The Man That Created AIDS virus
Dance With the Devil / The AIDS Conspiracy.
Smoking Gun of AIDS Conspiracy
The Aids Monkey Virus - Myth or Reality?
Pautan: H1N1 Konspirasi Kapitalis Buat Duit di blog Gema Mahasiswa
Showing posts with label hiv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hiv. Show all posts
INFLUENZA A H1N1 MILIKI PERSAMAAN DENGAN AIDS
KONDOM BUKAN PENYELESAI MASALAH AIDS
Since becoming pope four years ago, Benedict has stressed that the church is on the front lines of the battle against AIDS; with the Vatican encouraging sexual abstinence as the way to stop the disease from spreading.
Sejak dilantik sebagai Pope 4 tahun yang lalu, Benedict
menegaskan bahawa pihak Gereja sentiasa berada di hadapan dalam menghadapi peperangan melawan AIDS;
Vatican menyeru agar hubungan seksual bebas TIDAK diamalkan bagi menyekat menularnya AIDS. (Bukan dengan memberi CONDOM percuma di lorong-lorong gelap atau di kaunter resepsi hotel 5 bintang- komen penulis).
Statistik AIDS di negara kita amat membimbangkan. Pergaulan bebas yang mengarah kepada hubungan seks rambang serta hubungan homoseks di kalangan remaja dan dewasa mungkin dilihat sebagai kebebasan individu yang dilihat di luar konteks hidup bermasyarakat.
Hidup bermasyarakat perlu kepada peraturan dan moral demi menjaga kesejahteraan majoriti dan kelangsungan sistem kekeluargaan. Puak yang ingin hidup bebas seperti burung atau haiwan yang melata perlu mencipta koloni atau meneroka pulau yang belum dihuni manusia.
Di sana, jika mereka sakit dan saling jangkit menjangkiti AIDS di kalangan mereka itu cerita atau masalah sampingan yang mereka sendiri akan selesaikan tanpa melibatkan majoriti anggota masyarakat. Jika semua anggota koloni AIDS ini mati, maka mereka akan pupus begitu sahaja tanpa menyusahkan mereka yang ingin hidup menurut norma masyarakat.
Ada orang akan berhujah mengatakan gay, penkid, lesbian serta penagih dadah juga rakyat negara ini dan ada yang membayar cukai. Lihat di bawah berapa banyak kos yang perlu ditanggung oleh rakyat keseluruhannya untuk membiayai rawatan AIDS.
Seorang meninggal akibat AIDS setiap hari
Dewan Rakyat hari ini diberitahu pada setiap hari terdapat tiga rakyat negara ini disahkan positif HIV dan seorang didapati meninggal dunia akibat AIDS .
Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan Datuk Dr. Abd Latif Ahmad berkata jumlah purata itu adalah berdasarkan kes positif HIV terkumpul yang sudah mencapai 80,000 kes setahun.
Sejak 2003, katanya, kementerian mendapati kes positif HIV menurun daripada 27 peratus bagi setiap 100,000 penduduk menjadi 17 peratus menjelang 2008.
“Oleh yang demikian, usaha-usaha bagi memastikan penyakit ini tidak menjadi ancaman kepada negara termasuk melaksanakan Pelan Strategik Kebangsaan (NSP) mengenai AIDS 2006-2010.
“Sebahagian daripada program yang dilaksanakan ialah pencegahan, kawalan, rawatan, penjagaan dan sokongan kepada pihak yang menghidap HIV,” katanya.
Abd Latif menjawab soalan Datuk Kamarul Baharin Abbas (PKR-Telok Kemang) yang ingin tahu langkah-langkah yang diambil kerajaan untuk mengekang merebaknya penyakit AIDS dan HIV daripada 80 ribu tahun lepas.
Beliau berkata pelbagai program membasmi HIV/AIDS digerakkan oleh kerajaan termasuk menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Kabinet Mengenai AIDS dan Jawatankuasa Membanteras Dadah yang dipengerusikan Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Menurutnya, kerajaan memperuntukkan RM500 juta untuk program khususnya bagi mengurangkan kemudaratan bermula 2006 hingga 2010.
Bernama
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Pope: Condoms aren’t solution to AIDS; they make it worse
FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:
It’s time for the Catholic Church to enter the 21st century; or at least try to drag itself out of the 13th. On his first trip to Africa, Pope Benedict XVI said condoms are not a solution to the AIDS epidemic; rather, they make it worse.
Pope Benedict XVI believes condoms hinder the AIDS crisis.
In his first public comments on condom use, the pope told reporters that AIDS “is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems.” Huh?
Since becoming pope four years ago, Benedict has stressed that the church is on the front lines of the battle against AIDS; with the Vatican encouraging sexual abstinence as the way to stop the disease from spreading.
Obviously that message hasn’t delivered the desired results in Africa where parts of the continent have been ravaged by AIDS. Not to mention right here in our nation’s capital: a new report shows three percent of Washington D.C.’s residents have HIV or AIDS. That translates to almost 3,000 people for every 100,000 population. That figure represents a “severe epidemic.” One health official says Washington’s rates are higher than parts of West Africa — and “on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya.”
Taxpayer Contributes 3K per addict per month
Aids menjangkiti Lapisan Normal
A.I.D.S.
Kadar AIDs di kalangan Wanita 16 Peratus
Excerpts On AIDS pandemics
CYBER SEX AND PRIVACY INVASION
Australian sex therapist Dr Rosie King has her opinions which may not be suitable for us especially Muslims. However, she is right when attributing the spread of porn materials mainly due to technological boom and media fads. People desire excitement and want to be extraordinary, even for a moment. Many are becoming obsessed with fame – everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame even with their pants down.
Dr King mentioned exploitation and blackmail as two main reasons for not filming one's naked glory. Even if both partners can be trusted, the pictures and videos can so easily fall into the wrong hands – you don’t want your children to see them, or your neighbours and relatives.”
As a sex therapist, Dr King encounters many sexual problems but many people videoptape or take pictures of intimate moments for fun and pleasure. In the old days you rely on the mirror.
It has been proven that ignorance will encourage the young to experiment, so the authorities need to address this, especially in Malaysia whereby almost every secondary and university students own mobile phones with recording facilities. There are 26.2 million mobile phone subscribers in Malaysia.
Dr Prema Devaraj, programme director at Women’s Centre for Change (WCC) Penang says raising awareness is important in empowering the young to deal with the potential risks of high-tech sex. Recent cases show, most of the victims are female. Often society places the responsibility of what happens onto the woman – from unwanted pregnancy and HIV infections to sexual assault and high-tech sex abuses.
Paul Jambunathan, consultant clinical psychologist at Monash University Malaysia and Sunway Medical Centre admits that in Malaysia, most people will view filming their sexual activity as immoral and even perverted. Many studies show that people can get sexually stimulated from pictures and videos or even watching themselves get naked in the mirror. There are those who get sexually aroused by their imagination and others from a memory of their sexual intercourse.
Andrew Khoo, the co-deputy chair of the Human Rights Committee with the Malaysian Bar Council, has this to say “We live in a prudish society where sex is concerned, which has given rise to a voyeuristic culture in the country." Khoo also notes that Malaysian laws are too lenient to deter the culprits from invading other people’s privacy.
It was reported that the local videos were often obtained from handphones when owners forgot to delete them before selling their cell phones or sending them for repair.
Authorities should turn to Islamic wholistic teachings for answers to our social problems, not by solving them in piecemeal manner and in an uncollaborated approach.
High-tech sex
By HARIATI AZIZAN/ theStaronline
There can only be bad news when one’s intimate photos or videos are circulated on the Internet and via mobile phone. So, why do many still allow themselves to be caught with their pants down?
EVEN as Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong tearfully defended herself against career-breaking private photos and allegations of a sex tape about a fortnight ago, a video clip of a couple getting dirty in an X-ray room of a Kuala Lumpur hospital was making its rounds on the Internet and the mobile phone network.
The video reportedly was made as a “remembrance” of their passionate moments together. How it got out was unclear.
The expose came on the heels of a nude photo “scandal” involving a nurse in Penang. The 28-year-old, who took the naked pictures herself, claimed that a close friend stole the pictures from her laptop and shared them with her spurned suitor, who then posted them online.
The act of filming one’s intimate moments and photographing one’s naked glory is nothing new. What is taken in private, unfortunately, has a propensity for showing up in the public arena, and in a conservative society like Malaysia, this often has severe consequences.
As seen time after time, these indecent exposures – regardless of whether they were accidentally or intentionally leaked – have decimated many a reputation and destroyed lives. Yet, why do many still allow themselves to be put in such vulnerable positions?
Dr King: ‘What is erotic to one person would be offensive to another.’
Secret desire
“Maybe secretly many people want to be a porn star. It is happening worldwide and even in Australia, you see it happening more and more,” renowned Australian sex therapist Dr Rosie King, says, albeit half jokingly.
Dr King believes the phenomenon can be linked to two trends: technological boom and media fads.
“The technology now is so good and accessible that everyone can be a photographer or filmmaker. We don’t have to have the picture or film developed. In the past, for example, people would need sophisticated equipment to make a video.
“And with the media trend worldwide, people desire excitement and want to be extraordinary, even for a moment. Many are becoming obsessed with fame – everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame.
“You can see this on TV as we intrude more and more into people’s private space,” says Dr King who was in town recently to share the findings of the Asia-Pacific Sexual Health and Overall Wellness (AP SHOW) survey commissioned by pharmaceutical company Pfizer. True, you don’t need to look at the ratings to see how popular reality shows are; they are everywhere in our mainstream consciousness.
According to technology market research firm GfK Asia Pte Ltd, the demand for digital still cameras in the region grew in 2008 by 118% while the sale of camcorders increased by 105% in spite of the tougher market scenario.
The growing accessibility of mobile phones with camera and video recording devices (there are 26.2 million mobile phone subscribers in Malaysia according to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission records) and video sharing sites like YouTube have driven the demand for “personal” content further.
However, says Dr King, photographing or videoing their sexual intercourse is not something that people would typically do.
“I think only a minority are doing it, not because it is unnatural but because many have more common sense. They are aware that there are those who do it for nefarious reasons including exploitation and blackmail. And even if both partners can be trusted, the pictures and videos can so easily fall into the wrong hands – you don’t want your children to see them, or your neighbours and relatives.”
Dr King notes that people have used visuals for sexual stimulation and personal gratification for decades.
“I don’t know if it can help to solve a sexual problem but many people do it for fun and pleasure. In the old days you rely on the mirror; some hotels have mirrors on the ceiling and facing the bed. Now that has been replaced by the camera.”
Paul Jambunathan, consultant clinical psychologist at Monash University Malaysia and Sunway Medical Centre concurs.
Jambunathan: ‘Many studies show that people can get sexually stimulated from pictures and videos.’
“Many studies show that people can get sexually stimulated from pictures, videos or even watching themselves get naked in the mirror. There are those who get sexually aroused by their imagination and others from a memory of their sexual intercourse. In this case, what is the difference between a memory and videotape?” he asks.
Jambunathan nonetheless admits that it depends on the socio-cultural norm in the country. In Malaysia, most people will view filming their sexual activity as immoral and even perverted.
Dr King agrees.
“I don’t think that it is immoral to take your partner’s or your own pictures and videos. The thing about morality is that it is personal, even though it is shaped by one’s socio-cultural context. What is erotic to one person can be offensive to another,” she says.
Acknowledging that Malaysia is a conservative society, Dr King, however, promotes a middle ground where one can uphold moral values as well as be comfortable with his or her sexuality.
Citing Australia’s case as example, Dr King says there has been a positive shift in the public perception of sex.
“People in Australia are more open and relaxed about sex. This is good; I am not saying that people should be more promiscuous but I would like to see more people being more confident and comfortable with their sexuality,” she says.
Andrew Khoo, the co-deputy chair of the Human Rights Committee with the Malaysian Bar Council, agrees.
“We live in a prudish society where sex is concerned, which has given rise to a voyeuristic culture in the country. When there is a sex tape or racy picture circulated, many people would rush to check it out for cheap titillation,” he says.
This has given erotic materials a lot of currency, encouraging an underground market for illegally acquired content. Worse, Malaysian laws are too lenient to deter the culprits from invading other people’s privacy, Khoo notes.
Dr Prema: ‘Couples take photos or video footages of their intimate moments for a variety of reasons.’
According to a report in a local Chinese language daily, local sex video clips, whether taken without the knowledge of the couple or for their personal collection, are highly in demand among Malaysians. It was reported that the local videos were often obtained when owners forgot to delete them before selling their cell phones or sending them for repair. Consequently, some mobile phone retailers have made it a marketing strategy to download pornographic video clips for their customers for a nominal fee or for free.
A case that made headlines is that of Chinese-Canadian film star Edison Chen, whose private sex pictures with several Hong Kong starlets set off an Internet firestorm after he sent his laptop for repairs. The photos show Chen in bed separately with eight of the country’s best-known actresses and singers, badly damaging the careers of Chen and the women when the photos were circulated online. Last week, Chen was at the British Columbia Supreme Court hearing in Vancouver where he reviewed his testimony to be presented in a Hong Kong criminal court case.
The real issue here, stresses Jambunathan, is the infringement of one’s privacy.
“If it is two consenting adults, barring religious rulings, it should not be a problem. It becomes a problem when someone else is illegally recording you and your partner during your intimate moments or when your personal collection falls into the wrong hands,” he says.
On the rise
Another worrying trend is the growing number of high-tech sex cases involving the young.
Last year, three video clips of students from Kuala Trengganu engaging in sexual acts on their secondary school premises were widely distributed to the public via the mobile phone multimedia service (MMS) and VCDs. This unsurprisingly caused a furore among parents and the education fraternity.
Still, with a fast growing number of young adults becoming tech-savvy, this is a trend that needs to be monitored closely by the Malaysian authorities.
The phenomenon is global. As a poll in the United States last December revealed, one in five American teens had sent nude or partially clothed images of themselves to someone by e-mail or mobile phone, and twice as many have sent sexually suggestive electronic messages.
The survey, commissioned by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, showed that more than half of the 1,280 young adults aged 20 to 26 interviewed said they had received a sexually suggestive message from someone else and one in five said they had shared the racy message with a third person.
About 73% of those below 19 surveyed said they knew sending sexually suggestive content could have “serious negative consequences” but 22% said it’s “no big deal”.
Although no studies have been conducted on the trend among young Malaysians, many say that technology is encouraging a more casual hook-up culture.
“It is normal to send a sexy photo of yourself to the boy you want to get to know on the Net or through your phone. I don’t send any nude photos of myself, I know that is dangerous, but I have heard of people in my school who have done it,” says a 16-year-old girl who declines to be named.
Dr King believes that sex education can equip the young to deal with the rise of high-tech sex.
“It has been proven that ignorance will encourage the young to experiment, so the authorities need to address this, especially with the growing accessibility of technology. When one is comfortable about their sexuality, they will be more responsible about their bodies and with their partners,” she says.
Dr Prema Devaraj, programme director at Women’s Centre for Change (WCC) Penang, agrees that raising their awareness is important in empowering the young to deal with the potential risks of high-tech sex. More important, she stresses, is to instil mutual respect between the sexes.
“Couples take photos or video footages of their intimate moments for a variety of reasons. It is done in an environment of complete trust and is a private matter between the couple. When such photos are used outside the relationship without the consent of the parties involved, it is a gross violation of personal liberty and privacy. It is an absolute betrayal of trust,” says Dr Prema.
Unfortunately, as recent cases show, most of the victims are female.
Hence, to combat this exploitation of women, she stresses, there is a need to address the way women are viewed in this country and the inequality women are subjected to in relationships.
“Often society places the responsibility of what happens onto the woman – from unwanted pregnancy and HIV infections to sexual assault and high-tech sex abuses. There is very little acknowledgement of the role men play in these issues and rarely are they made accountable for their actions,” she notes.
Related stories HERE
TERKINI: HIV MENJANGKITI LAPISAN NORMAL ALAT KELAMIN
Sebelum ini, teori jangkitan HIV ketika hubungan seksual berlaku jika terdapat kudis, luka atau ulser pada alat genital wanita. Dengan menggunakan teknik terkini, ahli sains dapat memerhatikan bagaimana virus HIV sebenarnya menyelinap masuk ke dalam sel faraj yang normal.
HIV infects women through healthy tissue: U.S. study
By Julie Steenhuysen/ Reuters
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Instead of infiltrating breaks in the skin, HIV appears to attack normal, healthy genital tissue, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday in a study that offers new insight into how the AIDS virus spreads.
They said researchers had assumed the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, sought out beaks in the skin, such as a herpes sore, in order to gain access to immune system cells deeper in the tissue.
Some had even thought the normal lining of the vaginal tract offered a barrier to invasion by the virus during sexual intercourse.
"Normal skin is vulnerable," said Thomas Hope of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine said in a telephone interview.
"It was previously thought there had to be a break in it somehow," said Hope, who is presenting his findings at the American Society for Cell Biology meeting in San Francisco.
He said until now, scientists had little understanding of the details of how HIV is transmitted sexually in women.
Hope and colleagues at Northwestern in Chicago and Tulane University in New Orleans developed a new method for seeing the virus at work. They studied newly removed vaginal tissue taken from hysterectomy surgeries, and introduced the virus which carried fluorescent, light-activated tracers.
Then they watched under a microscope as the virus penetrated the outer lining of the female genital tract, called the squamous epithelium. They also observed this same process in non-human primates.
In both cases, they found HIV was able to quickly move past the genital skin barrier to reach immune cells, which the virus targets.
Hope said the study suggests the virus takes aim at places in the skin that had recently shed skin cells, in much the same way that skin on the body flakes off.
The finding casts doubt on the prior theory of the virus requiring a break in the skin or gained access through a single layer of skin cells that line the cervical canal.
And it might explain why some prevention efforts have failed. Hope said one clinical trial in Africa in which women used a diaphragm to block the cervix had no effect at reducing transmission of the virus. Nor have studies of drugs designed to prevent lesions in genital herpes proven effective.
Hope said the findings emphasize the need for treatments such as a vaccine to prevent infection.
"People need to remember that they are vulnerable," Hope said. "The sad part is if people just used a condom, we wouldn't have this problem," he said.
In the United States, HIV is mostly passed among men who have sex with men. Females account for 26 percent of all new HIV cases in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Globally, HIV is more commonly spread by heterosexual sex. The virus has infected 33 million people globally and has killed 25 million.
Maklumat lanjut di SINI, SINI
ACQUIRED INFORMATION DEFICIENCY SICKNESS (a.i.d.s)
AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since 1981. That's half as many deaths as in World War II. And it's not over. 1.1 million Americans are among the 33 million people now living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In this entry, we have included a pictorial history of some landmarks of AIDS in the world and a synopsis of AIDS and its Management for those interested in the modern epidemic. Despite its highly technical in nature, we have tried to avoid the heavy stuff medical jargons. Happy reading. Please share it with your mate(s) and friends.
HIV At A Glance
* The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a type of virus called a retrovirus, which infects humans when it comes in contact with tissues such as those that line the vagina, anal area, mouth, or eyes, or through a break in the skin.
* HIV infection is generally a slowly progressive disease in which the virus is present throughout the body at all stages of the disease.
* Three stages of HIV infection have been described.
1. The initial stage of infection (primary infection), which occurs within weeks of acquiring the virus, and often is characterized by a "flu-" or "infectious mononucleosis-"like illness that generally resolves within weeks.
2. The stage of chronic asymptomatic infection (meaning a long duration of infection without symptoms) which lasts an average of 8 to10 years.
3. The stage of symptomatic infection, in which the body's immune (or defense) system has been suppressed and complications have developed. This stage is called the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The symptoms are caused by the complications of AIDS, which include one or more unusual infections or cancers, severe loss of weight, and intellectual deterioration (called dementia).
* When HIV grows (that is, by reproducing itself), it acquires the ability to change (mutate) its own structure. This mutation enables the virus to become resistant to previously effective drug therapy.
* The goals of drug therapy are to prevent damage to the immune system by the HIV virus and to halt or delay the progress of the infection to symptomatic disease.
* Therapy for HIV includes combinations of drugs that decrease the growth of the virus to such an extent that the treatment prevents or markedly delays the development of viral resistance to the drugs.
* The best combination of drugs for HIV has not yet been defined, but one of the most important factors is that the combination be well tolerated so that it can be followed consistently without missing doses.
AIDS Timeline
Between 1884 and 1924, somewhere near modern-day Kinshasa in West Central Africa, a hunter kills a chimpanzee. Some of the animal's blood enters the hunter's body, possibly through an open wound. The blood carries a virus harmless to the chimp, but lethal to humans: HIV. The virus spreads as colonial cities sprout up, but deaths are blamed on other causes.
1981: First Cases Recognize
In June, the CDC (Centre For Disease Control in USA) publishes a report from Los Angeles of five young homosexual men with fatal or life-threatening PCP pneumonia. Almost never seen in people with intact immune systems, PCP turns out to be one of the major "opportunistic infections" that kill people with AIDS. On the Fourth of July, the CDC reports that an unusual skin cancer -- Kaposi's sarcoma or KS -- is killing young, previously healthy men in New York City and California.
1982
* The CDC calls the new disease acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS. AIDS is seen in people with hemophilia, convincing scientists that the disease is spread by an infectious agent in contaminated blood.
* Gay men form the first AIDS advocacy organizations.
1983
* The CDC warns that AIDS may spread by heterosexual sex and by mother-to-child transmission.
* The U.S. Public Health Service asks "members of groups at increased risk for AIDS" to stop donating blood.
* Heterosexual spread of AIDS in Africa is confirmed.
* Public apprehension grows. False rumors of "household spread" abound. In New York, landlords are reported to evict AIDS patients.
A baby with AIDS, abandoned after her mother's death from the disease.
1983 Drs. Montagnier and Barre-Sinoussi discovered the AIDS virus.
Pasteur Institute researchers Luc Montagnier and Francoise Barre-Sinoussi isolate a virus from the swollen lymph gland of an AIDS patient. They called it lymphadenopathy-associated virus or LAV.
Independently, UCSF researcher Jay Levy isolates ARV -- AIDS-related virus. Not until 1986 does everybody agree to call the virus HIV: human immunodeficiency virus.
1984
National Cancer Institute (NCI) researcher Robert Gallo reports isolation of an AIDS virus he calls HTLV-III. Later, it turns out to be LAV from a sample sent by the Montagnier lab. 
1985
* Rock Hudson dies of AIDS.
1985 The Burke family: The father, mother, and son have HIV.
AIDS patient and advocate Ryan White, 15, wins battle to attend school
1986
* Surgeon General Everett Koop urges parents to have a "frank and open conversation" about AIDS with their children and teens.
* For the first time, President Reagan publicly utters the word "AIDS."
1987
* President Reagan makes his first speech on AIDS.
* The U.S. forbids immigration by people with HIV, a policy later signed into law by President Clinton.
* Liberace dies of AIDS.
1989
* Scientists find that even before AIDS symptoms develop, HIV replicates wildly in the blood. The goal of treatment shifts to keeping HIV at low levels.
* Robert Mapplethorpe dies of AIDS.
Esteban De Jesus, a boxer, dying of AIDS
1991-1992
* Magic Johnson announces he is HIV positive.
* Queen singer Freddy Mercury dies of AIDS.
* AIDS becomes the leading cause of death in U.S. men aged 25-44.
* FDA (Food And Drug Administration) licenses the first rapid HIV test.
1996-1997
A treatment breakthrough: The AIDS drug cocktail -- highly active anti-retroviral therapy or HAART -- can cut HIV viral load to undetectable levels. Hope surges when AIDS researcher David Ho suggests treatment could eliminate HIV from the body. He's wrong -- it's later found that HIV hides in dormant cells -- but U.S. AIDS deaths decline by more than 40%.
Dr Ho1998-2000
Awareness grows that HAART has serious side effects. Treatment failures underscore the need for newer, more powerful AIDS drugs. In the ensuing years, the FDA approves new classes of drugs that make HIV treatment safer, easier, and more effective. But the drugs still do not cure.
2001-2002
* UN Secretary General Kofi Annan proposes the Global Fund for AIDS to extend AIDS treatment -- still totally unavailable to the vast majority of people living with AIDS. Only 1% of the 4.1 million sub-Saharan Africans with HIV receive anti-HIV drugs.
* AIDS becomes the leading cause of death worldwide for people aged 15 to 59.
2003-2005
* There is an HIV outbreak in the California porn industry.
* President Bush announces the $15 billion President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The prevention portion of the plan is criticized for over-emphasis on abstinence. But the plan provides much-needed AIDS-treatment funds to 15 nations.
2006-2007
* HIV treatment is shown to extend life by 24 years, at a cost of $618,900.
* Merck's AIDS vaccine fails in clinical trials -- the latest in a long line of vaccine failures. However, new candidate vaccines continue to move through the development pipeline.
* UNAIDS recommends adult circumcision after it's found to halve AIDS transmission from women to men in regions of high prevalence.
2008
* The CDC says improved surveillance shows AIDS in America is worse than we'd thought: 1.1 million infected, up 11% from 2003.
* New HIV infection rates soar among men who have sex with men.
HIV infections go way up in young gay men, especially young African Americans
2008
* Luc Montagnier and Francoise Barre-Sinoussi awarded Nobel Prize in medicine for discovery of HIV.
* Of the 33 million people now living with HIV, 3 million are getting treatment. That's less than a third of those who need immediate treatment. Yet for the first time, global AIDS deaths decline.
A Synopsis Of AIDS and its Management
Adapted From Work Of Medical Author : Eric S. Daar, MD
1.When was HIV discovered and how is it diagnosed?
2. How is HIV spread (transmitted)?
3. What happens after an exposure to the blood or genital secretions of an HIV- infected person?
4. What laboratory tests are used to monitor HIV-infected people?
5. What are the key principles in managing HIV infection?.
6. Factors to consider before starting antiviral therapy.
7. When to start antiviral therapy
8.Initial therapy for HIV
9.What about treatment for HIV during pregnancy?
10.What about treating people exposed to the blood or genital secretions of an HIV-infected person?
11.What can be done for people who have severe immunosuppression?
12. What is in the future for HIV-infected individuals and for those at risk to contract HIV?
1.When was HIV discovered and how is it diagnosed?
In 1981, homosexual men with symptoms of a disease that now are considered typical of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were first described in Los Angeles and New York. The men had an unusual type of lung infection (pneumonia) called Pneumocystis carinii (now known as Pneumocystis jiroveci) pneumonia (PCP) and rare skin tumors called Kaposi's sarcoma. The patients were noted to have a severe reduction of a type of cell in the blood that is an important part of the immune system, called CD4 cells. These cells, often referred to as T cells, help the body fight infections. Shortly thereafter, this disease was recognized throughout the United States, Western Europe, and Africa. In 1983, researchers in the United States and France described the virus that causes AIDS, now known as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and belonging to the group of viruses called retroviruses. In 1985, a blood test became available that measures antibodies to HIV that are the body's immune response to the HIV. This blood test remains the best method for diagnosing HIV infection. Recently, tests have become available to look for these same antibodies in the saliva and urine, and some can provide results within 20 minutes of testing.
2.How is HIV spread (transmitted)?
HIV is present in the blood and genital secretions of virtually all individuals infected with HIV, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. The spread of HIV can occur when these secretions come in contact with tissues such as those lining the vagina, anal area, mouth, or eyes (the mucus membranes), or with a break in the skin, such as from a cut or puncture by a needle. The most common ways in which HIV is spreading throughout the world include sexual contact, sharing needles, and by transmission from infected mothers to their newborns during pregnancy, labor (the delivery process), or breast-feeding. (See the section below on treatment during pregnancy for a discussion on reducing the risk of transmission to the newborn.)
Sexual transmission of HIV has been described from men to men, men to women, women to men, and women to women through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. The best way to avoid sexual transmission is abstinence from sex until it is certain that both partners in a monogamous relationship are not HIV-infected. Because the HIV antibody test can take up to 6 months to turn positive, both partners would need to test negative 6 months after their last potential exposure to HIV. If abstinence is out of the question, the next best method is the use of latex barriers. This involves placing a condom on the penis as soon as an erection is achieved in order to avoid exposure to pre-ejaculatory and ejaculatory fluids that contain infectious HIV. For oral sex, condoms should be used for fellatio (oral contact with the penis) and latex barriers (dental dams) for cunnilingus (oral contact with the vaginal area). A dental dam is any piece of latex that prevents vaginal secretions from coming in direct contact with the mouth. Although such dams occasionally can be purchased, they are most often created by cutting a square piece of latex from a condom.
The spread of HIV by exposure to infected blood usually results from sharing needles, as in those used for illicit drugs. HIV also can be spread by sharing needles for anabolic steroids to increase muscle, tattooing, and body piercing. To prevent the spread of HIV, as well as other diseases including hepatitis, needles should never be shared. At the beginning of the HIV epidemic, many individuals acquired HIV infection from blood transfusions or blood products, such as those used for hemophiliacs. Currently, however, because blood is tested for antibodies to HIV before transfusion, the risk of acquiring HIV from a blood transfusion in the United States is extremely small and is considered insignificant.
There is little evidence that HIV can be transferred by casual exposure, as might occur in a household setting. For example, unless there are open sores or blood in the mouth, kissing is generally considered not to be a risk factor for transmitting HIV. This is because saliva, in contrast to genital secretions, has been shown to contain very little HIV. Still, theoretical risks are associated with the sharing of toothbrushes and shaving razors because they can cause bleeding, and blood contains large amounts of HIV. Consequently, these items should not be shared with infected persons. Similarly, without sexual exposure or direct contact with blood, there is little if any risk of HIV contagion in the workplace or classroom.
3.What happens after an exposure to the blood or genital secretions of an HIV- infected person?
The risk of HIV transmission occurring after any potential exposure to bodily fluids is poorly defined. The highest risk sexual activity, however, is thought to be anal intercourse without a condom. In this case, the risk of infection may be as high as 3% to 5% for each exposure. The risk is probably less for vaginal intercourse without a condom and even less for oral sex without a latex barrier. Despite the fact that no single sexual exposure carries a high risk of contagion, HIV infection can occur after even one sexual event. Thus, people must always be diligent in protecting themselves from potential infection.
Within 2 to 6 weeks of an exposure, the majority of infected persons will have a positive HIV antibody test, with virtually all being positive by 6 months. The test used most commonly for diagnosing infection with HIV is referred to as an ELISA. If the ELISA finds the HIV antibody, the presence of the antibody is confirmed by a test called a Western blot. During this period of time shortly after infection, more than 50% of those infected will experience a "flu-like" or "infectious mono-like" illness for up to several weeks. This illness is considered the stage of primary HIV infection. The most common symptoms of primary HIV infection are:
* fever
* aching muscles and joints
* sore throat, and;
* swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck.
It is not known, however, why only some HIV-infected persons develop these symptoms. It also is unknown whether or not having the symptoms is related in any way to the future course of HIV disease. Regardless, infected persons will become symptom-free (asymptomatic) after this phase of primary infection. During the asymptomatic phase, infected individuals will know whether or not they are infected only if a test for HIV is done. Therefore, anyone who might possibly have been exposed to HIV should seek testing even if they are not experiencing symptoms. HIV testing can be performed by a physician or at a testing center.
During the asymptomatic stage of infection, literally billions of HIV particles (copies) are produced every day and circulate in the blood. This production of virus is associated with a decline (at an inconsistent rate) in the number of CD4 cells in the blood over the ensuing years. Although the precise mechanism by which HIV infection results in CD4 cell decline is not known, it probably results from a direct effect of the virus on the cell as well as the body's attempt to clear these infected cells from the system. In addition to virus in the blood, there is also virus throughout the body, especially in the lymph nodes, brain, and genital secretions. The time from HIV infection to the development of AIDS varies. Some people develop symptoms, signaling the complications of HIV that define AIDS, within 1 year of infection. Others, however, remain completely asymptomatic after as many as 20 years. The average time for progression from initial infection to AIDS is 8 to10 years. The reason why different people experience clinical progression of HIV at different rates remains an area of active research.
4.What laboratory tests are used to monitor HIV-infected people?
Two blood tests are routinely used to monitor HIV-infected people. One of these tests, which counts the number of CD4 cells, assesses the status of the immune system. The other test, which determines the so-called viral load, directly measures the amount of virus.
In individuals not infected with HIV, the CD4 count in the blood is normally above 500 cells per cubic milliliter (mm3) of blood. HIV-infected people generally do not become at risk for complications until their CD4 cells are fewer than 200 cells per mm3. At this level of CD4 cells, the immune system does not function adequately and is considered suppressed. Patients who have this CD4 count (fewer than 200 cells per mm3) are referred to as being immunosuppressed. A declining number of CD4 cells means that the HIV disease is advancing. Thus, a low CD4 cell count signals that the person is at risk for one of the many unusual infections (the so-called opportunistic infections) that occur in individuals who are immunosuppressed. In addition, the actual CD4 cell count indicates which specific therapies should be initiated to prevent those infections.
The viral load predicts whether or not the CD4 cells will decline in the coming months. In other words, those persons with high viral loads are more likely to experience a decline in CD4 cells and progression of disease than those with lower viral loads. Therefore, knowing the amount of virus can be used to predict the development of the disease. The viral load also is a vital tool for monitoring the effectiveness of new therapies and determining when drugs stop working. Thus, the viral load will decrease within weeks of initiating an effective antiviral regimen. If a combination of drugs is very potent, the number of HIV copies in the blood will decrease by as much as 100-fold, such as from 100,000 to 1,000 copies per mL of blood in the first 2 weeks and gradually decrease even further during the ensuing 12 to 24 weeks. Moreover, it has become increasingly clear that the greater the decline of the viral load after beginning therapy, the longer it will remain suppressed. The ultimate goal is to get viral loads to below the limits of detection by standard assays, usually less than 50 or 75 copies per mL of blood. When viral loads are reduced to these low levels, it is believed that the viral suppression may persist for many years.
Drug resistance testing also has become a key tool in the management of HIV-infected individuals. Details of these tests will be discussed later. Clearly, resistance testing is now routinely used in individuals experiencing poor responses to HIV therapy or treatment failure. In general, a poor response to initial treatment would include individuals who fail to experience a decline in viral load of approximately 100-fold in the first 8 weeks, have a viral load of greater than 500 copies per mL by week 12, or have levels greater than 50 or 75 copies per mL by week 24. Treatment failure would generally be defined as an increase in viral load after an initial decline in a person who is believed to be consistently taking his or her medications. More recent guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) (www.hivatis.org) and International AIDS Society-USA (IAS-USA) have suggested that resistance testing be considered in individuals who have never been on therapy, particularly in the first months or even years of infection, to determine if they might have acquired HIV that is resistant to drugs. In fact, the most recent DHHS guidelines (May 4, 2006) formally recommend such testing be performed in all individuals starting therapy for the first time.
5.What are the key principles in managing HIV infection?
First of all, there is no evidence that people infected with HIV can be cured by the currently available therapies. In fact, individuals who are treated for up to three years and are repeatedly found to have no virus in their blood experience a prompt rebound increase in the number of viral particles when therapy is discontinued. Consequently, the decision to start therapy must balance the risk of an individual advancing to the stage of symptomatic disease against the risks associated with therapy. The risks of therapy include the short and long-term side effects of the drugs, described in subsequent sections, as well as the possibility that the virus will become resistant to therapy. This resistance then limits the options for future treatment.
A major reason that resistance develops is the patient's failure to correctly follow the prescribed treatment, for example, by not taking the medications at the correct time. In addition, the likelihood of suppressing the virus to undetectable levels is not as good for patients with lower CD4 cell counts and higher viral loads. Finally, if virus remains detectable on any given regimen, resistance eventually will develop. Indeed, with certain drugs, resistance may develop in a matter of weeks, such as with lamivudine (EpivirTM, 3TC), emtricitabine (EmtrivaTM, FTC) and the drugs in the class of nonnucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) such as nevirapine (ViramuneTM, NVP), delavirdine (RescriptorTM, DLV), and efavirenz (SustivaTM, EFV). Thus, if these drugs are used as part of a combination of drugs that does not suppress the viral load to undetectable levels, resistance will develop rapidly and the treatment will be ineffective. In contrast, HIV becomes resistant to certain other drugs, such as zidovudine (RetrovirTM, AZT), stavudine (ZeritTM, D4T), and protease inhibitors (PIs), over months. In fact, for some PIs whose effects are enhanced by giving them in combination with the PI, ritonavir (NorvirTM, RTV) to prevent their clearance by the body, resistance appears to be markedly delayed. These drugs are discussed in more detail in subsequent sections, but it is important to note that when resistance develops to one drug, it often results in resistance to other related drugs, so called cross-resistance. Nevertheless, HIV-infected individuals must realize that antiviral therapy can be very effective. This is the case even in those who have a low CD4 cell count and advanced disease, as long as drug resistance has not developed.
6.Factors to consider before starting antiviral therapy
One of the most controversial areas in the management of HIV disease is deciding the best time to start antiviral treatment. Clearly, therapy during the mildly symptomatic stage of the disease delays its progression to AIDS, and treating individuals with AIDS postpones death. Consequently, most experts agree that patients who have experienced complications of HIV disease, such as oral thrush (yeast infection in the mouth), chronic unexplained diarrhea, fevers, weight loss, opportunistic infections, or dementia (for example, forgetfulness) should be started on antiviral treatment even if the symptoms are mild. In patients who do not have symptoms, however, there is more uncertainty. Most recommendations for this group are based on the predictors of clinical progression, such as the number of CD4 cells and the viral load. Thus, several studies have demonstrated an increased risk of disease advancement in individuals with a CD4 cell count of less than 200 to 350 cells per mm3. Similarly, those with elevated viral loads, regardless of the CD4 cell count, are at increased risk for disease progression. Debate continues, however, regarding the best threshold level at which to set the viral load to trigger the beginning of drug treatment. In fact, it is likely that there will never be a proper study to answer this question. Therefore, the decision as to when to start treatment continues to be individualized, balancing the known benefits of therapy versus the risks, such as toxicity and the potential development of drug resistance. One can envision that as treatments become easier to take, better tolerated, and increasingly effective, that therapy will begin to be started earlier in the course of infection.
7. When to start antiviral therapy
Guidelines for starting antiviral therapy have been proposed by panels of experts from the DHHS and the IAS.- They recommend treating all patients who have symptoms and those who have CD4 cell counts of less than 200, and, perhaps, 350 cells per mm3 or in those with higher viral loads. Of late, there has been a trend towards focusing more on CD4 cell counts than viral loads in making the decision as to when therapy should be started in asymptomatic individuals. The DHHS guidelines have suggested that therapy be considered even in those with higher CD4 cell counts if viral load is greater than 100,000 copies per mL, or, at least, that CD4 cell counts be followed more closely in this group. The IAS-USA guidelines have tended to use a viral load cutoff for considering therapy in asymptomatic individuals with CD4 cells greater than 100,000 copies per mL. However, it should be kept in mind that the risk of developing short- and long-term toxicity from treatment, and the problem with getting patients to adhere to treatment, are major limitations of therapy that need to be considered before treatment is initiated in order to optimize the chances of success and to avoid the development of drug resistance. Other authorities, therefore, have proposed delaying therapy until the viral load is even higher. Regardless, all agree that HIV is a slowly progressive disease, and therapy rarely needs to be started abruptly. Therefore, there usually is time for each patient to carefully consider options prior to starting treatment.
Before starting treatment, patients must be aware of the short and long-term side effects of the drugs, including the fact that some long-term complications may not be known. The patients also need to realize that therapy is a long-term commitment and requires an extraordinary level of adherence to the regimen of drugs. In addition, clinicians and patients should recognize that depression, feelings of isolation, substance abuse, and side effects of the antiviral drugs can all be associated with the failure to follow the treatment program.
8.Initial therapy for HIV
Guidelines for using antiviral therapy have been developed and are updated on a regular basis by an expert panel assembled by the DHHS and the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation and the IAS-USA Panels. The DHHS guidelines are only one of several developed to provide recommendations for the treatment of HIV disease (www.hivatis.org). The most recent IAS-USA Guidelines were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in the summer of 2004.
Antiviral treatment options have primarily included combinations of 2 nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), often referred to as "nucs," and 1 PI. In addition, together with 2 NRTIs, several combinations of 2 PIs have been used instead of a single PI because these regimens are easier to follow and/or have fewer side effects. Alternative preferred regimens include NRTIs with NNRTIs, often called "non-nucs." These NNRTI-containing combinations generally are easier to take than PI-containing combinations and tend to have different side-effects. Although there has been a great deal of interest in the possibility of using an all NRTI regimen, usually as 3 drugs from this class in combination, studies show that, at best, they are less potent than other treatment options. In addition, there are some triple NRTI combinations that have been shown not to be effective and that should be avoided, such as the nucleotide analogue RTI tenofovir (VireadTM, TDF) with 3TC and abacavir (ZiagenTM, ABC) and TDF, didanosine (VidexTM, ddI) and ABC. Results using combinations of 4 NRTIs are limited at this time.
9.What about treatment for HIV during pregnancy?
One of the greatest advances in the management of HIV infection has been in pregnant women. Prior to antiviral therapy, the risk of HIV transmission from an infected mother to her newborn was approximately 25-35%. The first major advance in this area came with studies giving ZDV after the first trimester of pregnancy, then intravenously during the delivery process, and then after delivery to the newborn for 6 weeks. This treatment showed a reduction in the risk of transmission to less than 10%. Although less data are available with more potent drug combinations, clinical experience suggests that the risk of transmission may be reduced to less than 5%. Current recommendations are to advise HIV-infected pregnant women regarding both the unknown side effects of antiviral therapy on the fetus, and the promising clinical experience with potent therapy in preventing transmission. In the final analysis, however, pregnant women with HIV should be treated essentially the same as non-pregnant women with HIV. Exceptions would be during the first trimester, where therapy remains controversial, and avoiding certain drugs that may cause greater concern for fetal toxicity, such as EFV.
All HIV-infected pregnant women should be managed by an obstetrician with experience in dealing with HIV-infected women. Maximal obstetric precautions to minimize transmission of the HIV virus such as avoiding scalp monitors, and minimizing labor after rupture of the uterine membranes. In addition, the potential use of an elective Caesarean section (C- section) should be discussed, particularly in those women without good viral control of their HIV infection where the risk of transmission may be increased. Breastfeeding should be avoided if alternative nutrition for the infant is available since HIV transmission can occur by this route. Despite the reduced risk of transmission associated with antiviral therapy, pregnant women with HIV need to be thoroughly counseled regarding all risks, as well as all options, including therapeutic abortions when appropriate. Updated guidelines for managing HIV-infected women are updated on a regular basis and can be found at www.hivatis.org.
10.What about treating people exposed to the blood or genital secretions of an HIV-infected person?
Recently, a great deal of interest has focused on preventing transmission to uninfected persons that are inadvertently exposed by the early administration of antiviral therapy. Because the risk of infection after most isolated exposures is relatively small, generally less than 5%, formal studies are difficult to perform. Animal studies and some human experience, however, suggest that post-exposure treatment may be effective. In fact, the current recommendation is that health care workers who experience a needlestick from an infected person take antiviral medication for 4 weeks in order to reduce the risk of infection. Extending that recommendation, many physicians have proposed similar preventive treatment for people with sexual exposures to HIV. Those individuals considering this type of preventative treatment must be aware that post-exposure treatment cannot be relied upon to prevent HIV infection. Second, such treatment is not always available at the time most needed and is probably best restricted to unusual and unexpected exposures, such as a broken condom during intercourse. Third, although regimens with 2 or 3 drugs generally are recommended for those exposed in the healthcare setting, the best therapy for sexual exposure still is unknown. Fourth, therapy probably will be most effective if started within the first 2 hours after an exposure. And finally, a 4-week supply of a three-drug combination of antiviral drugs costs approximately $1000 and generally is not covered by insurance. Updated guidelines are published and available at www.hivatis.org.
11.What can be done for people who have severe immunosuppression?
Although one goal of antiviral therapy is to prevent the development of immune suppression, some individuals are already immunosuppressed when they first seek medical care. In addition, others may progress to that stage as a result of resistance to antiviral drugs. Nevertheless, every effort must be made to optimize antiviral therapy in these patients. In addition, certain specific antibiotics should be initiated, depending on the number of CD4 cells, to prevent the complications (that is, the opportunistic infections) that are associated with HIV immunosuppression. Guidelines for the prevention of opportunistic infections can be found at www.hivatis.org.
In summary, patients with a CD4 cell count of less than 200 should receive preventative treatment against Pneumocystis carinii (the opportunistic bacteria that causes pneumonia and is now known as Pneumocystis jiroveci) with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (BactrimTM, SeptraTM), given once daily or three times weekly. If they are intolerant to that drug, patients can be treated with an alternative drug such as dapsone, or atovaquone (MepronTM). Those patients with a CD4 cell count of less than 100 who also have evidence of past infection with Toxoplasma gondii, which is usually determined by the presence of toxoplasma antibodies in the blood, should receive trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Toxoplasmosis is an opportunistic parasitic disease that affects the brain and liver. If a person is using dapsone to prevent Pneumocystis carinii (P. jiroveci), pyrimethamine and leucovorin can be added once a week to their regimen to prevent toxoplasmosis. Finally, patients with a CD4 cell count of less than 50 should receive preventive treatment for Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection with weekly azithromycin (ZithromaxTM), or as an alternative, twice daily clarithromycin (BiaxinTM) or mycobutin (RifabutinTM). MAC is an opportunistic bacterium that causes infection throughout the body.
12.What is in the future for HIV-infected individuals and for those at risk to contract HIV?
Trends continue towards simplifying drug regimens to improve adherence and decrease side effects. In addition, many new drugs are being developed. These new drugs are in both the currently available classes of anti-HIV medications as well as in new classes of drugs, such as those that block the virus from entering cells or from incorporating itself into the human genetic material. Both of these actions prevent the virus from duplicating itself, thereby inhibiting an increase in the viral load. Perhaps even more importantly, researchers are attempting to enhance the body's natural defenses against HIV in order to control viral growth. An example of this approach is the use of an HIV vaccine, with or without antiviral therapy. Also, innovative studies are underway to try to purge or eliminate the HIV from the body. The rationale for purging is to allow for the withdrawal of therapy without a rebound increase in the number of viral particles in the blood. For example, drugs have been developed to stimulate HIV-infected CD4 cells, which then would be expected to undergo viral or immune self-destruction. Although all of this research is exciting and promising, the reality is that in the near future, patients will need to remain on antiviral therapy.
The good news is that the development of antiviral therapy has led to a marked decline in AIDS-related deaths in many parts of the world. The majority of infected individuals, however, do not have access to the expensive antiviral medications. Accordingly, the best hope for limiting the current epidemic of HIV around the world remains an effective vaccine. Unfortunately, despite increasing research in this area, the development of a vaccine continues to lag far behind the progress that has been made in antiviral therapy.
Updated guidelines for managing HIV-infected women are updated on a regular basis and can be found at www.hivatis.org.
Read More “ACQUIRED INFORMATION DEFICIENCY SICKNESS (a.i.d.s)” »»
KADAR KES BARU AIDS KALANGAN WANITA 16 PERATUS
Laporan terbaru yang dikeluarkan oleh Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia bersama UNICEF (Tabung Kanak-kanak Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu) mendedahkan bahawa pola kes baru jangkitan HIV di kalangan wanita meningkat dari 1.2% pada tahun 1990 ke 16% pada 2007. Dulu, setiap 86 kes positif bagi HIV, hanya seorang melibatkan wanita. Ini bermakna kebanyakan mereka yang disahkan positif boleh diandaikan sebagai penagih dadah atau mengamalkan hubungan homoseks (gay). Kini statistiknya ialah setiap 6 orang yang positif HIV, seorang darinya ialah wanita. Seramai 12 orang rakyat Malaysia yang diuji darahnya positif untuk HIV pada setiap hari.Yang paling memeranjatkan ialah laporan ini menyebut bahawa pola jangkitan di kalangan wanita Malaysia ialah melalui hubungan kelamin antara lelaki dan perempuan.
Malaysia diramalkan mempunyai 300.000 orang penduduk yang bermasalah dengan HIV pada tahun 2015 menurut Datuk Dr Hassan Abdul Rahman, Pengarah Bhg Kawalan Penyakit Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia.
Menurut Datuk Seri Tunku Puteri Safinaz, Presiden Yayasan Sultanah Bahiyah, pada tahun 2007, lebih ramai suri rumah didapati positif bagi HIV berbanding dengan pelacur dan GRO (pekerja seks).
Kesimpulan:
1. Mungkin lebih ramai suri rumah yang sedar tentang bahaya HIV maka mungkin lebih ramai lagi yang pergi menjalani ujian darah. Maka lebih ramailah yang dikesan positif HIV pada tahun 2007 berbanding tahun 1990.
2. Suri rumah mungkin dijangkiti HIV melalui aktiviti suami yang tak bermoral seperti aktiviti "makan luar" di lorong gelap atau di sempadan negara dan sebagainya.
3. Mungkin fenomena masyarakat kini yang kerap bertukar pasangan melalui kahwin-cerai-kahwin lain menjadi faktor penyumbang kadar HIV yang tinggi di kalangan suri rumah.
4. Ada pihak-pihak yang menuduh amalan poligami di kalangan umat Islam penyebab kadar HIV yang tinggi pada suri rumah. Tuduhan ini perlu kajian dengan melihat profil agama suri rumah yang terlibat dengan HIV dan bertanyakan tentang sejarah perkahwinan mereka.
5. Terdapat laporan yang menyatakan bahawa amalan "anal intercourse" penyumbang statistik kenapa suri rumah terlibat dengan HIV. Sila lihat [SINI]
*'More housewives get HIV than sex workers'
sun2surf
* M'sia May Have 300,000 HIV Positive Patients In 2015
Bernama
'More housewives get HIV than sex workers'
by Karen Arukesamy
sun2surf
KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 5, 2008): With an average of 12 Malaysians testing positive for HIV each day, Malaysia has one of the fastest growing AIDS epidemics in the East Asia and Pacific region.
What is more worrying is that the trend is gaining a feminine face, mainly through heterosexual transmission.
A new report released by the Health Ministry and United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) yesterday revealed that the trend of new HIV infections amongst women rose drastically to 16% in 2007 from 1.2% of total new cases in 1990.
“The proportion of women reported with HIV has increased dramatically in the last decade. In 1990, only one in every 86 new HIV infections was amongst women and girls,” Sultanah Bahiyah Foundation chairperson Datuk Seri Tunku Puteri Safinaz said at the launch of the Women and Girls Confronting HIV and AIDS in Malaysia 2008 report.
However, she said, as of December 2007, it was one in six new infections.
“Shockingly, surveys show that in 2006 more housewives tested HIV-positive than sex workers,” Tunku Puteri Safinaz said, adding that there are thousands of children living in homes shadowed by HIV.
The results are a cause for concern as the vulnerability of women and children to HIV are directly linked.
She said for families affected by HIV and AIDS, the disease itself does not have so much impact as it can be kept under control for many years with effective treatment.
“The biggest impact comes from stigma. Mothers whose families are affected by HIV and AIDS are most frightened by the reactions from friends, extended family, colleagues and their communities,” she said, citing the case of a shopkeeper in Kedah who refused to allow a woman with HIV to enter his shop.
She said fear of AIDS could hurt the patients more than the disease.
Stigma can cause a person to be ostracised by friends and family. It can even cause a HIV-positive husband to disallow his wife to be tested, she said.
“Stigma can cause a woman to be so ashamed that she does not seek treatment – meaning an early death and young innocent child left without a mother.”
Tunku Puteri Safinaz said it can also cause the children to be shunned by their teachers and friends because they are infected.
Unicef representative in Malaysia Youssouf Oomar said empowering and encouraging women to be leaders in any HIV response must be the strategy of the future.
“Malaysia must ensure that gender equality and empowerment of women go hand-in-hand with HIV and AIDS prevention and care programmes,” he said.
“We need to get more women involved and get them to work together to get their voices heard.”
He said the level of awareness amongst housewives in Malaysia is not enough to create consciousness.
“The fact that there are more housewives infected with HIV than sex workers is a serious cause of concern. There should be more serious education in learning institutions where students can bring home the knowledge,” he said.
M'sia May Have 300,000 HIV Positive Patients In 2015
Bernama
Malaysia may have 300,000 people affected by HIV by 2015, said Datuk Dr Hassan Abdul Rahman, the Director of the Disease Control Divison of the Health Ministry.
To combat this epidemic, the government has committed RM500 million to implement the National Strategic Plan on AIDS and the Harm Reduction programme between 2006 and 2010, he said at the launch of a Health Ministry and UNICEF Report 2008 entitled, "Women and Girls Confronting HIV and AIDS in Malaysia" here today in conjunction with the 'Special World AIDS Day 2008'.
The National Strategic Plan on AIDS involves various government and non-government bodies as well as international agencies such as UNICEF.
Dato' Seri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz, the daughter of the Sultan of Kedah, who officially launched the event, said the trend of new HIV infections occurring among women in the country had risen alarmingly from 1.2 per cent of total new cases in 1990 to 16 per cent in December 2007.
She said reducing the impact of HIV required that the needs and issues of women be addressed at various levels.
A multisectoral approach combining the political will and resources of government agenices, private sector, non-government organisations and faith-based organisations was required to tackle the underlying issues, said Tunku Puteri Intan Shafinaz.
She said there was a need to reverse the underlying socioeconomic factors that contributed to women's HIV risks, such as gender inequality, poverty, lack of economic and educational opportunity, and the lack of legal and human rights protection.
In a survey conducted in 2006, she said more housewives were tested HIV-positive than sex workers, which could have occurred through heterosexual sex.
This was a cause of concern as the vulnerability of women and children to HIV were directly linked to each other, she added.
Tunku Puteri Intan Shafinaz said for families affected by HIV and AIDS, the impact of stigma could be bigger than the disease itself.
Such a stigma could cause a person to be ostracised by friends and neighbours, and a child to be shunned by teachers and school friends because they were HIV positive, she said.
Youssouf Oomar, UNICEF's representative to Malaysia, said the increasing feminisation of HIV in Malaysia was more than just an issue of preventing or controlling spread of the virus as it required greater understanding and response to the vulnerabilities and risks related to gender discrimination and inequality, cultural and religious norms and economics.
PENYAKIT BERJANGKIT DI MALAYSIA PADA 2006
Di atas adalah paparan dari laman web Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) tentang kadar penyakit berjangkit dan kadar kematian per 100,000 penduduk dalam tahun 2006. Jadual di atas di susun menurut abjad dan bukan mengikut urutan kadar insiden dan kematian. Kadar insiden berlakunya penyakit per 100,000 penduduk ialah:
Jenis Penyakit .. Kadar berlaku setiap.. Kadar Kematian
........................ 100,000 penduduk
1. Demam Dengue .. 64.37 .. 0.01
2.Tuberculosis (TB).. 62.56 .. 5.37
3.Keracunan
Makanan .. 26.04 .. 0.00
4. HIV (semua
jenis) .. 21.88 .. 1.43
5. Malaria .. 19.87 .. 0.08
6. Penyakit Tangan
Kaki & Mulut (HFMD) 19.30 ..0.02
7. Hepatitis Virus
(viral hepatitis) .. 9.37 .. 0.18
8. AIDS (semua
jenis) .. 6.91 .. 3.66
Berdarah (DHF) .. 4.10 .. 0.25
10. Siflis (semua jenis) .. 3.06 .. 0.01
Daripada statistik di atas agak jelas kepada kita bahawa wujud dua (2) kumpulan besar penyakit berjangkit yang kadar berlaku (insiden) di Malaysia begitu tinggi iaitu yang merebak melalui nyamuk dan satu lagi penyakit yang merebak melalui hubungan jenis (seksual). Secara umumnya penyakit bawaan vektor nyamuk ialah Demam dengue (DF), Demam Dengue Berdarah (DHF) dan malaria. Ketiga jenis penyakit ini boleh dicegah dan kos penyakit ini kepada individu, masyarakat dan ekonomi negara boleh dikurangkan.
Kumpulan penyakit berjangkit kedua ialah penyakit yang merebak melalui lazimnya hubungan seks rambang dan perkongsian jarum suntikan iaitu AIDS, HIV, siflis , gonorrhea dan hepatitis B. Penyakit-penyakit ini boleh dikategorikan penyakit gaya hidup sama ada gaya hidup bebas, mujur lalu melintang patah, pantang jumpa, apa dapat semua kebas, siapa aku nak pekena malam ini, siapa aku nak tiduri dinihari ni dan sebagainya. Memang tidak dapat dinafikan ada individu berpenyakit AIDS, HIV, hepatitis B dan siflis yang bukan salah mereka. Sebagai contohnya, kesilapan teknikal semasa pemindahan darah, pencemaran pada produk darah dan lain-lain tetapi kes sebegini amat rendah kadarnya. Ini memang dah nasib malang.
Kebanyakan kes seks rambang berlaku suka sama suka setelah berjumpa di pub, di disko, di karaoke, di parti dan seumpamanya. Tak kira hubungan homoseks, heteroseks atau biseks. Bujukan, rangsangan dan tarikan "persekitaran" yang mencabar "iman" muda mudi "memaksa" mereka mencuba (eksperimen) atau terpedaya, bergantung dari sudut mana kita lihat. Mungkin ada muda mudi yang jahil tentang AIDS atau siflis/gonorrhea, lantas menjadi mangsa keadaan. Bila dah kena, nak balik ke pangkal jalan amatlah sukar. " Jika menyeluk pekasam biar sampai ke pangkal lengan" mungkin motto hidup mereka. Adakah Sufiah, anak Malaysia yang cerdas pintar terpaksa jual diri setelah ditipu lelaki atau memang dia seronok dengan gaya hidup begitu. Adakah cara hidup ini SATU LAGI PROJEK BARISAN NASIONAL. Mari kita sama-sama fikirkan. Salah ibu mengandung ke ? Atau salah kerajaan yang memerintah? Atau salah anda sendiri kerana memilih pemimpin yang tak peduli soal moral dan tatasusila?
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