you know there are more ways for individuals and couples to protect themselves? Female condoms are now available for sale at pharmacies around the country, giving women the option to practice safe sex without relying on their partners to use condoms. And just this week, the FDA approved for prescription a pill called Truvada, which is shown to be effective in preventing HIV among those at high risk of becoming infected.
Over the last 30 years, our understanding of AIDS has improved dramatically, bringing us to a point of unprecedented possibility and hope. Now is the time to build on that momentum, and end the epidemic for good. That's what the International AIDS Conference is about, but we all have a role to play. In order to "turn the tide together," we all must take responsibility--for ourselves, for our loved ones, and for our future.
its potency since erving 'magic' johnson has been able to not only fend off the grim reaper for the past 20 years but live a full and fruitful life (he could very well be taking $10K a shot medication or may be hooked up to tubes twice a month for blood cleansing but all we see is the sharp dressing billionaire who just bought the dogers)
the virus through heterosexual contact." While that may be true, it does not trace the chain
of transmission back even one degree, to the male partners that infect down-low men who
then infect women through 'heterosexual contact'.
This disease is not going to be controlled by political correctness.
The reality is that MSM are both the primary disease pool and the major disease vector.
It is not fair to the women and children in their lives to pretend otherwise.
HIV is a virus that may infect any person who is a receptive intercourse partner of an HIV positive person. How do you know if your partner is or isn't HIV positive? Testing. And you don't know if you can trust what your partner tells you about their status until you know you can trust your partner. That's why condoms are essential.
People have always been known to jump in and out of each others' "pools." Thinking you know that the wherever the virus is now, it came from gay people is worthless.
Sangamo Biosciences has 1 PH I/II trial and 2 PH II trials ongoing. Touted as a "functional cure" since the last CROI conference.
There just may be a "cure" in the not so distant future, FDA wise,
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/endgame-aids-in-black-america/
If anyone needs background on this disease, this one's very good, too:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/aids/
Also to note that people already suffering from such diseases as diabetes, life expectancy will be diminished, and if a genetic predisposition arises and DNA switches off, again life expectancy diminishes. This is a serious and deadly virus, and it is mind boggling that by just putting on a condom, that simple step can save you so much pain and suffering, I am shocked the community does not use them.
This is your sexual seat belt, and free choice is at play, yet I am perplexed as to why woman would choose not to use condoms with partners or just plan abstinence.
Get tested, Know your status, and help to stop the increase in people getting the disease. Set aside your ego long enough to make sure you are not part of the problem. The Stigma of a positive diagnosis needs to come to an end.
Recent legal defenses against defendants charged with knowingly endangering the life a person they had sex with have resulted in not guility charges when the defense was that none of the test used to diagnose HIV are valid. Refence a military trail of soldier who was positive on all three of the invalid Aids tests at www.omsj.org/issues/ustd
Every manufacturer of Aids test kits has a disclaimer that the test is not able to verify HIV infection.
Elisa test, Abbot Labs " At present there is NO RECOGNIZED standard for establishing the presence or HIV in human blood"
Western Blot , Eptope Inc " Do not use this kit as the sole basis of diagnosis of HIV infection " .
PCR " Viral Load" Test, Roche, " Intended Use" - The AMPLICOR HIV-1 Monitor test, is not intended to be used as screening test or as diagnostic test to confirm the presence of HIV infection "
All HIV tests are Manufacturer disclaimed as not being able to accurately detect HIV. All positive HIV results can't be trusted..
. For more insights into the HIV/AIDS debacle - www.theperthgroup.com - www.altheal.org and the documentary, House of Numbers on youtube
The FDA has approved several tests for HIV diagnosis through the presence of antibodies only produced by people who have been exposed to the virus (meaning they're HIV positive, in case you're uncertain about what those terms mean).