AIDS epidemic is waning: UN study

[Cowperson]

Interesting look at the global AIDS epidemic using more sophisticated survey techniques.

New infections peaked in 1998 and deaths likely peaked in 2005 says the UN.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/...la-home-center

Cowperson

[CaptainCrunch]

At least until we get a new and more vicious strain.

[J pold]

"Even though the estimates are lower than we had previously thought, they're still pretty significant," Detels said. "You're still talking about prevalences in sub-Saharan Africa where you've got over 20% of adults infected with HIV. . . . I think the danger here is to say: 'Oh my Lord, you know they overestimated. It's not a very serious epidemic.' I would say 33 million is a pretty serious epidemic."

Exactly, while this is all well and good with an adult infection rate of around or over 20% in the Sub-Saharan Africa there is still a lot of work that needs to be done

What people fail to understand is that HIV has essentially whipped out almost an entire generation, you have countries full of AIDS orphans, and it will take decades before you can start to repair these countries

[oly74]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

At least until we get a new and more vicious strain.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by fotze

Good thing they discovered that cure from having unprotected sex with a virgin. Who would have thought?

Reminds me of that song: Dan Bern - The Day they Found the Cure for Aids

[AC]

Originally Posted by fotze

Good thing they discovered that cure from having unprotected sex with a virgin. Who would have thought?

Sadly, even if a vaccine against AIDS was produced, Reginald Finger (an Evangelical member of the Centers for Disease Control's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) said he'd oppose the vaccine because the vaccine would encourage premarital sex...

While his term is now over, there are others who share his opinion.

It's the same for the HPV vaccine which has been developed, and was 100% effective in the 6000+ tests run. The simple, effective vaccine would save the 200 thousand + women who die of cervical cancer as a result of the infection each year. Yet, it was vetoed because these pricks feel their religious selfishness is more important than the health of the rest of the world.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

At least until we get a new and more vicious strain.

Its the fact modern strains are less deadly that increases their spread. A deadlier strain would kill the victim faster. HIV is able to spread because it lies somewhat dormant in healthy looking hosts. I would be much more worried about a slow onset strain than a deadlier one.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by blankall

Its the fact modern strains are less deadly that increases their spread. A deadlier strain would kill the victim faster. HIV is able to spread because it lies somewhat dormant in healthy looking hosts. I would be much more worried about a slow onset strain than a deadlier one.

I guess I mis-spoke a bit

Right now I believe there are two strains of the HIV virus with many subgroups.

HIV 1 and HIV 2 are virtually identical in how they effect the body. However HIV 2 might be less robust in that its harder to get infected by it, however its gestation period is a lot longer meaning that you can effect more people before showing symtoms. Also HIV-2 is more resistant to certain anti-viral drugs that are effective on HIV-1.

So I'm not talking about the HIV virus mutating to some kind of Ebola body busting dead within 48 hour virus, which has mutated to include airborne transmissions. My concern is that as we develope treatments for this virus its going to completely change and become even more infectious and untreatable.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by AnthonyCook

Sadly, even if a vaccine against AIDS was produced, Reginald Finger (an Evangelical member of the Centers for Disease Control's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) said he'd oppose the vaccine because the vaccine would encourage premarital sex...

While his term is now over, there are others who share his opinion.

It's the same for the HPV vaccine which has been developed, and was 100% effective in the 6000+ tests run. The simple, effective vaccine would save the 200 thousand + women who die of cervical cancer as a result of the infection each year. Yet, it was vetoed because these pricks feel their religious selfishness is more important than the health of the rest of the world.

do you have an article for that? it seems a little far fetched that a life saving vaccine would be thrown away simply because of a few religious objections

[AC]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

do you have an article for that? it seems a little far fetched that a life saving vaccine would be thrown away simply because of a few religious objections

Sorry, I meant to say the vaccination program was resisted, not the vaccine itself. There are currently two vaccines out there.

I can't seem to track down information on if this has changed since then. Though it appears there are smaller programs out there, but no government-wide program (speaking of the US).

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

do you have an article for that? it seems a little far fetched that a life saving vaccine would be thrown away simply because of a few religious objections

If only that were the case! You'd think all people would actively encourage the wide-spread deployment of potentially life-saving measures, but sadly, Anthony wasn't making his facts up. Under Bush, the US has sharply cut back on programs established by the Clinton administration to supply free condoms to poor African countries, an act which could dramatically curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS.

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/10/12/Pe...nder_Bus.shtml

There is nothing magical about the way to stop a sexually transmitted killer. If a population is not going to abstain from sex - and even many Catholic priests can't seem to accomplish that feat - then protection against transmission is the best defense. But sub-Saharan Africa, home to 30-million of the world's 40-million HIV/AIDS sufferers, is suddenly facing a condom shortage. Family planning clinics from Ethiopia to Swaziland have had their American-donated supplies sharply reduced or cut off; and we can thank our president and his religious right politics for this.

[...]

In short, thanks to the closure of medical clinics and reductions in supplies wrought by the policy, more Africans will contract HIV, more mothers will transmit it to their babies and more of the population will die. Those tend to be the calculations in places like Lesotho when a lifeline gets snatched back.

USAID is the single largest donor of condoms in the developing world, providing $75-million worth annually, or about a third of all donations. Yet, according to the PAI report, 16 poor countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East have been cut off from USAID condom shipments because their family planning groups are associated with the International Planned Parenthood Federation, which refuses to sign the antiabortion pledge.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

If only that were the case! You'd think all people would actively encourage the wide-spread deployment of potentially life-saving measures, but sadly, Anthony wasn't making his facts up. Under Bush, the US has sharply cut back on programs established by the Clinton administration to supply free condoms to poor African countries, an act which could dramatically curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS.

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/10/12/Pe...nder_Bus.shtml

well it's not the same as tossing out a vaccine but it's still disgusting. this is why i have such a negative view towards religion, because you give those wackos some power and they run amok trying to force their beliefs on everyone. and in their messed up minds, they probably see AIDS as some sort of punishment from "god" and probably don't even have a problem with thousands dying from it

[AC]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

well it's not the same as tossing out a vaccine but it's still disgusting. this is why i have such a negative view towards religion, because you give those wackos some power and they run amok trying to force their beliefs on everyone. and in their messed up minds, they probably see AIDS as some sort of punishment from "god" and probably don't even have a problem with thousands dying from it

Likewise with the history of Pope's condemning birth-control, and more recently the use of condoms to protect against AIDS.

"We mourn for the eight million Catholics who have died of AIDS, and worry for the more than 10 million Catholics who are infected"
http://www.terradaily.com/2005/05040....wwrbq6kk.html

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

well it's not the same as tossing out a vaccine but it's still disgusting. this is why i have such a negative view towards religion, because you give those wackos some power and they run amok trying to force their beliefs on everyone. and in their messed up minds, they probably see AIDS as some sort of punishment from "god" and probably don't even have a problem with thousands dying from it

Yeah, it's not the same as protesting a vaccine, but, as was mentioned earlier in this thread, the Religious Wrong has already protested against the HPV vaccine, which could significantly curtail the number of women who contract cervical cancer. No doubt they would treat a potential future HIV vaccine the same way.

They've also fought against selling "Plan B" (aka the morning after pill) over-the-counter, even though the doctors at the FDA ruled it was perfectly safe for OTC sale. It was a classic case of religious zealotry trumping science. I read a tragic story last year of a young woman from Arizona (IIRC) who was raped, received a prescription for Plan B, but was unable to find a pharmacist who was willing to fill the prescription in time (the drug is only effective for about 48 hours after intercourse). The pharmacists she went to refused to fill the prescription, citing religious objections to selling the "abortion drug".

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by AnthonyCook

Likewise with the history of Pope's condemning birth-control, and more recently the use of condoms to protect against AIDS.

"We mourn for the eight million Catholics who have died of AIDS, and worry for the more than 10 million Catholics who are infected"
http://www.terradaily.com/2005/05040....wwrbq6kk.html

The BBC has run a few stories claiming that representatives of the Catholic church in Africa were actively spreading misinformation, telling local citizens that condoms did not prevent the spread of HIV and in some cases, they even went so far as to say that condoms were deliberately laced with the virus.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3176982.stm

The Catholic Church has been accused of telling people in countries with high rates of HIV that condoms do not protect against the deadly virus.

[...]

It says cardinals, bishops, priests and nuns in four continents are saying HIV can pass through tiny holes in condoms.

[...]

The programme includes a Catholic nun advising her HIV-infected choir master not to use condoms with his wife because "the virus can pass through".

The Archbishop of Nairobi Raphael Ndingi Nzeki told Panaroma that condoms were helping to spread the virus.

"Aids...has grown so fast because of the availability of condoms," he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7014335.stm

The head of the Catholic Church in Mozambique has told the BBC he believes some European-made condoms are infected with HIV deliberately.

Maputo Archbishop Francisco Chimoio claimed some anti-retroviral drugs were also infected "in order to finish quickly the African people".

Absolutely sickening behaviour. How many people are going to contract HIV and die because of these idiots spreading this misinformation?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I guess I mis-spoke a bit

Right now I believe there are two strains of the HIV virus with many subgroups.

HIV 1 and HIV 2 are virtually identical in how they effect the body. However HIV 2 might be less robust in that its harder to get infected by it, however its gestation period is a lot longer meaning that you can effect more people before showing symtoms. Also HIV-2 is more resistant to certain anti-viral drugs that are effective on HIV-1.

So I'm not talking about the HIV virus mutating to some kind of Ebola body busting dead within 48 hour virus, which has mutated to include airborne transmissions. My concern is that as we develope treatments for this virus its going to completely change and become even more infectious and untreatable.

X2

Sorry I guess I interpreted more "vicious" faster and deadly infection. But yeah its highly likely as we treat more strains the ones that are more resistant to drugs will simply become more prominent. The tricky thing about his virus is that by its very nature it gets around immune systems. So as we aid our immune system w/ drugs to destroy it, it only gets harder to pin down

[AC]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

The BBC has run a few stories claiming that representatives of the Catholic church in Africa were actively spreading misinformation, telling local citizens that condoms did not prevent the spread of HIV and in some cases, they even went so far as to say that condoms were deliberately laced with the virus.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3176982.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7014335.stm

Absolutely sickening behaviour. How many people are going to contract HIV and die because of these idiots spreading this misinformation?

Wow. That is absolutely horrifying. Just sickening.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by blankall

X2

Sorry I guess I interpreted more "vicious" faster and deadly infection. But yeah its highly likely as we treat more strains the ones that are more resistant to drugs will simply become more prominent. The tricky thing about his virus is that by its very nature it gets around immune systems. So as we aid our immune system w/ drugs to destroy it, it only gets harder to pin down

I remember reading somewhere that the HIV virus combines the worst aspects of a cold virus in that its protein case can shift its patterns faster then the body can combine with the lethality of the plague in that it pretty much kills everything it infects. And unlike inefficient killers like Ebola and Lasse fever, which kills its hosts to quickly, the HIV virus has the most perfect time bomb ever seen.

It would be interesting to see where the index patient picked this little bugger up.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I remember reading somewhere that the HIV virus combines the worst aspects of a cold virus in that its protein case can shift its patterns faster then the body can combine with the lethality of the plague in that it pretty much kills everything it infects. And unlike inefficient killers like Ebola and Lasse fever, which kills its hosts to quickly, the HIV virus has the most perfect time bomb ever seen.

It would be interesting to see where the index patient picked this little bugger up.

Wish I could find the article, but a couple of weeks ago I found an article showing how they'd sourced virtually all North American HIV cases to a group of 3 carribean migrants to the US who had spent time working in Africa.

[Knut]

http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm...857&language=1 here is one theory....

Humans got it from Chimps, who got it from Monkeys....

http://www.avert.org/origins.htm a bunch of other theories are here..

http://books.google.com/books?id=to_...EIYT2c#PPP1,M1 read an online book about it if you want...... 132 pages of information and theories