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Let’s face it, AIDS is going to be with us for at least the next half century if not more. The reason that HIV Disease has been such a successful virus around the world is because it exploits all the human weaknesses that make up our various civilizations. Each year, there are new promises made by scientists regarding eradication of this deadly virus but this simply leads to more knowledge being acquired regarding the complexity of this virus.

Summary: Part 1

I encourage you to view this program online but if you don’t have time, here is an extensive summary.

• by the time HIV Disease was diagnosed in the United States, over 250 thousand people where infected, by the time it was diagnosed in Africa, millions where already infected
• the AIDS virus is 150 times smaller than the size of the blood cell it attacks and eventually kills, progressively over several years, the body dies from an infection due to an overwhelmed (now severely compromised) immune system without anymore t-cells to combat infection
• originally, most patients died within a few months upon diagnosis
• June 1981, CDC reports in the MMWR the occurrence of a mysterious disease which will soon be labeled as AIDS
• originally, infections where among healthy gay men who had a number of recreational drugs and sexual partners so the point of infection was very difficult to track down
• infection diagnosis then spread through the Haitian community, the CDC couldn’t figure out the connection between the gay men in large cities and the Haitian Community in Florida
• in Europe, infections began to show up in heterosexual couples who where not from Haitian backgrounds nor homosexual ones
• November 1981, three drug users where diagnosed in New York with AIDS which later lead to an epidemic of AIDS within the drug communities
• diagnosis of AIDS leads to becoming a social outcast within their peers, as this was mostly hitting the gay and drug communities, they where not a priority by the government (they didn’t care)
• government didn’t want public tax dollars going towards helping people who deserved to die based on actions against the Laws of God
• CDC warns that AIDS has entered the blood supply after a child becomes infected with AIDS
• Hemophiliacs are the next group to be infected with AIDS en mass, CDC then realized that AIDS had to be a virus spread through sharing of bodily fluids
• blood banks refuse to admit that AIDS could be spread from blood transfusions, even when faced with evidence by the CDC, it took two years before they began screening procedures, leading to 35 thousand confirmed new AIDS cases
• President Reagan comes into power and institutes a 25% cut in funding to the CDC, leading to two years of stagnation in the AIDS epidemic
• scientists had trouble finding the original source of AIDS, leads lead to the Congo
• once scientists visit the Congo, they realize that woman can also be infected with AIDS, once this is reported to high ranking government officials, they still cannot put two and two together as the gay and drug user biased is systemic throughout the administration
• Haitians where contracted by the now independent Congo once the Belgians left in the 1980s to teach the Congonese population, once they return, they infected many Haitians (the connection is now made)
• many gay men would travel to Haiti for cheap sex, then returning to the United States, leading to further infections within the gay community
• AIDS spread quickly through the closed and impoverished Haiti population
• bathhouses in the gay community became huge points of infection among the population, government officials debated the impact
• 1983, AIDS was a political disease even in the face of overwhelming evidence that it didn’t discriminate against host (sexual orientation, race or background)
• in the summer of 1983, HIV Virus was isolated by the French but scientists in the United States couldn’t wrap their head around more then one retro-virus existing
• HIV is thought to come from Chimpanzees that carried SIV hunted by humans in Central Africa sometime in the 1930s
• 1959 was the first confirmed case of somebody dying of AIDS
• one infection from a Chimpanzee to one Human lead to the current AIDS epidemic
• in May of 1984, the first AIDS blood test was developed and work on a vaccine is promised within two years
• AIDS blood test reveals that somebody can be HIV positive but completely healthy for decades before symptoms become apparent, leading to exponential infection rates
• in 1985, the gay community was going through an incredible challenge as people where dying daily, half of hemophiliacs died from AIDS as well
• during the second term of Reagan’s administration, AIDS was still not acknowledged and still seen as a mainly a gay problem
• Rock Hudson was a gifted Hollywood actor, known for his looks and ability with the woman, the personification of a perfect male, was the first major figure diagnosed with AIDS
• Rock Hudson’s death lead to AIDS becoming mainstream with widespread public fear, discrimination and paranoia spread across the country
• Ryan White, a 14 year old hemophiliac infected with AIDS is forced to quit coming to school due to unfounded fears and ignorance
• in September 1985, the Reagan’s administration re-enforces stigma that AIDS can be spread by casual contact, which is then denied by the scientific community which says AIDS is spread by exchanges in bodily fluids
• AIDS hides itself behind the bodies own sugars that essentially make it invisible to the human immune system
• in 1985, two million people where infected (mostly in Africa) and over 500 thousand Americans
• sex and homosexuality are taboo subjects in Africa which lead to exponential infection rates
• Jonathan Mann encountered AIDS in Zaire in 1984 during a study for the CDC and lead a WHO global program across the world, breaking taboos and forcing the issues behind AIDS into the public
• Irine Kaliba lead the development of the first AIDS support organization in Uganda after her husband died from AIDS caused by a blood transfusion, promoting education and hope to stop the AIDS infection growth rates (leading to a decrease)
• in 1985, heroin and the sex industry caused an explosion in new AIDS cases within Thailand
• 1 in 10 new army recruits where found in Thailand to be infected with AIDS, the government acted quickly to promote the use of condoms among sex workers while neglecting the drug users who had infections rates of up to 40%
• in Britain, AIDS was primarily spreading through the Heroin community from 0% to 56% within an 18 month period, in response, the government sets-up needle exchanges across the UK
• in 1987, United States Senator Jesse Helms was insulted by publications spreading knowledge about AIDS prevention and pushed for a ban against homosexual materials which is still on the books today, this was seen as a blow to the AIDS fight
• AZT was a cancer drug from the 1950s that caused immune system regeneration in AIDS patients, it was a public funded drug whose patent was given to a private company by the United States government at the price of 10 000$US a year
• mass demonstrations against the slow process of AIDS drug approval and extremely high drug prices
• AZT doesn’t totally knock out the AIDS virus, as a result, it adapted and became drug resistant to the once promising drug
• in 1987, the AIDS memorial quilt is displayed in Washington, over 40 thousand Americans had already died from AIDS
• on May 31st, 1987, president Reagan finally speaks-out about AIDS, while pushing for education, he also took steps that would be counter-productive such as testing new immigrants and not promoting condom use
• by 1990, a million Americans are infected with AIDS, equivalent to 1 on every 250 people across the United States population
• Ryan White Care Act is passed by Washington to begin putting a wedge in the exponential global increase in AIDS infections
• Jonathan Mann departs the WHO because of personality conflicts, his high profile work lead to conflicts with his boss who was jealous of Jonathan’s success on the AIDS front

Summary: Part 2

• Africans migrate en mass to South African in search of jobs
• next to the hostels where the men live are brothels where AIDS is spread through the population
• when Mandela is released from Jail, 1% of the South African population had been infected with AIDS but the government did very little to combat the growing epidemic over the following four years
• in 1984, Mandela saw his job being mostly that of reconciliation and led his vice president to take the helm of the AIDS fight
• during the five years that president Mandela was in office, he rarely discussed AIDS as infections where doubling on a yearly basis within his country
• Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992 promising to take the lead in the AIDS fight, in stark contrast to Reagan
• HIV was thought to be dormant for several years before infection but scientists found out that it replicated by the billions on a daily basis starting on the first day of infection, it just took a long time before these actions progressed to compromise the immune system
• replication of HIV isn’t a perfect process, as such, drug resistance is a given
• in 1996, the triple cocktail developed by the team working under Dr. David Ho shows incredible promise against the AIDS virus, the cost was 16 thousand dollars a year
• by 1996, 20 million Africans where infected with HIV with no way of affording the cost of treatment, which lead to an enormous moral question being asked
• AIDS patients in the United States with health care could afford the drugs but not those without it while in Brazil the triple cocktail is freely available to anybody who needs it, yet it’s banned in South Africa
• Brazil had 500 thousand infected AIDS patients in the 1990s, the government built the AIDS clinics in poor neighborhoods but it wasn’t until a patient brought the government to court did they provide the triple cocktail to their population
• AZT can prevent transmission between mother and child
• President Mbeki continues to see that AIDS is an environmental and social disease, infection rates are now to 20% within the population which was completely preventable
• infection rates within the black communities skyrocketed while they stabilized in the rest of the American population
• 40% of new AIDS infections come from IV drug users within the United States
• AIDS becomes a global pandemic which is met with absolute ignorance many governments around the world who deny its existence
• 20 million people died by the end of the 1990s by HIV/AIDS infections while most of the international community still looked the other way
• in the late 1990s, President Mbeki repeats his denials about AIDS, saying it’s caused by poverty, not a virus during the first AIDS conference in Africa
• the pharmaceutical industry stand behind their intellectual property rights behind the AIDS drugs they had developed at the cost of poor peoples lives
• George Bush creates a 15 billion dollar PEPFAR fund to help provide free AIDS drugs to Africans dying of AIDS to sidestep the UN Global Fund pushed by Kofi Annan
• United States leadership still think that AIDS was a consequence of sinful behavior, as a result, not their problem, hence funds where released with strings attached in 2002
• Christians see AIDS as an opportunity to spread the word of God to dying patients around the world
• UN Global Fund against AIDS targeted over 160 countries while the Bush plan concentrated on mostly African countries
• SARS in China affected the global community to open transparency about health problems
• disease, for the first time, seen as a situation that can affect economic and national security of a country
• triple cocktail needs to be taken for life as the infection returns afterwards, HIV never go away from a persons body, you can suppress it but not eradicate it
• Bush’s AIDS plan relies on prevention, where 20% of funds are allocated and shies away from direct sexual talk such as condom use
• prostitution, homosexuality and condom distribution are no-nos regarding receiving funds from the Bush administration
• the challenges posed by AIDS are far and wide with the implications of an entire global community relying on a constant supply these life saving drugs
• triple cocktail users live up to 8 years longer on the drugs but the costs take up a large portion of government health care budgets
• in 2008, both the UN and US funds against AIDS run out
• 95% of new infections take place in poor countries with 40 million in new infections over the next several years
• drugs and treatment programs cannot keep-up with infection rates
• India already has 5 million infections
• HIV spreads among mostly heterosexual populations now
• 5 million new cases per year, no cure and no vaccine exists
• current generation don’t know the face or challenges with AIDS, they tend to think it’s a manageable disease with little consequences, which is false
• AIDS fight is now towards mitigation, not beating it as too many have died and are being infected daily
• Nelson Mandela’s son has died from AIDS
• AIDS shows how interconnected we really are

The Bottom Line

HIV/AIDS is a condition that will be with us for at least the next generation if not more but prevention is always a more effective mechanism to control the spread then treatment.

Buzzvia
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/aids/view/

Although this documentary was done in the early 1980s, the same issues are alive and well today. From forced abortions in China to fit the “one child policy” to mothers who aren’t ready for the burden of motherhood. Abortion isn’t an easy topic to tackle but this documentary does a fantastic job of outlining the situations real women face on a daily basis around the world.

Summary

• old seminary transformed into an abortion clinic
• pregnancy termination is a very complex issue and a very difficult situation for many woman to deal with even once they have entered the clinics wall
• Christian group try to trick woman away from their choice to have an abortion
• abortionist has no problem with this title but does have problem with being defined only as an abortionist when the doctor provides far more services to the woman then simply pregnancy termination services
• clinic offers counseling for each of the patients before and after the procedure
• Christians essentially equate a first term child with a fully developed human being but in a smaller form factor
• many of the woman seeking abortions do so because of financial and societal pressures that would adversely affect their life in a negative way
• woman seeking abortions seem to come from dysfunctional families on the lower side of the economical and educational ladder (at least in this documentary)
• abortion occurs in a very clinical setting by people who are professionals at dealing with the various issues associated with the procedure
• entire abortion takes only a few minutes to perform from start to finish and seems like a relatively painless procedure when compared to childbirth
• emotional impact doesn’t seem to hit the patient until after the procedure is completed
• first trimester material is mostly placental, not a fully formed small human being that Christians anti-abortionists claim
• abortionist admits that second term abortions can take their toll emotionally, hence, first term abortions are preferred (sooner is always better)
• anti-abortionists try to associate an emotional connection with their unborn child, giving it human traits such as ability to suck their thumb, heartbeat, brainwaves, bowel movements etc.
• interesting anti-abortionist quote: “it’s not whether to have a baby or not, the baby is already there, the question is what to do with the baby”
• anti-abortionists focus on the graphic nature of having an abortion performed instead of the emotional, lifelong toll of woman having children they cannot take care of
• dedication of both anti-abortionists and doctors performing abortions for their causes is admirable
• clinical counseling asks very tough questions to the soon to be potential patient and lets them know that alternatives are available
• anti-abortionists paint a rosy picture of what happens if they keep the baby no matter how bad their situation in life really is

Interesting Observations

I am sure that having an abortion is a very difficult decision for any woman to face no matter their socio-economical background but in this documentary, I am surprised at how down and out the woman really are. Their decisions are not based on the love for their child but on the burden it may have on them and their family. Another interesting observation is how the boyfriend during the two abortions performed on camera are nowhere to be seen and aren’t the most upstanding citizens to begin with. On a final note, if you take away the religious philosophies behind the anti-abortionists beliefs, their arguments have absolutely no legs to stand on.

The Bottom Line

Abortion should be a freely available option for any woman who thinks, justifiably or not, that she isn’t really for motherhood.

Buzzvia
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/twenty/watch/abortion.html

I find it ironic that people in the “modern, industrialized world” are dying from overconsumption of food while in Africa, they are dying from underconsumption. We are suffering from exponential obesity, diabetes and cardio-vascular conditions (from not being active enough) rates in our populations while in Africa, the biggest problem malnutrition, HIV Disease and catabolizing (from being too active). We worry about deserts while they simply want to eat something.

What is Plumpy’nut?

Well, it’s what is known as a therapeutic food (RUTF) which was invented by a French pediatric nutritionist named Andre Briend. It solves a problem that aid workers have been having for years with the need for refrigeration of milk to help deal with malnutrition. Basically, you give a kid two of these bars a day (total nutrition within a thousand calories) and within two weeks, the kid is rehabilitated. No need for refrigeration, no need to worry about spoilage and better yet, can be shipped EN MASS when and where needed. It is currently only manufactured by one company, Nutriset and it costs about 25 cents per, or 7 dollars per two week supply.

Plumpy’nut by the numbers

Now being used by NGOs such as Doctors Without Boarders, in 2005 they along with other NGOs where able to treat over 60 000 patients within four months using Plumpy’nut. The results so far have been great compared to the traditional method and they can give a weeks supply to mothers of starving children at a time, something that couldn’t be done otherwise.

What about peanut allergies?

An interesting fact is that unlike the rising prevalence of food allergies in 1st world countries, those who grow up starving in less then hygienic circumstances seem to suffer far less from food allergies then our highly sterilized environments. Another factor is that these children are probably going to die, taking a risk of a food allergy showing its head is the lesser of two evils considering the lack of resources that are given. There is, by the way, an alternative paste called EZ Paste which does not contain nuts but has yet to find a commercial manufacturer.

Larger Issue

Dealing with starving children will do a lot to help with what so far is a forgotten continent in the eyes of the world. Sure, our past colonial conquests did much to cause the problems that exist today but we should also put the present leadership accountable. If you mass poverty and sickness, then it should be a given that you have NO money for anything military. If you have to rely on NGOs to feed your population, then it should be a given that you have NO money for flamboyant spending habits for those who are elected into office. If you have to continually beg for donations and debt forgiveness, then it should be a given that you have NO money for meddling in other countries affairs. I believe this, more then the past, is the reason why there is so much hardship in Africa. Africa wasn’t given a healthy start to begin with after the colonials cut and run, but that doesn’t explain why, a century latter, they still don’t have their act together.

The Bottom Line

For 7 dollars, a mother can have enough food to feed their starving child for two weeks.

Reference
http://www.nutriset.fr/
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2497593&page=1

On June 1^st of this year, Jack Kevorkian (aka Dr. Death) was released from jail (aka Hell) for helping people with terminal diseases and illnesses die with dignity and on their own terms.

Yes, he was a doctor

Although he did have his license revoked due to his actions in assisting patients to end their life, he was a doctor, studied medicine and even specialized in diseases at the cellular level. I think this should be pointed out, he wasn’t some wako off the street killing people, he was providing a service to those that requested and WANTED to die.

Health and Death

The roll of a doctor is to help prevent the spread of diseases from happening in the first place, if you get sick, you see them to be not only cured but stopping what ever bug you have from spreading to other family members etc. At least to me, it only makes sense that once you have reached your limit, are in pain daily and medical science can do nothing to better your condition (ei: everything is downhill) then I don’t see a problem at all with a doctor fulfilling your last wishes.

Why do we even need a Doctor of Mortality Extinction?

One thing that confuses me about this entire case is WHY we even need the a doctor involved with assisted suicide in the first place, our bodies are incredibly fragile to begin with and to be honest, ending our own mortality isn’t a very difficult task at all. Also, if you are suffering from a terminal illness, most likely you are taking medication that is lethal in large doses or can gain access to those that are. There is no lack of past creativity when it involves how to end your own mortality.

The deeper issue

I believe this whole hoopla that caused Mr. Kevorkians imprisonment was a combination of religious and public backlash more then a sound legal system at work. The United States was founded using religion as its backbone, luckily their forefathers did have the correct state of mind by separating church and state but regardless, this strikes to the core of the sixth commandment: do not murder.

This is as straight forward as they come, no exceptions nor interpretations needed, if you kill somebody, you’re going straight to Hell. I guess you can tell that the bible wasn’t reviewed by a lawyer huh? When the public got word of a Doctor going around killing old and sick individuals, the political, religious and legal system was up in arms to make an example of this guy. Forget that the patients (and family) asked repeatedly ON TAPE for his services, disregard that he was a doctor with extensive knowledge in diseases and who cares if the patients where terminal (ei: going to die painfully anyways)… he was breaking Gods law and had to be taken care of ASAP. Why can you kill in self defense but not kill at the request of somebody who clearly has reason and wishes to die?

Fear of our own mortality

I also think that this struck a nerve in the United States (and abroad) because it deals with an issue that will affect all of us. Death. Death isn’t something happy nor something to look forward to (unless your terminal). It’s something pleasantly ignored in our own minds with good reason, there isn’t anything we can do about it. The whole idea that everything that you are will be over is quite scary, I sure as hell have no desire to die and most likely, neither do you. The second you are conceived, you are driving on a roller coaster with a set track length. It’s very much a social taboo to discuss our own mortality with others, although I tend to break this regularly to get others opinions on things.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need the help of a doctor to end your mortality, but for some, there is no other options.

My personal feelings about the events surrounding my sisters death. The 5th of May will mark my dead sisters birthday, she would have been 26 years old. I honestly cannot remember the last birthday of hers I attended, drugs seem to make family contact irrelevant to the user. Although the circumstances of her death on Christmas are still unknown thanks to the useless St. Catharines Police “Service”, I still find it hard to come to the realization that I will never see her again other then in photographs. I have no regrets of shunning her while she was hooked, I still believe that was the best thing for the both of us.

Christmas 2005

I hope my openness about the circumstances around my sisters death help addicts realize how cheap their lives are to their drug addicted friends, police and ultimately, the people they thought loved them. Lead a life of hurt and misery, and you will be forgotten as quickly as your last high.

A large driving force for just about every species, whether plan, animal, bacteria or virus is the urge of procreation. Although there is some controversy as to what controls this (nurture vs nature), one thing that cannot be disputed is how strong the urge is.

A little education first

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, it is a Retrovirus, meaning that once it gets into a cell, it is able to use hijack that cells function to replicate itself. HIV is spread through the exchange of fluids; it doesn’t matter if it’s from mother to child or unprotected sex or a dirty needle, you still get it to the same degree. Infection can take years to develop into AIDS. AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, and you have it when your CD4 count is below 200/ml. Most often this is the first time somebody finds out that they even had HIV in the first place and this is when infections begin to take advantage of you now depressed immune system.

Abstinence and fidelity is not enough!

I read an article today at how 23% of the 15 billon US the Bush administration has put towards the fight against HIV Disease in Africa has gone to religious groups that promote fidelity and abstinence over condom use”. We all know how bad the track record on prohibition is (drugs, alcohol etc), try advocating sexual prohibition to a young population anywhere in the world.

A little history

Throughout most of recent history, African has been pillaged by European colonists and used as a boxing ring during too many wars by other countries. From slavery to propped up dictatorships, Africa has seen far more of its fare share of misery. It was not always this way, Africa was once a very powerful continent but the culture, languages and resources of the people have been mismanaged for centuries. Colonists simply packed their bags when they no longer had a use for a nation and left them to fend for themselves. Not all of Africa has had this fate, but large swaths have yet to recover from it.

HIV Disease in Africa - why should I care?

Sure, I am a Canadian - why should I care about what is going on in Africa? They are on the other side of the planet!

The Bottom Line

Prohibition is not a cure nor solution, unbiased education is at least heading in the right direction.

Links of interest:
Alternative to adoption bleak for African orphans
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/10/16/koinange.adoption/index.html