the beginning of the end… May 9, 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkQZD7iljIg

There is still no cure for AIDS. Even worse it is a disease that is 100% preventable not only in the US but worldwide. AIDS is one of the top killers in countries such as Africa and could be stopped with the access to education, proper medical supplies and protection.

Through campaigns like ‘project red’ and ‘walk for the cure’ organizations all over are trying to raise money for AIDS research. Throughout the course of the semester our class has discussed whether or not these programs and organizations are beneficial or detrimental to the actual cure for AIDS.  One one end, something like a starbucks donation from a special “RED” drink might encourage people to buy a coffee that normally might not…thus aiding to the AIDS fund. It also might add to the fund from normal coffee drinkers who change their order to the special drink in order to help. On the other hand though, some people think that it would be better altogether if people were encouraged not to buy coffee or other products and instead donate the money in full to AIDS research. Likewise, many think that the advertising is a good thing and that it is a way for people to get involved. This however also has a down side. It proves to grant a sense of accomplishment to those who buy an ipod or a handbag and therefore could justify not participating in any more donations then their .05 – 10 dollars from their product.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3S8hJUyuc8&feature=related

Another problem that I commonly note with AIDS advertising and awareness is the  misconception that AIDS does not affect people in the US. Like the advertisment seen above, this is an ad that uses the face of people in the US to stress the occurance of AIDS even in our own towns. Many people feel disconnected to the problem when you seen the focus on Africa, especially during a time of financial/ economic crisis. The key to pinpointing prevention and awareness is reminding the people that AIDS is not just a problem in third world countries but it is also a problem in homes, towns and communities just like ours. With this reminder, people may feel more inclined to help and raise awarness around the world.

While we need to raise awarness in the US, we can obviously see the severe numbers of HIV infected people in Africa. Not only this, but the map above is figures from 2003 and these number have only increased in the following years. In fact, an estimated 44 million have HIV/AIDS today. Ideally if we could ship over cocktail treatments to prevent the onset of AIDS, life style and length could be improved by infinite proportions. But in reality, the money and access is not there for this to become a posibility yet. Instead, we can help to educate people in areas where condoms and sanitary equipment are enot available. Even with knowledge of how the virus works and what can be done to prevent transmission, rates of HIV could be decreased globally.

Global Health and other sites like it are available all over the internet and are easily accessible to all people. These are programs that direct people to get involved in awarness and education and inform people of what they can do that is not too demanding. People are commonly caught up in their own lives and are not looking to take on an additional big project and these are sites that can let people know the small things they can do to get involved. I encourage people to read about the facts regarding AIDS and what they can do to get involved. Education is the key, and people are too ignorant when it comes to this disease.

social justice April 27, 2009

Looking at the spread and layout of AIDS today, we can see that the most concentrated areas all are regions of poverty. The “third world” one may call it.  Even in AIDS ads we see the targeted face of an infected African child, or of a child who has lost parents due to the disease. The question here is why we don’t see ourselves on those posters? AIDS is not just a problem in Africa, but its a problem here too. AIDS rates in the US are quite high and yet we are not the focus. Why is this?

AIDS is an opportunistic virus. It kills off the immune system and the end result is an influx of disease to the body that it would usually be able to fight off. Therefore, people will AIDS die of the flu, or meningitts etc.  In a country like ours where people have food and clean water, and sanitary living conditions: The body is much more able to fight. When you look at a person who barely eats a day, not to mention doesn’t come close to the necessary nutrients to stay healthy, their immune system is already dissapated. The AIDS virus works fast and is almost unstoppable.

People diagnosed with HIV here are given treatments to slow the weakening of the immune system. These drugs and cocktail mixtures of medicines can push off the transition to AIDS for decades in a healthy individual. Although some are not so lucky even with treatment, the medicines have been proven highly effective and yet are unavailable to those who need it most. How is it that when we have such drugs and protective measures, the availability is none existent in Africa and other beat down areas of the world?

Social Justice becomes the real question.  If we have the technology to help, then the treatments should be given to anyone in need. We see the same issue with  malaria and tuberculosis. These are diseases we not only have treatment for, but we have vacccinations to prevent it from happened. Yet they are two of the biggest killers in Africa. We need to help those in need or the disease will just continue to spread and become even more of a problem.

Some say this is impossible because of the safety of administering drugs across seas or the financial burden it could be on the US…but there are other ways to stop the spread of AIDS. This is a 100% preventable disease. Education alone can be the key to the stop of the spread. With the knowledge we have today it is a duty to educate those who are unaware. Providing care to hospitals to assist with HIV+ births is something else we can do. We can stop the spread from the mother to child or be there to provide care.

There is absolutely no reason that something we can help and prevent should be a world killer. This is not a minor problem but has just increased more and more through the decades. We need to realize everyones right to treatment and survival to put an end to the epidemic.

Resources April 17, 2009

The subject of AIDS can be found many different places on the web. Here are 15 sources I have compiled that I think provide great information:

http://www.aids.gov/: This site is the government run down of basic AIDS infomation. It includes how to get tested, when you should get tested, symptoms and many more facts that are a great start to researching the disease.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/: The Center for Disease control is another source that is incredibly reliable. This site covers subjects about basic information along with statistics in the US and globally. The CDC records every case of HIV/AIDS and is an excellent resource for any disease research

http://www.aidshealth.org/?gclid=COn0nrO4-JkCFRo-awodMk4oLQ: This site provides a run down of the history of AIDS and tracts the spread throughout the world. The key to understanding any disease is understanding the origins and the transmission.

http://www.avert.org/history-science.htm: This is another great resource in looking into the history of AIDS. It also serves as a great donating and fundraising program to stop global AIDS

http://www.globalaidsalliance.org/: There are lots of facts on here and also ways to get involved and do your part to help. This site also ventures into the spread of malaria and other diseases that can be treated if we all do our part.

http://www.fightglobalaids.org/: This group is a student organization who has set  mission to fight global AIDS. There work and participation has made quite an impact on those around them and it is a great way to get involved.

http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/topic.jsp?i=1&gclid=CKiEisK5-JkCFRwwawod_gs8LA: This site displays great figures that demonstrate the lay out of AIDS around the world. The statistics are pretty recent including the number of people living with AIDS today in the US and around the world.

http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/: The global fund is one of the biggest raisers of money that all goes to help fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria around the world. It is reliable as an organization and updated in their information

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiv-aids/ds00005/dsection=treatments-and-drugs: The mayo clinic is a set of clinics located around the US that are known for their excellence in research. They are sent cases that are strange and unknown and regarded highly for their knowledge of treatment and care in severe medical cases.

http://www.ucsfhealth.org/adult/medical_services/infect/hiv/conditions/aids/treatments.html: This site is another medical center which provides reliable information on treatment and care programs used to slow the progression of HIV and also prevent symptoms of HIV

http://www.stophivaids.org/: This group is dedicated to teaching about transmission and prevention of AIDS. The only way to eliminate AIDS right now is to prevent it and education is the key to prevention.

http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/1/1/13: This site contains an article that stresses the impacts of globalization on AIDS as well as healthcare altogether and how all our choices effect less well off countries

The next 3 are video resources from cites that provide great illustrations and diagrams that explain just how the virus works and effects the body:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml7q6iMwqLY&feature=PlayList&p=C44818E28097C033&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4: A take on the origins of AIDS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68I7JlVhuhY: HIV and AIDS are not one and the same

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEqi4jcUA2I: The impact of AIDS on families specifically in Africa. Pretty dramatic…but it makes a good message

Consumerism and AIDS March 22, 2009

    AIDS is something we have all heard about; the question is how is this information coming to us. We have things such as: Global AIDS day, walk for AIDS, starbucks product RED, GAP AIDS products, and concerts for AID. The question I challange is: how much does our buying of t-shirts and coffee really impact the lives of AIDS victims.

   

One of the most known and well advertised products is the famous starbucks RED campaigns. Starbucks says that for every holiday drink (there are 3 choices), 5 cents will be donated to the AIDS global fund. In a recent press release from Starbucks, vice president Michelle Gass claimed “If every single Starbucks customer bought one (RED) Holiday Exclusive (beverage) for a week, we would save 15,000 lives for a year in Africa.” This seems like a remarkable number and would definitely convince me to participate in the promotion. However, I did some of my own math. At 4 dollars a cup, if every Starbucks consumer didn’t but coffee everyday for a week and instead donated the 4 dollars each day to the AIDS fund…how many lives could we save then??

   Likewise with Gap clothes, fashion accessories and purses etc. What if instead of buying the product and having a small portion donating to the fund, we don’t buy it at all and donate 100% of the money to the fund. Events such as the AIDS walk and fundraisers like that I can fully support. Not only because such a large amount of money is being donated, but it is something that encourages people to come out and be active. Participating in events like these seem much more worthwhile and what we should be doing to help solve the AIDS problem.

No matter what the numbers are that I see coming from GAP, concerts, and others like Starbucks, I just can’t imagine this is the right way to be going about curing an epidemic. If anything, it might even justify some people’s reasons to not get further involved. There is just so much more that could be done that doesn’t serve a co-purpose of consumerism. If you like these products, then by all means buy them and enjoy. However, do not justify that because you bought them you have contributed to the cure and research of AIDS and have done all you can do. This is not true because there is so much more to be done. 5 cents, or 10% of a product is not nearly what could be raised by participating in walks or free testing programs.

I am glad corporations are trying to help and raise awareness, but there is still way more to be done. People need to get out there are make a difference, not just carry a purse or buy a new cd. I challange people to cut back on consumer products for a week and see what they could raise to make a difference: I bet that will show you an astounding result.

A Brief History March 3, 2009

      When we commonly think about AIDS (uncensored), we deem it as the “gay disease” or something of the sort. However, the history of the origin and development of this disease is hardly contained to one set of sexual preference.  In fact, today there is roughly 33 – 40 million people living with AIDS all from different decents, backgrounds, religious and sexual preferences.

       The first documentation of AIDS took place in 1981 when there was several citings of a rare cancer known as Kaposi’s sarcoma in several homosexual males. Research showed an increased risk of developing this rare disease from an autoimmune disorder. In less than a year, people at risk for contraction included intravenous drug users and hemophiliacs. Although the transmission method could be seen as a commonality, it wasn’t until 1983 when scientists found the virus being transmitted: HIV. In later years of analysis, it was actually found that a man from Bantu who died of an unidentified illness in the Belgian Congo in 1959 was found to have the AIDS virus in a blood sample performed decaded later. This suggests that this virus was around for decades even before it was first declared by scientists. While this information exists, 1981 still stands as the first documented cases. This could be because it was the beginning of what would turn into be a global problem. In just 2 years, over 33 countries reported cases of the AIDS virus

       .The early 90′s was a time for great discoveries involving AIDS including the formation of AZT, a drug used to suppress the onset of AIDS from HIV. Although this temporary medication showed great results, the statistics of victims continued to rise claiming more than seven million people by the end of the 90′s. Into 2000-2005, research has continued but there is still no cure to be found. Billions of dollars are put in each year from private organizations and the governemnt to try and find a cure for this devestating virus.

       The question I ask is how AIDS came to be. If there are citings as early as 1959, and yet the diease did not become out of control in the 1980′s, there must be a reason or explanation. Dr.Beatrice Hahn developed a theory originating for chimpanzes in Africa. She was able to describe the transmission and explain the lapse in time from the first citing to the development of an epidemic. “Chimpanzees are frequently hunted for food, especially in West-Central Africa, and we believe that HIV-1 was introduced into the human population through exposure to blood during hunting and field dressing of these animals,” 

        She further believes that while incidental transmissions of chimpanzee viruses to humans may have occurred throughout history, it was the socio-economic changes in post-World War II Africa that provided the particular circumstances leading to the spread of HIV-1 and the development of the AIDS epidemic. “Increasing urbanization, breakdown of traditional lifestyles, population movements, civil unrest, and sexual promiscuity are all known to increase the rates of sexually transmitted diseases and thus likely triggered the AIDS pandemic.”

      While there is still no cure, several victims of HIV are yet to develop AIDS for sometimes several decades. Constantly, research is being done to stop the transmission of AIDS.

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AIDS: How much do we really know? February 12, 2009

      From news broadcasts, to labels on Starbucks coffee cups, we are undoubtedly exposed to the topic of HIV/AIDS. This portrayal however, is not the whole picture. How much do we actually know about AIDS, and can we be doing more? As consumers, it is appeasing to buy a cup of coffee and assist in AIDS research all at the same time. In a way, it seems to justify the $4 we are spending on a cup of coffee that traveled from who knows where and will produce even more waste for us to deal with later. Although the good intent is there, there is much more information people need to be aware of regarding this chronic illness.

 

          AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which evolves from HIV: human immunodeficiency virus. This virus targets specific aspects of a person’s immune system destroying T cells and CD4 cells which target infections and diseases. Once the immune system gets weak to the point where it can no longer fight the HIV, AIDS develops leading to an array of other infections that can be fatal. Unfortunately, there is no cure as of yet, but there are ways to sustain life and make the phase of HIV last longer, delaying the onset of AIDS. With proper treatment, victims of HIV can suspend AIDS for decades.

 

            Large amounts of funding for research are currently taking place globally, but the rates of HIV continue to rise; this is especially true to parts of the world facing other national problems such as poverty, famine, and political instability. Although there are cases of HIV/AIDS in the United States, it is still seen as a disease most prevalent in “third world” countries. The truth here is that although we see the most common effects of AIDS in poorer economies, this disease is a pandemic that is spreading everywhere and needs to be addressed..

 

            Throughout the rest of the semester, I hope to explore not just the science of the disease, but subjects such as:

·        Demographics and trends of AIDS

·        Globalization and the effect on the spread of this pandemic

·        Global funds

·        Effect the state of the economy and well being has on AIDS

·        Efforts made world wide to prevent HIV

·        Health care provisions

 

         As a departing thought, a comment from Hoosen M Coovadia and Jacqui Hadingham in an article written about globalization and the AIDS pandemic states:

            “Globalization is both midwife to the spread of the disease, as      modern travel facilitates rapid dissemination of HIV infection across national borders, and, through concerted global action, triumphant conqueror over its devastating impact and expansion.”

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Feedback February 4, 2009

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Dumping out a disposable world January 22, 2009

Tuesday night I am sitting at my desk looking back and forth to the list of things I have used and thrown away in under a week. It seems I do not know where most any of it comes from, none the less how it got to me and where it will go after. Then I glanced over to my over-flowing garbage can. It’s garbage day and my three roomates and I have generated more garbage in a week then we are allowed to throw out. The recycling buckets are full so we end up dumping a good amount in the regular trash to get rid of it.

I try to do my job and recycle but after a certain amount we are charged a fine: a fine to recycle. Being college students, we are constantly trying to avoid any extra costs and therefore, recycling takes a back seat at our house. So how is it that four of us could use so much stuff?

I started to break down my consumption and what I could do to limit my waste. This past week I used more than twenty pieces of paper a day taking notes, writing papers, and printing slide shows. This comes to approximately 100 pieces a week not to mention how much paper goes to waste over the course of the year when you add in extra readings, handouts and test packets. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average person uses one 100 foot Douglas fir tree in paper and wood products a year! At first I was shocked, but looking back at my huge stack of garbage, I can see where it comes from. However, this is something I know I can cut back on.

So I came up with a solution: maybe if I use my laptop in class I will save paper from printing slide shows and taking notes. But where did my laptop come from and what amount of energy does it use? What dangerous materials coat this product that will make in unusable in just a few short years? It seems that whatever I do, I am using something without even knowing  how it came to me. This is a whole new definition for taking things for granted.

It seems that as a junior in a university I should know about recycling and processing. It is astounding that the process is so well hidden that no one even bothers to ask about it. As long as people have what they want, why question its consumption? This is an issue that up until this point, I did not even know it existed. As a late promise and attempt to “go green”, I am going to start keeping track of things and preserving those that I already have. Cutting back on paper is just one thing I could do to help limit my consumption and hopefully influence others to do the same.

Hello world! January 17, 2009

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