HIV/AIDS
This month… 13 years ago… Three letters changed my life… it wasn’t a doctor that told me… I learned of it by reading a life insurance rejection notice I received in the mail along with my deposit refunded to me. Two weeks later my doctor confirmed what the notice stated.
A new life began with one sentence… a death sentence, it was never.
Christian Ledan (aka.Christian V. l’Aviance) is Freely Living Real & True = FLRT
We identify courageous individuals who authentically share their life stories and are demonstrating what it means to Freely Live Real & True. Freely Living Real & True™ (FLRT) is a developing concept, that when realized, will convey the message of empowerment across the globe. By using a fun yet thought-provoking acronym our goal is to bring people together through the universal desire to freely live one’s life to the fullest, living through truth, and facing life challenges through empowerment.
Can bee venom help combat HIV? According to one new study, it can.
A new study has shown that bee venom can kill the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have demonstrated that a toxin called melittin found in bee venom can destroy HIV by poking holes in the envelope surrounding the virus, according to a news release sent out by Washington University.
Visit Washington University’s website to read more about the study.
Nanoparticles smaller than HIV were infused with the bee venom toxin, explains U.S. News & World Report. A “protective bumper” was added to the nanoparticle’s surface, allowing it to bounce off normal cells and leave them intact. Normal cells are larger than HIV, so the nanoparticles target HIV, which is so small it fits between the bumpers.
“Melittin on the nanoparticles fuses with the viral envelope,” said research instructor Joshua L. Hood, MD, PhD, via the news release. “The melittin forms little pore-like attack complexes and ruptures the envelope, stripping it off the virus.” Adding, “We are attacking an inherent physical property of HIV. Theoretically, there isn’t any way for the virus to adapt to that. The virus has to have a protective coat, a double-layered membrane that covers the virus.”
This revelation can lead to the development of a vaginal gel to prevent the spread of HIV and, it seems, an intravenous treatment to help those already infected. “Our hope is that in places where HIV is running rampant, people could use this gel as a preventive measure to stop the initial infection,” said Hood.
The bee venom HIV study was published on Thursday in the journal Antiviral Therapy, according to U.S. News & World Report.
This study comes on the heels of news that a Mississippi baby with HIV has apparently been cured. The mother was diagnosed with HIV during labor and the baby received a three-drug treatment just 30 hours after birth, before tests confirmed the infant was infected. The child, now 2 years old, has been off medication for about a year and shows no sign of infection.
More than 34 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, according to amFAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Of these, 3.3 million are under the age of 15 years old. Each day, almost 7,000 people contract HIV around the globe.
Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins University today described the first documented case of a child being cured of HIV. The landmark findings were announced at the 2013 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta, GA.
A third of the 1.2 million Americans with HIV currently use drugs or binge on alcohol. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the sharing of contaminated injection equipment that primarily links drug use to the HIV epidemic. Rather, drug as well as alcohol use can impair judgment and lead to risky sexual behavior and HIV transmission. This is why substance abuse treatment can play an important role in preventing the spread of HIV
Top figure: 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, From 2005 to 2009, 1 in 3 persons with HIV was a current drug user or binged on alcohol.
Bottom left figure: HIV incidence by transmission, 2009. Sexual contact - 88%, Intravenous Drug User (IDU) - 9%, Sex & IDU, 3%
Bottom right figure - Drug and alcohol use are associated with less frequent condom use. 24% of all persons with HIV are in need of substance abuse treatment
From CDC - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/ and NSDUH - http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k10/HIV-AIDS/HIV-AIDS.htm
(via Drug and Alcohol Use - A Significant Risk Factor for HIV | National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Researchers at Stanford University have created HIV-resistant T-cells, a breakthrough that, if proven successful in humans, could potentially stop the virus from developing into AIDS.
The discovery was announced in Tuesday’s issue of Molecular Therapy, and according to researchers, could replace lifelong drug treatments and protect the immune systems of those infected.
A Stanford press release explained the process:
A new study describes the use of a kind of molecular scissors to cut and paste a series of HIV-resistant genes into T-cells. […] By inactivating a receptor gene and inserting additional anti-HIV genes, the virus was blocked from entering the cells, thus preventing it from destroying the immune system.
HIV works by entering and ultimately killing an individual’s T-cells, leading to a collapse of the immune system. Researchers were quick to point out that the therapy is not a cure for HIV, but rather a method to make patients immune to it.
“Once [a person contracts HIV], they become susceptible to all sorts of infections and cancers, and that’s what kills the patient ultimately–not the virus,” explained the study’s principal researcher, Dr. Matthew Porteus, to The Huffington Post. “So our goal is to build an immune system that is resistant to the virus.”
In theory, Porteus and his team could replace a percentage of a patient’s T-cells with the HIV-resistant cells. As the HIV-sensitive cells would die off, the resistant cells would reproduce, eventually creating an immune system of entirely HIV-resistant cells.
“The body has an incredible way of balancing itself,” explained Porteus. “The virus would have no more cells to infect.”
Currently, doctors use drug therapy to help achieve this affect. But because the HIV virus is notorious for mutating, many patients must take dozens of pills a day for the rest of their lives. Should the gene therapy prove successful, the pills–and their sometimes unbearable side effects–would no longer be necessary.
“If you put one roadblock in front of HIV, it is very good about getting around that,” said Porteus. “What we’ve done in our study is shown that we can add multiple layers of protection, creating what is essentially a complete resistance to HIV.”
The Stanford breakthrough is one of several increasingly positive studies in the fight against HIV. In 2007, researchers in Berlin completed a stem cell transplant on an HIV-positive man that appeared to cure him of the virus. Dubbed the “Berlin Patient,” Timothy Ray Brown is still HIV-free four years later.
“The obvious question is why we don’t we do that for everyone,” said Porteus. He explained that the conditions for such a phenomenon are so rare, that a stem cell cure might not be practical on a large scale.
“But if we can create immune systems that are protected against HIV, you could reach a state where you had a fully-functioning immune system with a low level of HIV infection that wouldn’t cause any problems,” he added.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, researchers plan to conduct more lab work before starting animal testing. The team hopes to begin testing on humans within the next five years.
Sign the petition below to co-sign the letter from Sir Elton John and David Furnish calling on Florida Governor Rick Scott to not cut HIV med access to those in need.
The full text of the letter can be found here:
http://goo.gl/30MXO
I am #1575 Sun Jun 19 21:56:54 EDT 2011
lhiv:
HIV/AIDS prejudice is still strong.
I shuttered myself from most of the hoopla surrounding the “AIDS at 30” milestone (we seem to have agreed on June 5, 1981, when an item in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reported deaths among gay men). The trauma of those early years is tough for me to revisit. Every media piece seemed to be about the past and it all felt emotionally overwrought and indulgent. I skimmed the coverage and secretly wished it would just go away.
Over the past 30 years, five U.S. Commanders in Chief have led the nation’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Who gets good marks? From 1981 to the present, we assess each president’s leadership.
Biggest Hits: Allowed Surgeon General C. Everett Koop to send a letter to all Americans about AIDS.
Biggest Misses: Ignored the disease for years. Failed to rally public awareness and support. Imposed mandatory HIV testing in numerous federal programs.
The AIDS epidemic arose during his first year in office, yet no U.S. president demonstrated less leadership about the disease or a greater lack of concern for its sufferers than Ronald Reagan. Strongly influenced by the so-called Moral Majority, which believed that AIDS was God’s punishment to gay men and IV drug users, the Reagan administration failed to mount a meaningful public health response at a time when aggressive action might have curbed what would become the greatest public health catastrophe of the 20th century. Ignoring the overwhelming opinion of medical and public health experts, Reagan pursued mandatory HIV testing in federal programs as the centerpiece of his AIDS policy.
While the Reagan administration allocated some funding for research, it wasn’t until 1986 that Reagan’s Surgeon General C. Everett Koop – aided by a small team that included Dr. Anthony Faucci, the head of AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health – effectively executed an end run around the rest of the administration. Dr. Koop published a Surgeon General’s report that not only explained AIDS, its risk factors and how to prevent the disease to the American public, but that also included information about condoms and sex education that differed from the administration’s more conservative approach. (In 1988 Dr. Koop also sent a mailing about AIDS to every household in the U.S.) Ironically President Reagan, nicknamed The Great Communicator, didn’t give his first speech on AIDS until 1987. By then over 36,000 Americans had been diagnosed with the disease and 20,000 people had died, including his dear friend Rock Hudson. Shortly after speaking out he established the President’s Commission on the HIV Epidemic, whose findings activists say, he largely ignored.
Grade: F
Biggest Hits: Signed Ryan White CARE Act and Americans with Disabilities, and met with the National Commission on AIDS.
Biggest Misses: Refused to support full funding for Ryan White. Largely ignored the recommendations of the National Commission on AIDS.
He was Vice President when the Reagan Administration failed to launch an effective approach to the burgeoning epidemic. And while he never implemented a comprehensive strategic response of his own, President Bush did take two very important steps that provided much-needed services to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). First, President Bush signed the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, providing $882 million in federal grants to the hardest-hit cities and all 50 states to care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and their families. Second, President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities, including PLWHA.
Grade: C
Biggest Hits: Supported robust funding increases for AIDS treatment and Ryan White services. Rallied public support for the fight against AIDS. Supported creation of the Minority AIDS Initiative as part of the Ryan White programs. Approved notable funding increases for global AIDS at the end of his second term.
Biggest Misses: Failed to approve federal funding for needle exchange. Failed in his effort to achieve comprehensive health care reform.
President Clinton failed in his 1994 attempt to achieve national health coverage through a universal health care plan. But he succeeded in bolstering the country’s response to the AIDS epidemic, elevating AIDS to the level of a White House office by establishing the Office of National AIDS Policy and creating the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). Funding for AIDS programs increased on his watch, including to the Minority AIDS Initiative directed towards communities of color. His administration also initiated outreach to educate Black leaders about AIDS’ disproportionate impact on their constituents.
The Clinton administration launched the national effort to discover an AIDS vaccine and reorganized the AIDS research program at NIH. As well, that reorganization improved coordination and strategic focus.In 1995 President Clinton signed the Family Medical Leave Act, allowing employees to take unpaid leave for a pregnancy or serious medical condition. And after killing the first version of the bill, he eventually signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program, providing health coverage to low-income children and pregnant women.
The global impact of what was rapidly becoming an HIV/AIDS pandemic began to be felt during the middle of his term. By then the president’s effectiveness was hampered and he failed to fund needle exchange programs to prevent new infections because he believed “politically the country wasn’t ready”. Since leaving office President Clinton has become one of the most effective HIV/AIDS ambassadors in the world. Through the William J. Clinton Foundation, he has played an integral role in convincing heads of state and industry leaders to focus on HIV/ADIS and negotiating price reductions in antiretroviral medications for millions of PLWHA worldwide.
Grade: B
Biggest Hits: Created the largest global health program in history to tackle a single disease, delivering life-saving antiretroviral therapy to millions of people in poor countries and transforming the global AIDS response.
Biggest Misses: Paid very little attention to domestic epidemic, watching while waiting lists for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs emerged and particularly shortchanging prevention programs. Limited the prevention impact of U.S. global AIDS programs by favoring unproven abstinence-only programs and by imposing restrictions on organizations serving sex workers.
While his father strengthened the domestic response after years of inaction under President Reagan, the second President Bush largely turned his back on the domestic epidemic. Not only did he barely convene PACHA, the Bush administration’s investment in the domestic epidemic was lackluster at best, barely keeping pace with inflation. For every dollar the Bush administration spent on AIDS domestically, it spent only 4 cents on prevention. He also failed to implement meaningful reform during the prescription drug plan, which many say turned into a give-away to pharmaceutical companies.
But while Bush II failed to carry out a vision at home, globally he showed significant leadership in the form of his landmark 2003 legislation the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a $15 billion, 5-year strategy to fight the epidemic in 15 severely affected African nations. Renewed by the Obama administration, to date PEPFAR claims that nearly 33 million people have been counseled and tested, 3 million people have started on treatment and in 2010 alone 114,000 mother-to-child transmissions have been prevented, worldwide. Although PEPFAR has literally changed our world, some of the Bush administration’s policies limited its effectiveness. In particular, the administration prioritized abstinence-only funding over comprehensive prevention measures, an approach that critics contend allowed Uganda’s epidemic to rebound after years of success. In addition, the administration required recipients of PEPFAR support to pledge their opposition to sex work, undercutting the effectiveness of efforts to engage sex workers in prevention programs.
Meanwhile the virus devastated Black communities in the U.S. By 2009 Black America was suffering the equivalent of the world’s 16th largest AIDS epidemic, which would have qualified it for PEPFAR had that program existed at home. President Bush also vetoed two attempts to expand funding for the SCHIP program.
Grade: C-
Biggest Hits: Launched National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Achieved comprehensive health care reform. Lifted longstanding HIV immigration ban and previous bar on federal funding for needle exchange. Revitalized PACHA and Office of National AIDS Policy.
Biggest Misses: Failed to ensure that domestic AIDS funding keeps pace with need. Supported only modest funding increases for global AIDS spending.
Before he entered office our nation’s first Black president had already spoken at length about the need for personal and professional leadership on AIDS. He’d also walked the talk by getting tested publically. Once in office he moved fairly quickly on two fronts: repealing the ban against PLWHA traveling to the United States and ending the federal prohibition against needle exchange in Washington, D.C.
He also maneuvered through political landmines, orchestrating the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which majority whip James Clyburn, the most powerful Black member of the U.S. House of Representatives, called “the Civil Rights Act of the 21st century”. Although now being vigorously fought by its detractors, the ACA will ensure health insurance coverage for 32 million uninsured Americans, close the drug assistance donut hole, prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to those with “pre-existing conditions,” and prohibits lifetime caps on the amount of health care an insurance plan will provide.
But the publication of our country’s first National HIV/AIDS Strategy in the 30-year history of the epidemic ranks as perhaps the most notable HIV/AIDS-related accomplishment by any U.S. president in the 30-year history of the epidemic. With its goal of reducing new infections 25 percent by 2015, the NHAS sets forth aggressive goals and accountability for all departments in the federal government.
Still, the NHAS must be carried out in the worst economic climate since the Great Depression – one that has blown holes in state ADAP budgets. (The administration did provide $25M in emergency funding.) In our opinion the president’s FY2012 budget came up a little short, with no increases to the Minority AIDS Initiative and too few dollars allocated to drive the nation toward its 2015 prevention goal. Still, we’re cautiously optimistic.
Grade: Incomplete
Below is what I submitted to gaymalelove regarding This Post. I guess he is not going to respond and post it on his blog.
Here’s an article on HIV written by a 14 yo “My Generation Takes HIV for Granted: http://www.thebody.com/content/art62389.html
Do these young kids really know anything? Smart, many of them may be, but wise, not yet.
This is not an attack, but I do have lots to say
They are teenagers… they wouldn’t be asking for advice if we truly have so much faith in that they will make the right decisions. Teens can be a confusing time… we’ve all been there… I personally do not believe that you are promoting dangerous lifestyle… we must understand, 30 years ago, when HIV/AIDS was identified, SEX for gays or straights became dangerous (for everyone)…. back to the confused teen… it may send a mixed message when you encourage the practice of safer-sex then your next photo post is one that shows penetration without the use of a condom. Remember… these are teens… again… if you have so much faith in them (and the safe-sex education their parents and schools are providing) then you wouldn’t need to give them any advice - they would know what to do.
About your response to the Anon… some points were handled well.. others, in my opinion… you sounded condescending. That anon could have very well been a teenage voicing his/her concern for his generation. Also, your blog can be viewed by anyone with a smartphone, laptop, or desktop with an internet connection. You can’t assume that we have been viewing every post since you started this blog. I am new to Tumblr, and no I do not know where you stand on every subject and I am not going to go back through your archives to read every single post (since 2009).
I tried doing a search on your blog… first Keyword HIV… nothing… next, Keyword love… only one post came up. Suggestion, tag your posts. Create FAQ links to specific topics. That way we can see how you answered similar questions previously. That way teens can look up specific topics and/or questions that other teens have asked.
Back to porn or love and barebacking… having faith in gay men or youths to make the right decision… true story.. my friend was dating a man… they fell in-love… they used protection… they discussed not using a condom anymore… my friend said, let’s get tested… they both did… they exchanged results – both HIV-… they started having sex without a condom…. Two months ago, my friend tested positive… turns out, his ex has been positive for years… never told my friend. The blood work results he handed to my friend were created on a computer. FAITH IN GAY MEN? In our own community… we have liars, cheaters, manipulators, predators, criminals et al, just like the straight community. And those of us that are vulnerable, innocent, confused, naïve, have low self-esteem, low self-confidence, honest, trusting, or searching (a lot of our gay youths fall under one or more of these – that being said, remember what I said about mixed-messages), we may fall victim to those kind of men - no matter how smart we are.
Your posts that depict scenes of ‘gay male love’ are YOUR opinion on what is a good representation of love between two men (these are photos that you like… so you post them) Again, ‘your’ opinion. It doesn’t matter the camera angle, the lighting, or the passion in the models’ eyes it is still your opinion. You can change all the captions to ‘Hot’ that is still your opinion. I am happy for you that you see love… but I’m 38 year old.. I’ve seen plenty of porn in my day. Now, I recognize some of the models in the explicit photos… my reference will always be to the gay adult video I saw them in. Sure, it’s one snapshot but, it comes from a porn video. If you got the photo from a porn site… guess what? It’s porn!
Teens are impressionable. Even I, as an adult, had an ex claim that I didn’t love him because I wouldn’t bareback. Now imagine if that was said to a teenager and then that teenager looks at your blog, at a post, that shows two men barebacking with the words Gay Male Love underneath. Just like a teenage girl thumbing through a fashion magazine may start to believe that the only way to be beautiful is to be as thin as the models – that young gay male may see a that caption and believe that barebacking is an expression of love… he may choose to not wear, or have his partner not wear, a condom and that decision can change his life forever.
AIDS is not a death sentence anymore… but that doesn’t mean that HIV/AIDS doesn’t kill. Another friend of mine has been positive for only 2 years… his kidneys are failing because of the medication. More and more guys are barebacking and more are contracting treatment resistant strains (a lot more than a decade ago). We can’t take a backseat to this.
You want to give advice… don’t just give your opinion… post resources so your readers can further research the topic. If you are an expert… it’s time to have a page that shows your credentials… if you’re not… then have a page that shows the reader where stand on certain issues. I don’t doubt that you care… but you must remember these are ‘minors’ by answering their questions… no matter the intent… you are kinda telling them it’s alright for you to be on a site that has adult content. To them that makes you the good guy… then whatever you post is good enough for them too… even barebacking. You need to protect yourself as well as these young men. If one of these kids makes a decision based on your advice or what they see on your site and it turns out to be a disaster for them, then what happens? What happens when they say “Mom, I saw it on Gay Male Love”? Teens are killing themselves across the country. Remember that.
There’s more
Gay male love
I am of mixed race but I identify as Black, I have been HIV+ for 9 years – most of your photo postings are of white (from twink to athletic to muscular) male couples. Again, your opinion of gay male love…but what does this say to the young gay male person of color or the one who doesn’t have a six-pack?
Listen… it’s your blog… do what you want… putting ego aside… you want to give advice… well… people are going to disagree… that’s a given… The Anon person could have chosen different words… but the issue will still be the same. Don’t look for where you feel the person is attacking you… rather look for where the person could be right or where ‘you’ can supply the information to back your views.
Last thing… start using DISQUS commenting… that way discussions can be had on specific posts… your readers can then follow that thread.
Where are we in the struggle to end AIDS? How far have we come?
A piece in the New York Times today explores these questions and more, exemplifying the huge amount of work that must go into accurately covering a topic as significant as the AIDS crisis.
It turns out we’ve come a long way in the AIDS epidemic, and much of our generation has no idea how different things were 30-odd years ago. The writer of this article, linked above, also wrote the first New York Times piece about AIDS, when it was thought to be strongly tied to homosexual men.
This piece speaks volumes to journalists’ role in uncovering AIDS. My favorite section:
The epidemic has brought a new focus on the power of epidemiology to identify a disease’s transmission patterns long before discovery of its cause. In the early days, epidemiologists provided the evidence to show that AIDS could be transmitted through contaminated blood transfusions, a fact many blood bank officials initially refused to accept. Later, lessons learned from AIDS were instrumental in helping control tuberculosis and curbing the spread of SARS.
Yet AIDS still presents extraordinary challenges — not least to journalists trying to chronicle the epidemic’s unfolding story, to remind a new generation of the importance of safe sex, and to follow the sometimes halting effort to make effective drugs available to all who need them.
Read the article above to brush up on the history of AIDS and get a feel for what we’re hoping to accomplish soon. This is extremely important work and we need to recognize it.
To think, they called it GRID (gay-related immune deficiency) is appalling. I remember, as kid, that it was also referred to as the Gay Cancer.
30 YEARS AGO, IN THE MONTH OF JUNE, THE VIRUS THAT CAUSES AIDS WAS IDENTIFIED.
REBLOG IN REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE WE HAVE LOST AND IN SUPPORT FOR THOSE LIVING WITH, AND AFFECTED BY, HIV/AIDS.
WE WILL FIND A CURE!
AIDSVu provides a high-resolution view of the geography of HIV in the United States, 30 years into the epidemic. It is an online tool that allows users to visually explore the HIV epidemic alongside critical resources such as HIV testing center locations and NIH-Funded HIV Prevention & Vaccine Trials Sites.
The data on AIDSVu come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) national HIV surveillance database that is comprised of HIV surveillance reports from state and local health departments. AIDSVu will be updated on an ongoing basis in conjunction with CDC’s annual release of HIV surveillance data, as well as new data and additional information as they become available. A Technical Advisory Group was brought together during the development of AIDSVu and an Advisory Committee, chaired by Dr. Jim Curran, Dean of the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, is comprised of key stakeholders who provide oversight and guidance for the ongoing project.
