Earlier, too several studies have shown that sexually transmitted disease, trichomoniasis is linked to increased susceptibility of HIV infection. However, this new study provides with a more profound insight about the association of these two because this is the first study that has demonstrated a statistically significant association between trichomoniasis and HIV infection. Horrific thing, which creeps out of this study states that women with trichomoniasis are at 1.5-fold increased risk of HIV infection. It is quite unfortunate that trichomoniasis vaginalis infects more than 170 million people worldwide each year, making these people more vulnerable to HIV infection, which further increases the susceptibility of AIDS. This finding is really an eye-opener and if the information brimming out of this study is used for further study then definitely some way to tackle this problem will be carved out. Image credit: CDC Via: Science Daily
Health & FitnessTag Archives
AIDS enfolding elite circles in South Africa
AIDS that is considered a disease of the poor is no longer confined in this parameter as it has started enfolding elite circles too. This assertion is true as far as South Africa is concerned. The researchers put the disclosure forward, after they went through a deep analysis of the data available with them. Another revelation that came to the fore through this analysis made it clear that there has been a rapid increase in HIV infections in professional people and those with fulltime employment. On the issue Carel van Aardt, director of Unisa’s Bureau of Market Research expressed his views in the following words, ‘The high-risk group is growing, it is getting older and it is getting richer.’ This is really quite a thinkable issue because ‘elite circle’ of the society is normally considered more vigilant, educated and aware especially about such issues but as this analysis shows that this so-called ‘elite circle’ is quite susceptible to AIDS in South Africa, which is quite a puzzling situation. Image credit: News-Medical Via: IOL
Ban on anti-aids gel comes into force
Anti-AIDS gel, developed under the brand name Ushercell, which was recently transpired as the savior of women against HIV/AIDS has been banned in Uganda as women using this anti-AIDS gel became infected at a higher rate than women not using it. Previous studies conducted to know its effectiveness had dubbed this gel effective in HIV/AIDS prevention. However, now it has been found turning women more susceptible to HIV/AIDS infection. It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time that products made to prevent HIV/ AIDS have come out with great failure since earlier too trials of the spermicide nonoxynol-9 were stopped following reports that it was increasing the risk of HIV infection. In such a situation declaration by Family Health International that women who got infected during trials would be given drugs to control it, is indeed quite ironic. The question arises, should the duty of Family Health International be considered complete after this? Second burning question is that how far such studies are reliable because where one study depicts a particular drug quite effective while the second one depicts that quite ineffective. And in this confusion innocents are being victimized. Image credit: Agencia Aids Via: All Africa
Are resources for AIDS going down the drains?
Dr James Chin who headed Global Program on Aids unit from 1987-1992 asserted that HIV/Aids activists are circulating ‘misconceptions’ about who is at risk. In his new book, he has advocated that population outside Africa are not likely to catch HIV/Aids because it is limited to certain high-risk groups. He said that HIV pervasiveness is low in most populations throughout the world and can be expected to remain low because the numbers in groups whose behavior puts them at high risk limits infection rates. He further said that HIV rates are higher only in sub- Saharan Africa because of unprotected sex outside the marriage. While in other parts of the world, HIV is seen only in men who have sex with other men, intravenous drug users and female sex workers. Writing in ‘The Aids Pandemic’, Dr Chin says, ‘By refusing to accept the fact that HIV is very difficult to transmit sexually without the highest levels of sexual risk behaviours, Aids programmes have avoided labelling some populations as being more promiscuous than others.’ And he says the failure to recognize this means that scarce public health resources in countries where HIV prevalence is low are being wasted on prevention programs being targeted at the public, when it is the high-risk groups who should be targeted. He added that the facts have been ‘minimised and ignored’ by UNAids and Aids activists because it is ‘politically and socially more acceptable’ to say HIV risk behaviors are present in all populations. Experts from UK who viewed them as incorrect, however, did not accept his suggestions. Dr Purnima Mane, director of policy evidence and partnerships at UNAids has retaliated by saying that, ‘UNAids data is not influenced by political or fundraising agendas.’ Lisa Power, chief of policy at the UK’s Terrence Higgins Trust said Dr Chin’s views may have been accurate 10 to 15 years ago, but were not true now. Read
Iran develops herbal anti-AIDS drug — ‘IMOD’
Herbal drug – ‘IMOD’ is quite effective against deadly AIDS. This statement by Iranian scientists may sound like a sweet warble to millions of HIV/AIDS patients living all round the world. Incidentally, this claim has come at the time when Iranian President Ahmadinejad has made the fact clear that Islamic Republic’s nuclear rights “will be established.” Much has been hurled out praising this so-called anti-AIDS drug called ‘IMOD’. According to Iran’s Minister of Health, Treatment and Medical Training Kamran Bagheri Lankarani: The drug named ‘IMOD’ is completely effective and safe with no proved side effects. Harping on the same string, Iranian scientists claimed it to be the result of seven years of long arduous work, which strengthens immune system of the patient with HIV and provides a more qualitative life for the affected population. According to Baqeri Lankarani: The herbal-based medication, called IMOD, serves to control the AIDS virus and increases the body’s immunity. Right now, it is quite difficult to mark that how far this claim, made by Iran, is true since earlier too many fake claims regarding HIV drug have come to the surface. However, if we rely on these claims made by Iranian scientists then we can certainly assert that this so-called drugs ‘IMOD’ is bound to bring a new ray of hope in the lives of thousands of patients with HIV/AIDS because this very drug has been proclaimed quite natural with minimal side effects, while conventional drugs used for HIV/AIDS have become quite notorious due to several side effects, which they keep. However, only time will tell that how far ‘IMOD’ comes out as an effective remedy against HIV/AIDS, since the effectiveness of this drug has been transpired just by conducted tests on about 200 people. Therefore, in order to establish this drug as an ideal remedy against HIV/AIDS further trials on humans are requisite. Image credit: UMC-gbcs Via: Raw story
Researchers jostling to find AIDS resistance secret in the blood
These days Tulane university pathologist Ivona pandrea and colleagues are working on a very significant issue. Actually, they are prying into an intricate matter to find out why monkeys infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which is the primate version of the human immunodeficiency virus do not develop AIDS for years. In this move Ivona pandrea and colleagues analyzed the presence of CCR5-an important marker found on CD4 cells, which are targeted by HIV and SIV, resulting AIDS virus access to those cells. Still, it would be quite difficult to give an opinion on this issue since; this study is just in its beginning. However, taking this study into consideration, it would not be wrong to say that this study may give way to some significant finding, enabling researchers to come out with a portent weapon to fight HIV/AIDS. Image credit: AIDS-pomoc Via: Physorg
Does the Gambian President really has an HIV remedy?
No doubt, researchers all round the world are failing repeatedly in spooring out an effective remedy to fight HIV/AIDS while Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh proudly claims to have found an effective remedy to fight this deadly disease. Strangely enough, the style he uses while prescribing this drugs to AIDS patients is quite interesting. He closes his eyes in prayer, rubs a green herbal paste on to the ribcage of his patient, and then orders AIDS patients to have draught of bitter yellow drug, followed by two bananas. Commenting on the skeptical attitude being meted out to his so-called AIDS drug, President avers: Whatever you do there are bound to be sceptics, but I can tell you my method is foolproof. Mine is not an argument, mine is a proof. It’s a declaration. I can cure AIDS and I will. Interestingly, President is not all alone while defending his claims, as some HIV patients are also there to support him. Supporting such claims of the President Mr. Ousman Sowe, 54, who was diagnosed for HIV in 1996 says: It feels as if the president took the pain out of my body. Harping upon the same string, Lamin Ceesay, thin from a nine-year battle with HIV, remarks: My appetite has come back and I have gained weight. These quotes of HIV patients show that people are finding this so-called medicine effective in fighting HIV/AIDS. May be this medicine is effective and may not be. Therefore, commenting in favor and against this so-called medicine would not be right because it would just make this controversy more intricate. Don’t you think if researchers try to pull out its efficacy in the light of scientific principles then it would easier to uncover the truth? Because irrational use of this drug can also be detrimental as the experts exhibit their concern stating that taking president’s prescribed anti-retroviral drugs may be harmful, since doing so can weaken the body’s immune system, making the patient prone to infection. Image credit: State House Via: MSNBC
Expenditure on HIV: Sufficient or insufficient?
Are we spending too much on HIV or the amount being spent is still insufficient? The torrent of such questions remained striking this week’s BMJ (British Medical Journal). Moreover, the percussion of these contradicting questions has goaded out new questions like, how far it is right to spend millions of dollars to fight HIV/AIDS, especially when the percentage of people dying of HIV/AIDS is lower than the deaths occurring due to some other reasons. Personally, I believe that following issues might have given way to such questions:- � HIV/AIDS causes 2.8 million deaths a year worldwide, which is fewer than the number of stillbirths, and much less than half the number of infant deaths. � More people die of diabetes than HIV. � According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, in 2004, 21 per cent of all health aid was allocated to HIV, up from 8 per cent in 2000. No doubt, these issues are quite considerable that needs to be addressed earnestly but before that it is more important to have answers of the questions like, has our fight against deadly HIV/AIDS digressed from its main route? Is there any flaw in our strategy, meant to intercept the deluge of HIV/AIDS? Is the money being spent to harness HIV/AIDS, being utilized properly? The galaxy of such questions that has been thrown up through this fresh controversy cries for precise answers. However, still I consider following questions more important: � How far our strategy aimed at total annihilation of HIV/AIDS is pertinent? � How fight against deadly AIDS be revamped more effectively to achieve the target, which is perdition of HIV/AIDS? Image credit: silent swan Via: Medical News Today
Treatment of herpes can be beneficial for people with HIV
While treating HIV/AIDS, doctors would perhaps treat genital herpes first because according to a new study treating genital herpes can be helpful in slackening the progression of the AIDS virus in those infected with both viruses. This conclusion has rolled out after studying about 140 women in the West African country of Burkina Faso. In this study, it was found that when these women were treated with 500 milligrams of the drug valacyclovir twice daily for three months then their chances of shedding or spreading AIDS virus came down. Moreover, level of AIDS virus level also came down in the blood of these patients. This finding is quite significant because among people already infected with HIV, up to 70 percent in Europe and 90 percent in Africa also carry the virus for genital herpes, HSV-2. Image credit: HIV Via: Reuters
New AIDS drugs to enter arena to combat resistant HIV strains
Statement by Dr. John Mellors who is chief of infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh that about half of U.S. patients treated for infections with HIV have stopped responding to at least one drug is enough to give us a reason to rethink that how far our fight against HIV/AIDS is pertinent, especially if we keep in mind the fact that this incursion against deadly HIV/AIDS is on the move for more than 25 years. More worst is the fact that the ghost of HIV/AIDS is still holding up its head like a dominant winner despite all our efforts to bridle it. According to an estimate, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS infects more than 1 million people in the United States and nearly 40 million worldwide. More deploring is the fact that just in year this deadly virus infects about 40,000 Americans. To better understand that how HIV/AIDS is fast encroaching upon the whole world, have a look here:- 1. HIV/AIDS on the Rise in Asia 2. Sharp Rise of HIV/AIDS Cases in Shenzhen 3. Alarming Rise In HIV/AIDS Cases in Kazakhstan 4. Rise in HIV/AIDS cases in the southern United States 5. Rise of HIV/AIDS Victims in Middle East 6. Laos: HIV/AIDS Infection Rate on the Rise 7. HIV/AIDS Rates Rise Sharply in Canada 8. HIV/AIDS on the up all over the world 9. China Sees Fast Rise in HIV/AIDS 10. HIV/AIDS on rise for Canadian women 11. India sees big HIV/Aids rise 12. HIV/Aids spread on rise in Tanzania 13. HIV infection in UK increases to 63,500 However, now a ray of hope has also entered the arena, piercing the dark clouds of these gloomy facts mentioned above. Actually, data from clinical trials of several promising new products will be unveiled at a conference of leading HIV researchers in Los Angeles next week. These new products are next-generation versions of longstanding HIV fighters as well as drugs that combat the virus through innovative mechanisms, including blocking it from entering immune system cells. The advent of these new drugs should be looked upon as a good indication and these is none denying the fact that people are very enthusiastic about it as the following words of Dr. Anthony Fauci director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases exhibit: There is a confluence of new drugs in the pipeline that people are pretty excited about. It should be hoped that the introduction of these new drugs would help us revamping out fight against deadly HIV/AIDS and soon we shall be able to vanquish it. Image credit: UN Via: Alert Net