June is AIDS Awareness Month

This month is AIDS Awareness Month. With the prostitution becoming rampant and our youth's outlook on sex becomes more liberal, HIV is now becoming one of the fastest ever spreading virus in the planet.

Its high time that everybody should be made aware about the dangers of HIV and AIDS. In recent studies, most people cannot even distinguish the difference between HIV and AIDS and cannot even define them and their differences. What is more saddening is the fact that being unaware about the dangers of HIV and AIDS puts more people to risky behaviors along with their families to contacting HIV.

In order to make Non-Government Organization's (NGOs) goals work, it must be backed up by citizens who understands the nature of the opponent, which in this case, the HIV virus itself.
The fight against HIV/AIDS is long and the development of HIV vaccine is yet far from our reach. Cure and effective vaccine is all our hope to stop this society's menace. Citizens of the world, and all policy makers should all unite to fight HIV/AIDS now!

Sorry...

As with most of my other blogsites, I would like to apologize for not being able to update my blog for almost a month now. My mom's health predicament made me so much busy and rendered me incapable to do other things, hence my blogs slept. :)

Now that everything came back to normal, I promise to update my blogs. Be sure to check my other blogs as well. My main blog keeps the regular update because I can usually write almost anything in there, unlike this blog which caters only for health issues related HIV and AIDS.
You can check on my other blogs by clicking on the blogsites under the MY BLOGS on the right side of this blogscreen. Thanks!

Insurmountable Pain

I haven't been able to write something in my blog for the past 8 days due to my mom being at ICU at St. Raphael Foundation and Medical Center. She suffered massive blood loss because her lung tissues collapsed due to frequent coughing and add to that - infections. Now that her immune system dropped, she suffered from secondary bacterial infections such as Tuberculosis (TB), pneumonia, sepsis, a type of infection of the blood, which are now under control. But she is still being observed at the ICU and will yet to wait as to when she will leave ICU and be sent to an ordinary patient room though.

My heart bleeds everytime I see her suffering. This incident has caused my mother, me and my family a lot - emotionally, physically, mentally and all that stuff. I had to ask for all of my relatives' help just to buy my mom her medicine since I already run out of budget and all of my savings are gone for the hospital had to cancel all medicine supplies for my mom since our bill is getting really high and that I have to buy everything that she needs from dextrose, medicines, and all the liquid solutions that she needs while she is in ICU.

I am asking all your help to please pray for my mom and my family. May God help us to get through all this soon enough and help my mom recover completely. Thank you so much for reading. Thank you so much...

Jules

HIV Epidemic in Bangladesh

India is one of the countries abroad that is badly hit by HIV/AIDS epidemic. People in Bangladesh particularly is among the cities (just south of Pakistan) that is badly affected by the disease. In India alone, more than 5 million people were reported to have contracted the disease but the World Health Organization estimates that more than 8 million people are currently living with HIV in India.

The development of vaccine still remains a challenge for scientists in much the same way as treating the people who already are infected with the disease. Prevention is always better than cure and its always important to be aware of the risk factors that will put us more in danger of contracting HIV.

Local HIV/AIDS Conference

I was riding a jeepney along Balibago (Angeles City) when I happened to see a banner that says about conference HIV/AIDS blah blah blah... I was curious but did not gather enough urge to get off the PUJ (Public Utility Jeepney wehehehe) and join the conference (as if haha!). Too bad I wasn't able to snap a picture (which I usually do) lest, my precious phone might get snatched by unscrupulous citizens. =D (Bad me hehe).

I've always been interested in issues regarding HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis and other communicable disease and have planned on taking Medicine back in college but poverty killed that dream! LOL! I'm still battling with it but I think success is not yet within my reach. But looking at what I have gone through in life I believe that being a winner is relative and money is not always the basis to being a winner. A lot of rich people aren't even happy with it. My dad used to tell me that happiness should always be our end goal in whatever things we do; be it in our personal lives such as in a relationship and our work, i.e. professional lives.

Well, I just hope that scientists will be able to find the cure for these diseases soon and develop a vaccine to prevent others from being infected, too. Be safe everyone!

US Government Approved $50 Billion HIV/AIDS Program

The US House of Representative have just approved the passage of the budget for the current US program on HIV/AIDS including the treatment and prevention of Malaria and Tuberculosis. The $50 Billion USD approved budget will help support the 5 year US International program in combatting the spread of HIV and other communicable diseases mentioned above.

Originally, the budget was set to $30 Million USD under George W. Bush's President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief or PEPFAR until after tough negotiations the budget rose to $50 Billion USD. This is an important step for the US government to help the world in combating the spread of HIV and provide aid for HIV positive individuals who needs treatment, to improve the quality of their lives and prevent the early onset of AIDS. Read more at VOA News.

Setting aside my personal biases against the United States, I personally believe that the US should be given proper commendation on their commitment in eradicating HIV/AIDS in the world and lending a helping hand to individuals and countries around the world who are being pulled down economically by the HIV/AIDS menace.

Rapid HIV Tests to be Offered by New York Hospitals

Hospitals in New York will start conducting HIV tests where results can be given after 20 minutes. Orasure Technologies have entered into an agreement with New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to provide the tehcnology needed to conduct such tests which can provide quick result.

Orasure Technolgies will allow New York Hospitals to use its OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV 1/2 Antibody technology for free and is done by gently scrapping their gums with swabs and placing them in a holder afterwards. The technology works like pregnancy kits, where the appearance of line indicates negative results while two lines would mean that the individual is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The New York City hospitals are expecting to test around 150,000 individuals this year and 160,000 next year for purpose of identifying individuals who are infected with HIV and provide them with education and enroll them on an individualized treatment program. New York is also one of the US states that is experiencing an increased rate of HIV cases ever year where 2006 was shown to have a 6% increased compared to HIV cases in previous years.

France on the Run to Combat HIV/AIDS

The France HIV/AIDS Research Campaign Sidaction 2008 aims to raise awareness and collect funds to support some basic to advance research in HIV/AIDS in the country. Sidaction 2008 (where SIDA is AIDS' French name in France), will run for a week with various artists doing live performances and assist in telethons.

France is doing all its best to combat the spread of the disease through education and research on this field. In 2005 alone, it is estimated that there were around 130,000 people who are living with with HIV/AIDS and the number is feared to rise. You may visit Sidaction to pledge for support or donate.

US Ban on HIV-Positive Individuals Under Scrutiny

The US is under fire due to the recent incident which happened due to a custom official refusing the entry of a Canadian Citizen named Martin Rooney for the sole reason that he is infected with HIV, a virus that causes AIDS.

Existing US law inhibits the entry of individuals with debilitating diseases including HIV/AIDS for entry into the United States. Mr Rooney was on his way to the United States to spend his weekend and attend the Remembrance Day last November (2007). Though honest about his intentions and transparent about his current condition, he was refused entry into the US due to that same reason and was required to secure a visa waiver and was sent back to Canada on that same date.

Democrat Senator John Kerry is now proposing a bill that would ratify the existing Immigration and Nationality Act that is preventing HIV-positive individuals from travelling to the United States for various reasons. Read more at GlobeandMail.com.

Brazil to Introduce Initiative to Curb HIV Cases

The Government of Brazil have made another plans of curbing the increasing rate of HIV cases among its people especially among men who have sex with men.

The campaign is focused on sexually active men with age ranging from 13 to 24 and educate them on safe sex and encourage them in using preventive methods in contracting sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS.

It shows that more than 40 percent (41.1% to be exact) of HIV cases in 2006 are from the above age group and the number continuously rises. A study conducted by Brazil's Ministry of Health also shows that there were around 226 HIV cases per 100,000 men in Brazil to date.

Please click here for more information.

HIV-Related Travel Restrictions

The Joint United Nation Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has setup an international team that would investigate on the unfair HIV travel restrictions imposed by most countries to people with such infections or disease.

While most of us know that most countries would argue about protecting their own people about the danger imposed by people with HIV/AIDS to their constituents, we cannot deny the fact that this may also become an issue on discrimination, human rights and travel-related freedom by people living with such disease.

I believe that the United Nation should impose tougher sanctions for countries violating human rights just because people are infected with HIV. I think that for as long as people living with HIV are healthy and productive in their respective jobs, they should not be prevented from participating though and should not be denied of living a decent and normal life and should remain insulated from the stigma of the society. In fact, HIV positive individuals cannot infect others through casual contact. Click here to read more.

Transport Spending May Increase HIV/AIDS Incidence

Asian Development Bank (ADB) based in the Philippines has provided information on the result of the research made on the effect of lending for transportation-related projects to the increased incidence of HIV/AIDS in a specific region.

The research shows that the huge amount of money allocated to the massive development of various public works paved the way for increased rate of sexual activity among men and women in remote places and therefore increasing the incidence of unprotected sexual contact among men and sexual workers.

Read more on Google News.

Pre-Chewed Food New Routes of Tranmission for HIV

Its been interesting to note that a new documented cases of transmitting HIV is through pre-chewed food to infants. This practice is mostly seen in communities or countries with inadequate appropriate food supply to infants that are immediatey available to developed countries commercially.

The article at AOL Body will provide you more information about this issue.

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Pre-Chewed Food Gave HIV to Kids
By MIKE STOBBE
AP Posted: 2008-02-07 09:54:50
ATLANTA (Feb. 6)

For the first time, health officials report that the AIDS virus can be spread by a mother pre-chewing her infant's food, a practice mainly seen in poor, developing countries.

Three such cases were reported in the United States from 1993-2004, government scientists said Wednesday in a presentation in Boston at a scientific conference.

It's blood, not saliva, that carried the virus because in at least two of the cases the infected mothers had bleeding gums or mouth sores, according to investigators at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control ...more

Senator Hillary Clinton Signed The AIDS Pledge

Rumors had it that Senator Hillary Clinton did not have the intention of signing the AIDS pledge, that seeks a US presidential candidate to allot $50 billion to be used in the next 5 years to combat AIDS epidemic.

However, on October 26, Senator Clinton signed the pledge to support HIV/AIDS activists to fight the ever increasing problem of HIV and AIDS around the globe. Clinton's spokesman said that Senator Clinton signed the AIDS pledge but is also working on a formal AIDS policy that will help millions of people currently suffering HIV and AIDS.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 39.5 million people have HIV (2006). HIV Vaccine trials are underway and none of them have come up with an effective vaccine type that helps protect an individual to all HIV types since HIV mutates very fast and more and more are strains are becoming drug resistant.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides general information about HIV/AIDS.

HIV

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease.

Structure of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, courtesy of NIAID.

For more information view our questions and answers on HIV science.

Electron microscope image of HIV, seen as small spheres on the surface of white blood cells.

AIDS

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It can take years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment, to reach this stage. Having AIDS means that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult time fighting infections. When someone has one or more of these infections and a low number of T cells, he or she has AIDS. For more information view our questions and answers on HIV science.

Genetic Predisposition A Likely Reason for Progression to AIDS Among Individuals with HIV

A new study at the University of Texas HealthScience Center in San Antonio were able to identity two specific genes that can be blamed for HIV-infected individuals' predisposition to AIDS. Two genes that were identified during the study, CCR5 and CCL3L1, were the main culprit as to why some people are more likely to develop AIDS than others.

Previously, it was thought that viral loads (the amount of virus present in the blood), was the primary determinant why individuals who are infected with HIV will more likely to develop than any other individuals. The new study reveals a different story.

Individuals with specific combination of the two genes above which controls the entry of HIV particles into cells with CD4 markers (certain binding sites for T4 white blood cells) and works on cellular immune response respectively have greater chances of their health condition to worsen compared to other individuals who don't. Read more at Science Daily.

This study was made possible by National Institute of Allergy andInfectious Diseases (NIAID) and was published at the October issue of Nature Immunology.

Hello!

Wow! Its been a long time I started visiting my blog again. Sorry for not updating. I just had a VERY BUSY life back in June and now I started to get over of everything that kept me busy for almost two quarters of this year. And I finally can say that I am now happy. :) Happy for all the good and bad experiences I had and I am proud that I was able to surpass all of them! I feel that I am a winner! Winner in my own right hehehe. :) With almost all people I know around committing suicide, I must say that I still realize the beauty of life and still positive about the future despite of all the pain I have been experiencing.

Perhaps, the secret to living well is appreciating what you have and considers that everything that is happening to us is just temporary, and its up to us if we will we use them to make us better individuals or will destroy us.

Life is about choices, I must say. Its all about decisions. Of course, there is no perfect decisions for you have to juggle all factors that affects your decision making. If you failed as a result of your decisions, then live with it and move on. Devise another plan and work on it. :) No one has done it perfectly smooth the first time. And if they did, they are lucky but that doesn't mean you are not good enough.

Live by faith and passion. That makes life meaningful. Its about finding meaning to your existence and how you appreciate all the people surrounding you and looking forward to making all your dreams come true. Kaya dapag lagi tayong happy! No one's gonna make you happy.

Sabi nga nang kaibigan kong si Roda, "Wag nating idepende sa iba ang kasiyahan natin. Kung di tayo mapasaya ng ibang tao, at least ibigay natin sa ating sarili ang kasiyahang hinahanap natin." Makes sense di ba? Tama nga ang tatay ko (kahit lagi kaming nag aaway hehe). Sabi kasi nya, "everybody has their own share". We may notice it pero people surrounding us inspires us everyday and in turn makes us better individuals. =)

Masaya nako and I can now say that I am ready to take on another challenging roles in life again. :) Go Jules!

Second-Generation HIV Drug that Treats Resistant HIV strains

An article published at the Scientific American website provide information on regarding "second-generation"HIV drug which combats resistant HIV virus.

The exciting drug etravirine (TMC125) is capable of treating HIV virus to the point of becoming undetectable in blood level serum*. Several hundreds to thousands of HIV/AIDS suffers who are becoming non-responsive to HIV cocktail treatments due to resistant AIDS virus. This drug brings hope to treating people with drug-resistant HIV strains.

Just like any other HIV medication, TMC125 is given alongside with other HIV drugs that works by halting the backend DNA viral replication of these particles, thereby, slowing down the progress of developing AIDS. TMC125 works by patching on the targeted opportunities of HIV drugs which failed to serve their function, that is, slowing down the activity of these viruses. All of these HIV drugs are a class of protease inhibitors which works by inhibiting the activity of the protease enzyme (an enzyme responsible for the replication of HIV's genetic material) thereby inhibiting the ability of the HIV virus to replicate itself.

AIDSmeds.com provides a simple yet informative definition of protease inhibitors (PIs): What are Protease Inhibitors (PIs)?

Protease Inhibitors (PIs) are a class of anti-HIV drugs. When one PI is used in combination with other anti-HIV drugs – usually a total of 3 drugs – then this combination therapy can block the replication of HIV in a person's blood.

Protease inhibitors prevent T-cells that have been infected with HIV from producing new copies of the virus.

When HIV infects a cell in a person's body, it copies it's own genetic code into the cell's DNA. In this way, the cell is then "programmed" to create new copies of HIV. Once HIV's genetic material (RNA) is inside a T-cell's DNA, the cell produces a long strand of genetic material that must be cut up and put together correctly to form new copies of the virus. Cutting up this strand requires a scissor-like enzyme called protease. PIs block this enzyme and prevent the cell from producing new viruses.

Visit the following blogsites for more health-related articles:

http://juliusbio.blogspot.com/
http://healthlines.blogspot.com/
http://juliusbio.wordpress.com/
http://360.yahoo.com/julesyuri06

Cure for HIV/AIDS FINALLY FOUND?

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics and the University of Hamburg's

Heinrich Pette Institute for Experimental Virology and Immunology have found ways on how they can remove AIDS virus from infected cells, thus, making them healthy once again.

Researchers at the above institutions created an enzyme (Tre) that cleaves (removes) HIV's (virus that causes AIDS) genetic material from the infected cells, allows reorganization of the host's genetic material and free living cells of the infective agent. The recombinant DNA technology was one of the techniques used in the experiment by using restriction endonucleases, a class of enzymes that cleaves (detach from end to end) specific sequence of genes in a specific cell's or organism's or, as in the case of viruses, particle's genetic material, in order to get the desired sequence of genes.

Through this wonderful research provides hope for the estimated 40 million individuals who are currently suffering the havoc of HIV/AIDS disease.

For more information, please visit the Scientific American website.

Visit the following blogsites for more health-related articles:

http://juliusbio.blogspot.com/
http://healthlines.blogspot.com/
http://juliusbio.wordpress.com/
http://360.yahoo.com/julesyuri06

$30 Billion Funds for Budget to fight HIV/AIDS

While most or some of us are sometimes not in favor on how US handles the Iraq situation and all other international issues, I have nothing but praise to their apparent generosity when it comes to providing budget and products that sustainshealth, provides food and safety.

The Bush administration is seeking for a $30 billion fund, an additional $15 Billion to the current budget, to fight HIV/AIDS around the globe, especially in Africa.

While this seems to be a good move for the US government to curb the progress of HIV/AIDS across countries around the globe, it still is being criticized for its apparent lack of interest in issues regarding global climate change which I think will have a strong impact as a whole in US economy.

I just hope that along with the scientists' efforts to create a vaccine for HIV, I wish that they would also work on developing a cure for the disease: something that we all are hoping for along with other diseases such as hepatitis and cancer.

Visit the following blogsites for more health-related articles:

http://juliusbio.blogspot.com/
http://healthlines.blogspot.com/
http://juliusbio.wordpress.com/
http://360.yahoo.com/julesyuri06

$50 Billion Funds for Budget to fight HIV/AIDS

While most or some of us are sometimes not in favor on how US handles the Iraq situation and all other international issues, I have nothing but praise to their apparent generosity when it comes to providing budget and products that sustainshealth, provides food and safety.

The Bush administration is seeking for a $30 billion fund, an additional $15 Billion to the current budget, to fight HIV/AIDS around the globe, especially in Africa.

While this seems to be a good move for the US government to curb the progress of HIV/AIDS across countries around the globe, it still is being criticized for its apparent lack of interest in issues regarding global climate change which I think will have a strong impact as a whole in US economy.

I just hope that along with the scientists' efforts to create a vaccine for HIV, I wish that they would also work on developing a cure for the disease: something that we all are hoping for along with other diseases such as hepatitis and cancer.

Visit the following blogsites for more health-related articles:

http://juliusbio.blogspot.com/
http://healthlines.blogspot.com/
http://juliusbio.wordpress.com/
http://360.yahoo.com/julesyuri06

Visit the following blogsites for more health-related articles:

http://juliusbio.blogspot.com/
http://healthlines.blogspot.com/
http://juliusbio.wordpress.com/
http://360.yahoo.com/julesyuri06