New Strain...

This article tells of a new strain of HIV,.located in Saskatchewan, Canada.  For now, it seems to be geographically specific.  I'd imagine many strains develop like this.  A constant exposure to the elements & factors specific to a given region allow for new adaptations.  This doesn't mean the virus will remain limited to this region.  As people travel, so will the virus.  

This new strain is being mostly found in the marginalized people's of this area.  It is being transferred mostly via shared needles.  This outbreak is being fulled by poverty, marginalization & drug use.  People with this strain are progressing to AIDS sooner & are having higher mortality rates.  This is a scary, but expected development.

Cya

Spring Cleaning...

There are no articles today, just common sense.  One of the best ways to stay healthy is to keep your home clean.  It' Springtime & the cleaning mode is in high gear.  We're sorting & resorting, organizing, cleaning & letting go of a lot of junk.  It sounds easy enough, but let me tell you, that is not the case.

Each bookcase & shelf was covered in hundreds of books, gadgets, trinkets & other little doodads.  Every single one of those things was encased in a layer of dust & cat fur.  Let the sneezing & eye-watering begin.  The process has not been quick & the rags are dirty & the vacuum full, but it's out of the house.

We've also found doubles of half the stuff we've recently purchased,  because the originals got buried in the mess.  I've mentioned before hoarding & hoarders creep me out, so this was more than a little distressing.  Oh well, it's getting fixed.

When it comes to keeping  your house healthy & vermin free (fleas), cleanliness is your best weapon.  All that dust held allergens.  All those nooks were places fleas could hide.  That dust held odors.  These are just a few reasons to get into spring cleaning.

Let the cleaning begin...

Cya

Montana Outbreak...

This article details a current outbreak in  Missoula County, Montana.  According to their numbers, this county has had 12 new case of HIV in the past 5 months.  That's almost 50% of the state's annual transmission rate.  This article isn't about new methodology or treatment.  It's about the simple fact HIV is still here.  It goes on to make several points:

• HIV is present in their local communities
• Most HIV transmissions are via sex
• Many infected are unaware of their HIV status
• Many don't realize they've been exposed to a risk group
• Only testing can reveal a person's HIV status

It goes on to say that condoms are a viable means of protection.  While true, condom usage only provides a means for "safer" sex, not "safe" sex.  We've heard these points before, but they bear repeating.  

Cya

Female Condoms...

This article promotes the female condom as a means to decrease the transmission of HIV & reduce $ spent on matters concerning HIV treatment.  It goes on to explain how education in it's use & making it available have serious impact on HIV transmissions among women.  To me the best thing about the female condom, is that it is something the woman is control of & not the man.  This allows her to be the deciding factor on whether or not a condom is used.  Hopefully, women will see these as a means to protect themselves & not something that shouldn't be mentioned.

Cya

HIV & Injection Infection...

This article talks about the possibility of eliminating the spread of HIV & HCV among injection drug users.  This is potentially huge.  However, there are going to be a lot of screams along the way.  Things this will require:

1. Syringe exchanges
2. Pharmacies selling syringes
3. Counseling/Treatment programs for those with drug dependence

The problem there, is all these points will get people to crying fowl.   They'll say the first two will only serve to encourage drug use.   They'll say all three will cost $.  They're right these steps will cost $, but a lot less than treating HIV/HCV.    This is one of those times when we have a relatively easy solution that will probably get blocked by some people's over righteous sense of morality &/or heavy handed politics.

Cya

Paperwork...

Today's post is being preempted by paperwork necessary to keep my insurance & assistance.  Will post again tomorrow.  It just kills me that they ask you questions that they already have all the answers to.  Just ask me if anything has changed.  If not, proceed as you were.  

Cya

Taking Point...

Today's post will be brief.  Not much new in the article world.  What is new, is the same old, same old, funding cut madness & horrid conditions in other countries.  I've decided to take a different course for today.

Over the last little bit, my roomie & I have been back at it clearing & cleaning the house.  We do our best to stay on top of things, but things don't always go as planned.  We're capable of minor repairs, like replacing toilet fill valves & the like.  Now, we are taking charge of our bug issue, specifically fleas.  

So far, they haven't been bad, but they'll get that way if we don't do something now.  We've opted to attempt to treat the yard ourselves this year.   Hopefully it will work, if not it's back to the exterminator.  But if it does work, that'll be at least $60 saved & a boost in self-confidence.  

The point is that we are at least trying to do things ourselves.  It may be a total flop, but we tried.  We are trying to exert more control over our lives instead of just flitting willy-nilly in the wind, letting whatever happens, happen.  We have a few tasks on our agenda & I hope they go well, I could use the activity.

Cya

Healthcare...

I'm doing my best to keep this blog out the political fray.  However, this article makes that difficult to do so.  The article describes the impact healthcare & the lack of of it has on people living with HIV in the USA.  Simply put, with healthcare they live & without it they die.

Only 17% of people living with HIV have private insurance as compared to the 67% of the rest of the population.  This is because insurance agencies are dropping them, refusing to cover them or their inability to work.    Some have Medicaid or Medicare, but many don't.  Without something like the affordable healthcare program being looked at in the Supreme Court, the likelihood is that many of these people will die unnecessarily.  

The evidence that programs like this work can be seen in Massachusetts. It doesn't seem to be the numbers that are making people argue, for many it doesn't even seem like the healthcare that are making them argue.  It seems like they are fearful of some idea this act will turn the nation into a Socialist State.  Wake up, people, if you're a corporation or excessively wealthy individual, it already is. Whatever your take on this matter, the results are clear.  Available, affordable healthcare means more people live.  

Cya

Out Of Date...

Today's post is about expiration dates or things around being out of date.   This happens more often than you think.  Some of it's faddish, like what's the popular diet at the moment.  Some of it's revisited research.  In my lifetime I've heard countless things that some researchers claimed to cause cancer, only later to have some other study partially or entirely debunk the report.  We know things we need to watch out for:

• Expired driver's licences
• Past best-by-date food
• Expired meds
• Obsolete technology
• Antiquated research

This article drove the point home.   Many of us are driving modern cars the way we taught to drive before  today's safety devices were implemented.  Guess what?  We're driving wrong.  Who'd a thunk it?  We have to stay on top of things in our lives.  This goes for driving, what's in our medicine cabinets & fridges, but also for the information we have on HIV.  Things change quickly in this world.  Make sure the info you have on your condition & regimen are up to date.

Cya

Resistance Is Deadly...

This article talks about a serious problem the rise of drug resistant HIV in the USA.   The study estimates that about 20% of the newly infected in the USA were carrying strains of HIV that were at least partially resistant to current meds.  If you consider it's estimated that 20% of the gay/bisexual male populations in metro areas are + & of those half aren't aware of their HIV status, this 20% resistance factor becomes a terrifyingly big problem.  Those numbers weren't including the rest of the LBGTQ community or other + people.

The reason for the resistance is possibly due to non-adherence to a regimen or unsafe sex with someone who is getting treatment.   The reasons are important, but even more so is the ever needed drive for making people understand that unprotected sex is dangerous.  If this resistance continues to build at this rate, there could come a point when no available regimens will work for anyone.  Say hello to the 1980's again.

Cya

Detroit...

This post won't be long, the article says it all.  There are sections of Detroit that have 3X national rate of HIV infection.  So far, it's isolated in various zip codes in the city, but especially the LBGTQ youth. 

Economics have caused huge cut-backs in numerous social programs.   Access to medical care, mental health care, safe places & housing is allowing the virus to rampage.  The young LBGTQ Black community is being especially hard.

With federal, state & private $'s being cut, the outcome for this city could prove devastating.

Cya

Patches...

These are medical patches, dermal if you will.   These things deliver medicine.  This article talks about an innovative new HIV therapy in development called the DermaVir Patch.  It's being produced by Genetic Immunity, a US/Hungarian biotech company.  They're hoping at some point this approach can be used to treat ailments from HIV to cancer.

There are some serious differences between this med & conventional ones now available.  This medical approach is based on nanomedicine.   Allowing the medication to be absorbed into the blood via the skin.   This medication, unlike anti-retrovirals or other inhibitors, this medication functions via the lymph nodes to produce a stronger immunity.  

So let's check this out:

1. It's topical & has to be applied only 9 times annually 
2. It has shown no toxic reactions like other HIV meds
3. There has been no signs of resistance to this med
4. It can be used with existing regimens
5. It boosts the immunity

OK, what's the downside, it turns you into a zombie?  That's the thing, we don't know yet, because this patch is still in the trial phase.  Still, the thought of having a patch put on nine times a year compared to talking umpteen pills a day.  Guess which one wins.  This is definitely something to keep an eye on  & see how things develop.

Cya

Brief...

My net is being a pain today.  So, I'll tell you of a common theme I've been reading lately, co-infection.  Many + people are also infected by other communicable diseases such as TB, Hep C & Syphilis.  I'd imagine it was probable they'd also carry a host of other ailments transmitted via sexual contact, needle sharing or blood.

This doesn't seem like much of a surprise to me, but it seems like ground shaking news to the medical communities.  Why?  I don't know.  It's a common sense approach to test the + patients for all these ailments in the beginning of treatment.  I had this done & my doctors acted like it was just SOP.

I guess all I can say on this matter is that if you're +, then you should make sure you get tested for these type  of diseases as well.  The sooner you're diagnosed, the sooner you can get treatment.

Cya

$, $, $ Not So Funny...

This isn't going to be a long post.  Recently I've covered articles concerning budgets & financial crisis in other countries.  I want to make sure we understand that this isn't just about other places in the world, but in the USA, as well.

This article reports on the struggling conditions of an HIV/AIDS outreach program in New Hampshire  A New England state struggling to keep the doors open in such a place. The Southern New Hampshire HIV/AIDS Task Force is losing a position in it's staff & the ability to provide free HIV testing.  This isn't even one of the states with the worst economies.  

The financial hardships are hurting everyone & every charitable agency.  $65,000 is what this task force needs to maintain the position they're losing & continue free testing, but they can't raise the extra $.  With federal funds being cut each year, it's not certain how long this agency will be able to continue to offer assistance.  It isn't the only agency of it's kind in the USA suffering the same problems. 

If we don't stay on top of this, we risk losing much of the headway we've made in the fight against HIV.

Cya

I'm Still Here...

This article discusses how HIV is perceived in contemporary gay culture in the USA.  The sad thing is that the stigma remains high while awareness seems to be lowering.   During the early years of HIV/AIDS, many of us  in the gay community were made aware of HIV on a daily basis.  We saw the commercials, there were bowls of condoms on the counters at the bars, there were sick people living like burning flames & there were a lot of funerals.

We became sensitive to the matter. We tried to take in all those things that could help us avoid becoming +.  It didn't always work.  Over time, the death rates lessened, the commercials became less frequent & we start assuming we were more safe.  This false sense of security lulled some of us into believing we could be lax in our efforts to protect ourselves & prevent the spread of HIV.  Those of us, who thought that way, were wrong.

Here are some numbers:

• 80% of Americans reported hearing little or nothing about HIV in the last year
• Nearly 20% of gay/bisexual men in 21 major US cities are +
• Of those infected, nearly half don't know that they're +

This is a new era for gay people & those young ones out there probably never went through the drama of seeing people drop like flies from this illness.  They never watched the horror of someone being told they were going to die because HIV was a death sentence. They didn't read in every paper that gay people deserved the HIV that came their way because it was some divine wrath.  Ignorance may be bliss, but  in this instance, it's deadly.

It's time to get the boy's in the band to start playing their song again & get these young ones to see the danger before them.   Just because people don't talk about  it as much as they used, just because people aren't dying at the same rate or because there are more meds doesn't make HIV any less deadly.

Cya

Failing & Falling...

I read a scary article today.  It posits that Greece is becoming a 3rd world country.  This is centered on fallout of the country's economic woes.   Due to the incredible cut-backs Greece has made in governmental spending & the lack of personal income, many Greeks are facing horrid circumstances.  One of the hardest hit aspects of the Greek government was their healthcare system, which has suffered a 40% budget cut.

This is leading to a host of other things.  They have abandoned their needle exchange service which has led to a drastic upswing in the number of HIV cases, most likely HepC as well.   Another factor is the rise in prostitution as a source of income.  

Adding to the issue, is a rise in the number of people who are suffering TB, Nile Fever & a record high level of malaria.  This is being compounded by the acts of self-medication by the population. Drug use while sharing needles is increasing the spread of these illnesses.  This is only being made worse by the people's inability to maintain private sector healthcare & the deterioration of the government healthcare system.  These are sick people with few possibilities for assistance.

Even with the bailouts being made for the country, Greece is sliding into dark times.  Between the economic hardships, the social unrest & the health disasters, this is a country on the brink.  As scary as that sounds, it gets worse.  Spain isn't fairing much better economically.  Spain could be the next Greece.  If Spain's healthcare system & job market become as burden as Greece's then it could very easily fall into same health nightmare as Greece.

This is very dangerous for us all.

Cya

Texting, Telemedicine & Techonolgy...

I've written about telemedicine before & how important it is to me.  My outreach is through Oklahoma State University Internal Medicine.  The bus comes every 3rd Wednesday of the month.  That means I drive about a mile for my appointment instead or 120 mile one way.  That saves me time, $ & exhaustion.  For some in my area this is the only possible way they have of seeing a specialist for their HIV.

These two articles talk more about telemedicine & texting in regards to treatment.  Although the article dealing with telemedicine is in the Southeast USA, the application & results are the same.  This distance approach is literally a life saver.  

The texting article was very interesting.  Normally, I sort of despise texting, but this an application of the tech that is actually useful.   This study was done in Kenya & the results are promising.  Adherence to a drug regimen is an absolute must when you're +.   This article looked at various lengths of text messages, frequency or text messages & compared them to no messaging, as well direct calling of the patients to remind them to take their meds.  

Surprising, weekly message reminders worked the best.  While actual phone calls were somewhat counterproductive.  This research reported the risk of non-adherence among their patients was down 22% with the short weekly reminders.  This is an easy way to actually improve patients lives.  These texts can be automated.  The $ & man hour costs are minimal.

These two applications of communication technologies are saving lives.  It's only a matter of time before these approaches become more mainstream.  Who knows what the next technological application will be on this matter?

Cya

Shattered Children...

This is a rough article.  It talks about  child abuse, sexual & physical, as predictors for HIV.  Duke University did a two-year study in the southeast USA & found that childhood abuse correlated to lessened health expectations later in life.  Half of these patients had been victims of or confronted by physical abuse.  25% of them had been sexually abused.

The psychological  impact of these events leaves these people with less self esteem & a higher aptitude for risky behaviors.  This affects their decision making when it comes to engaging in unprotected sex & seeking out medical attention.  The people in this study who had experienced this background were less apt to stick to their regimens, more apt to see their situation worsen & even had a higher rate of death.

These people suffer from PTSD, depression & a host of other mental/emotional problems.  They often don't see themselves as worthy of the effort to get treatment.  They see themselves differently than those who have never endured abuse.  Many self-medicate with drugs, alcohol or risk-based behaviors.  

These battered children often become broken adults incapable of coping with life in a manner that won't inflict further harm on their person/psyche.  Even if they have recovered physically from the abuse, the memories, anger, loneliness, pain & feelings of being unworthy remain.  Abuse shapes a child for the rest of it's life.  This is a horrifying, but not surprising, discovery.

Cya

Not So Good...

No articles today, just me, my meds & my mystery.  After feeling poorly for the last couple of days, I got curious & took another look at my meds.  I wasn't suspicious of my HIV meds, but of my allergy meds.

I had been feeling fatigued for no reason.  I looked up & the main ingredient of Claritin is Loratadine.    I used the Drug Interaction Checker & noticed that the antihistamine did interact with Norvir & Invirase.  It was a moderate interaction so I called my pharmacist.  Who quickly dismissed m worries & the web site.  I'm not completely sold on his lack of concern.  So, I picked up a new allergy med.

The problem here is layered.  I am + & HIV can leave you feeling like hell even on meds.  We just sprung forward with the time change & I was robbed of an hours sleep.  I am still adjusting to the time change & we are having ridiculously high allergen levels.  Which one was it?  The meds, an interaction, the allergies, me being tired, nerves, something else entirely or all the above?

I'll try Allegra for a bit, if it I don't feel any better, I'll switch back to Claritin, it's cheaper.  I feel better today, but I'm still not sure what hit me yesterday.  The problem is that these incidents aren't uncommon when you're on a lot of meds. You have to stay on top of the matter & be as educated as possible.   I'll just have to see how this plays out.

Cya

Treatment Impact...

It's been said for some time, that those who have been treated & have undetectable levels of HIV in their blood are less likely to transmit the virus to others.   This article takes that a step further.   There is now statistical evidence of the impact of treatment.   

The research collected from the KwaZulu-Natal province found that in areas where antiretroviral   therapy uptake is above 30%, uninfected people are 38% less likely to acquire HIV.

This African study shows not only does treatment aid the patient, it's also a preventative for the patient's community.  This is literally huge.  These meds are helping those people who need them & protecting those who aren't yet infected.  

There is no reason not to provide care for everyone diagnosed +.   I realize there will be the $ costs.  But treating those who are + now, may prevent incalculable numbers of others from later being infected & needing this kind of treatment.   This can not be looked at as a here & now thing, this is a matter for the long term & those kind of approaches must be employed in order to prevent & hopefully eradicate HIV.

Cya

HIV & Color...

According to this article, the HIV rates among Black women in parts of the USA are as high as those in Africa, where the disease has been rampant for decades.  What?  How is that so?

Easy.  This is so, because many people do not get tested.  They are exposed to others who do not get tested. They are unaware that they may be +.  Then they, themselves, expose others to the virus.

Educational efforts to fight this disease have been made since the 1980's.  That has done little in some communities to lessen the image of HIV being a death sentence.  It's done even less to deal with the stigma associated with this virus.

Many of these women are professionals & well educated.  However, the culture of their communities still holds them back when it comes dealing with HIV.  They often do not get tested.  Maybe, they just don't want to know.  If they know, then they have to face it or consciously choose not to.  

Regardless of the why's & how's, it simply means that an enormous amount of women of color in this country are going untested, therefore untreated.  They are being exposed to & exposing others to HIV.  They are dying, not because of HIV, but because of ignorance, lack of information & shame.  As long as this persists, these women & the people they contact intimately are at risk.

The real shame of the matter is that after all this time, some of us are still treating being + as a value judgment, as some way to grade a person's character or morality.  To hell with that notion & those that hold it.  I hope these women find the courage to face this challenge & save themselves before it's too late.

Cya

Lying In Wait...

This article deals with a problem with treating HIV, latency.  Latent HIV can hide in certain cells in the body & remain dormant.  They are present even when the patient's blood work shows no discernible level of the virus.  The purpose of this dormant virus is so that it can reemerge once the threat to it has diminished.  In other words the patients are longer on the regimen or the regimen has begun to fail.

This study took patients that were in good condition & on a regimen.  These patients were given a drug normally used to treat lymphoma.  The idea was that this medication could lure the hidden virus out.    Within a short period, these patients blood work show much higher discernible viral levels.  This virus could now be treated.

The article states this isn't a cure, but it may be a pointing the way to a better treatment protocol for those living with HIV.  If all the virus can be made vulnerable & eliminated in the body, then it is possible that there is a cure in the foreseeable future.  This is great news.  It's wonderful to know this much research is actively underway to find a solution to HIV/AIDS.

Cya

Prevention Pill...

This article talks about a recent drive by advocacy groups to have the FDA deny or delay the acceptance of the drug Truvada  as a preventative medication for HIV exposure.  As good as a preventative may sound, there are serious issues with this idea.

1. This will cost around $14,000 USD annually
2. This medication has to be taken daily
3. Not taken as prescribed lessens it's potency
4. Haphazard use could promote resistance to the drug
5. This drug can cause kidney damage

Let's start with the cost.  How many of us have that type of $ to spend on a virus we do not have?  Its doubtful many insurances agencies will cover this.  Adherence to this program is a must & people have a difficult time maintaining the regimens for  diseases they actually have.  People without HIV will probably not give this regimen the serious dedication it needs, but still feel absolutely protected if they've only take one of last week's doses.  Failure to comply to the regimen could lead to the virus becoming resistant to the medication.  

The biggie here, is the fact that this medication can cause serious kidney damage.  HIV meds are not easy on you.  They all have side effects & many of them are unpleasant to say the least.  Having constant diarrhea, dealing with joint aches or facing alopecia are by no means a walk in the park.

A preventive sounds amazing & maybe someday it will be here.  Personally, if I weren't +, I wouldn't opt for this approach to prevention.  There are better ways.

Cya

Vaccination...

An article I came across was talking about new research into a familiar subject, a vaccine for HIV.  At this time it seems to be promising, but we've heard that before.  It's in the study phase & seems to have moderately decent results with the simian version of HIV (SIV).  

There are some things to keep in mind here.  This vaccine is still in the research phase & may never make it past that point.  That doesn't make the research worthless though, maybe the next study can jump-off from there.  This is working with simians & their virus.  Albeit we are similar, there are still a lot of differences between us & a monkey.  

If it does work, that would mean millions of people could be saved from exposure to HIV.  However, vaccines don't usually work retroactively.  Those people already infected would remain so.  That being said, a vaccine could mean lessened further spread of the virus.  Hopefully, this study will go well.

Cya

Monthlies...

There is a new study out of England making headway with a monthly injection based HIV med.  The medication is still in the trial phase, but the potential is huge.  The option of getting an injection once a month versus having to take numerous pills daily is one I'd consider.  I know taking meds isn't that hard, but there are reasons to support this new approach.

• It may be difficult to maintain an adequate supply of at home meds
• It is very easy to forget to take a pill
• Sometimes you get into situation that keep you from taking your meds

Also, if the injection  is given by a medical professional on a monthly basis that means it would be far harder to lose the meds (have them stolen), take the wrong dose & it also insures of at least monthly contact with the patient.  Even if the contact is only with a nurse, basic health information can be recorded then. This approach would be better for regimen adherence & better observation of the patient's state of being.

I realize some people won't qualify for it.  My insurance might not cover it.  It may have meds in it that I have had bad interactions with before.  Over time, hopefully, this approach could become effective enough to make insurance agencies see it as a viable option.  If these work, they may expand into other forms of the injection for those with bad reactions to certain meds.  This has great promise.

Cya

Regimen...

A recent study from Philadelphia, has found that 1 in 4 people do not stick to their HIV regimen.  Only 75%  of people given regimens to follow actually do so. Be careful here, there may be many reasons for this.

• Capability to access the meds at all,  HIV assistance programs can be difficult to locate & navigate & many of them have lengthy waiting list
• Understanding of the importance to remain on the meds
• Tolerance of the meds
• Ability to maintain access to said meds
• Inability to access adequate care, Physician, Labs, Pharmacy
• Unwillingness to adhere to the plan

Only one of those is a willful act.  But the results of all these points are the same.  The HIV will progress & the possibility for transmission remains high.  Beyond that, there are meds that can be harmful to the person if they stop/start them.  HIV can become resistant to meds & then the HIV carried by this person could be even more dangerous due to difficulty to treat if transmitted to others.

HIV is not a disease that can be ignored, if infected it will progress in the person's system.  If ignored by the person it can lead to their death & transmission of the virus to others.  If ignored by the state & other institutions, any headway made in fighting this illness could be lost.

It is incredibly important that people be given every possible chance to adhere to their programs.  Unfortunately, for many that just isn't possible.  They simply do not have the means to do so.  Any person living with untreated HIV is at risk to their own health & possibly the health of others they interact with on an intimate level.  It's past time we make sure + people have access to the treatment they need.

Cya

Porn Law...

Los Angeles has finally made a law requiring all actors in adult films to use condoms.   While I applaud this effort, why the hell did it take a new law to get it done?  Weren't there already public health laws available that could've been used?

Besides the legality of the issue, why would an actor be involved in this business without condoms?  I don't care that they have regular testing.  All that is going to do is let them know that they're + earlier not prevent HIV transmission.  While early diagnosis is great, it's not the same as remaining HIV-free.

Now the porn industry is suggesting that they might just film their wares elsewhere to avoid the statute.  This could cause a significant loss of revenue for the area.  More importantly, this will let the numbers of adult-film actors with HIV continue to grow.  Sex without a condom is Russian roulette, professional sex with a condom is a death wish with a guarantee.

I am happy this law has come into play.  This isn't infringing on someone's sex life, this is a business.  This isn't trampling over someone's right to free expression, it's protecting people's health. Hopefully this law will have a serious impact on the issue.

Cya

EMR...

Kaiser Permanente, a national non-profit, health care center has something to say about HIV care in this article.   Their approach to treatment has led to the following advances.

• No disparities for mortality & meds rates among black & latinos
• 69% of + patients are effectively controlling the virus with meds, compared to at most 35% nationally
• HIV mortality rates are half the national average
• They have a 90+% regimen adherence among their patients
• 89% of + patients are in HIV-specific care within 90 days of diagnosis, compared to 50 % elsewhere.

I lifted those bullets from the article, but the point it simply, those specifics are amazing.   According to them they owe all of this to EMR, Electronic Medical Records.  I know there are some privacy concerns with the idea of having your medical records in a digital format.  However, few doctors these days rely on hard copy.  If these records are on any computer connected to the net then they can be hacked.  There will always be that risk with any information on a online computer.

However, the rewards of this program are tremendous.  Simply by allowing for consistency & continuity in treatment via these records, the success of this programs are noteworthy.  I can get little paranoid about my records, but if it means this is the result, then by all means keep them electronically.  EMR's can also save time & effort when dealing changing doctors & having your records forwarded.  They can save lives by transmitting data to EMT's.  

Like it or not, EMR's are the way things are going.  You might as well focus on the positive's they can bring you, instead of the negatives they might.  I'm pretty happy with this.

Cya

Tandem...

+ people know that it isn't uncommon for a + person to also have Hep C or TB.  Now, research is showing treating ailments like TB & HIV in tandem is a better option.  The article shows that many people are being saved when their treatments are integrated.  Not to be rude, but duh!

HIV compromises your immunity.  Ailments like TB are much more apt to take hold in people with impaired resistance levels.   Again, not to be rude, but many of these ailments are also found in the same communities.  TB spreads via close contact, as does Hep C.  HIV & Hep C can also be spread in many of the same manners.  It would only make sense to test someone for all three.

My doctors have tested me for Hep C, Syphilis & TB.  They also watch for high blood pressure & elevated cholesterol levels.  Why?  Because it is common, or at least not uncommon,  for these ailments to present themselves in people who are +.  If screening for all these at the same time makes sense, then why wouldn't treating them simultaneously? 

At least the research is there to back up what should have been common sense.

Cya

Needles...

A recent study conducted by the CDC reported that the number of people contracting HIV via injection drug use has decreased.   They also reported that there was a downside to this, that being that these people were also less likely to get tested.  Can't all be good news I suppose.

Personally, I contracted HIV the old-fashioned way, sex.   Getting HIV from needles was never a concern for me, I hate the things.  Even after all this time I don't watch them take my blood.  I will never be a fan of needles or shots.

There are many programs trying to lessen the number of people becoming + via shared needle experiences.  Unfortunately, many of these programs are being threatened by budget cuts.  The people who are prone to injection drugs, are usually less apt to engage in programs designed to modify their lifestyle or choices.

Be smart, don't do drugs, especially not IV drugs.  If you're going to do them anyway then at least use your own needle.  

Cya

Weirdness..

Over the years, I have heard some odd information out there regarding HIV.  This is one of those stories.  It seems that researchers have found curative properties in the blood of crocodiles & their ilk.  According to studies going on for the last several years, the blood of these reptiles is the host of some amazing immunological agents.  It seems that living & fighting in all that dirty water gave their systems a boost.  Then again it's commonly held that children that play outside & get dirty have better immune systems than those who stay inside clean, pampered & "protected".  The white blood cells of these things seems to have a killer effect on the HIV virus.

It may never lead to a cure for HIV, but you have to admit, it's pretty interesting.  Who knows where they'll take this research?  I know it sounds somewhat far fetched, but stranger things have left to medical breakthroughs.  

Cya