Blog 12- It's almost over

South Beach, I'll see you soon!!! :)

Only a week left before final exam and I can't wait. I started the count down for summer since after Spring Break and it is finally...close. It's not here yet but it is so close that I can smell South Beach and the good night sleep awaiting me.
This semester was a very challenging one for me, especially for this class. I can never seem to catch a break with the assignments. I love the class but wasn't a fan of all the works.
But overall, I've learn alot and I can honestly say that I appreciated my health much more than before. Life is too preciuos and I want to treat it as such not only by protecti ng myself sexually but I am also eating healthy and take my exercises routines more seriously.
I am thankful for being able to read and interract with some of the students in the class. I hope everyone enjoyed the class like I did and hopefully will pass it with a satisfying grade.
Good Luck to you all and Have a great summer vacation!!!!

Did You Know!!!!
Mystery 4: Some HIV positive people Never Get AIDS Disease
"A Many people, known as Long Term Non-Progressors, have been HIV positive for over a decade, have not taken therapy, yet have still not got sick with AIDS. These people, along with the long latency period in others, are living evidence that something apart from HIV is needed" (http://aras.ab.ca/mnm.pdf) .

According to Munoz et al, " we presdict that approximately 13% of homosexual/bisexual men infected at a young age may remain so for > 20 years. Since studies have not followed individuals for such periods, long-term survivors must be characterized using stability of immunologic markers. In a cohort of 1,809 seropositive men followed since 1984-85, 15% (187/1,214) of those with at least two consecutive visits early in the study showed no decline in CD4+ cell count. From these, 67 men with long follow-up and no use of zidovudine were identified as cases to investigate correlates of protection against HIV-1-induced immunodepletion" (Munoz el al, 1995).

http://aras.ab.ca/mnm.pdf

Munoz el al. ( 1995, April 15). Long-term survivors with HIV-1 infection: incubation period and longitudinal patterns of CD4+ lymphocytes. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7697447

Blog 11- Just a couple weeks left!!!!

There is only a couple weeks left before final and I am trill that this semester is almost over. I am praying to God that I make it through. I don't think I can take one more month of this, my brain is working overtime, I might go crazy. I think I did alright in my classes, I am only worrying about this class because so far I am not where I want to be. So, I have to make the last weeks count.

This monday was the first day that I started to carry the HIV egg with me and so far it is not going so good. I only have class monday, wednesday, and Friday, both monday and today my egg had cracked and licked all over my desk. I had to spent the rest of the day smelling like eggs, so after this experiment I don't think I 'll look at eggs the same way again. I only have this friday left to really expose my egg the way I want to and this time I'll boiled it. I didn't have time to boil the egg today so tommorrow night before I go to bed I'll boil it and put it in the frig for Friday. But besides that I had some feedbacks about the HIV eggs. Most people thought that it was funny and laugh, others gave me weird looks like I was crazy or something. Can wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

If I have enough time I might dress up my eggs for the Easter season.... Yayy!!!

DID YOU KNOW!!!!

Myth #2: Women who are HIV positive will definitely spread the disease to their unborn babies.

Fact: If a woman knows that she is HIV positive early in her pregnancy and receives the right treatment, her chances of spreading the virus to her unborn baby are less than 2 percent in the United States. Without treatment, however, this risk increases to approximately 25 percent.

QualityHealth's Medical Advisory Board. (2008, Nov. 20). HIV/AIDS: Myths vs. Reality. Retrieved from http://www.qualityhealth.com/colds-infections-articles/hivaids-myths-vs-reality

Blog 10- Bestiality

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Blog 9- Sistas Organizing to Survive (SOS)

This past week, I couldn't help thinking of my friend by home. Just like last week the rumors are still present but it seems that she is not only HIV positive but pregnant as well. I can't imagine what she must be going through, if the rumors are true. I tried to call her a few times but I was able to reach her. I want to be there for her but how can I be of any help if she does'nt even want me there? Then again it's probably just rumors.

While browsing the web this weekend I came accross this organization known as Sistas Organizing to Survive (SOS)
Sistas Organizing to Survive (SOS) is the grassroots mobilization of black women in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Launched on June 20, 2008, SOS encourages black women living in Florida to get tested where they live, work, play, and worship. Since its launch, eight local SOS conferences have been conducted, 7544 people have taken the online pledge, and over 100,000 black women in Florida were tested in 2010.
The SOS initiative focuses on the following endeavors:

• To educate black women about HIV/AIDS and how other STDs, hepatitis and substance abuse increase their risk.
• To empower black women to take charge of and control their sexual health.
• To connect black women to HIV/AIDS resources.
• To offer tools that enable black women to educate others where they live, work, play, and worship.

	http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wemakethechange.com%2F&h=36625

They have a conference every year and last year conference was in Fort Lauderdale. "The conference is designed to educate women about the impact of HIV/AIDS and develop an
action plan that prevents the further spread of HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases
(STDS) among Black women in Broward County. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss
this issue with doctors, community providers and other health professionals who are experts in the
treatment of and education about HIV/AIDS, STDs, human sexuality, and the provision of mental
health services" (Sistas Organizing to Survive and APA, 2010).

(2010, April 26). Sistas Organizing to Survive (SOS) Education and Empowerment Conference Schedule for Thursday, May 6, 2010. Retreived from http://browardchd.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=4LcYUHAe8Io%3D&tabid=113

Did You Know!!!!

There are people out there who still think that straight people don't get HIV. I am sorry to say but if someone tells me that I'll ask him if he or she have been leaving under a rock for the past decades. I know people don't want to talk about it much but I think they should at least know how common it is and how fast it is spreading. According to the Well Project "The majority of HIV positive people worldwide are heterosexual. Risk is not about labeling people; it is about behavior" (The Well Project and APA, 2010).

The Well Project. (2010, July). Myths about HIV. Retrieved from http://www.thebody.com/content/whatis/art58887.html

Blog 8- What a week!!!

 Ladadee, Haiti- picture taking by Lydie Joseph

THE WEEK AFTER SPRING!!!! Can I say disaster!!!! Good thing I had fun in the cruise. I met a lot interesting people and plenty of vitamin D. I was feeling great until I get back in Orlando last Sunday night and found out that my house lock was change and i had to come up with a grand to get in. The funny part about the story is that security or whoever was in charge made a mistake and evicted the wrong person.  So I had to crash at a friend house that night because the person in charge wasn't in until the next day. Yes, I know life can be so unfair to the innocent.

When I came back from the cruise last weekend, there was a rumor going around that one of my childhood friend is HIV positive. We've lost contact since I've moved to Orlando last year, so I don't know if I should call her and ask or wait until she tells me? I want to be there for her if the rumors are true but I don't want to break the little we have left of our friend if the rumors are false. I am so confused!!!! For right now, I'll just act like I didn't hear anything. It's probably safer.

DID YOU KNOW!!!
Bathing after sex can prevent HIV and Aids!!!
This myth was first emerged in 2006 during the rape trial of South African President Jacob Zuma who stated that he took a bath after he had knowing had unprotected sexual relation with an infected woman.  According to the counselling manager of the National Aids Helpline, Hope Mhlongo, the president's statement created a lot of confusion throughout the nation.
The South African HIV Clinicians Society hopes to reduce the damage by reiterating that:

The most effective protection from HIV that a person can use during sex is the correct and consistent use of condoms;

Showering or bathing will not prevent HIV transmission and in the case of women, douching (washing of the vagina) may even increase the risk of HIV transmission;

Not using safe-sex practices, including the use of a condom when one has multiple sexual partners, shows reckless disregard for your partners' health; and

All South Africans who are sexually active should find out their HIV status regularly. It is taking responsibility for your own health (Green and Gordin, 2006).

Green, J. and Gordin, J. (2006, April 10). Zuma's 'Shower Theory' Causing Confusion. Retreived from http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/zuma-s-shower-theory-causing-confusion-1.273500

Blog 7- Spring Break is Here!!!!!!

Hey Guys,
                I hope everyone is as excited as I am for Sprint Break. Yay!!!! I am counting down the days.  Monday around this time, I'll be on a ship cruising to Labadee, Haiti and Jamaica. I can't wait, I know I'll have a lot of fun. BUT... it also reminded me of the scenario from the QOTW#2. So, I'll minize my drinks to two cups per day instead of my regular six cups.
 
In regard of this week QOTW, I found that "the White House Office of National AIDS Policy's official strategy aims to reduce new infections by 25 percent in five years through better education and screening among higher risk populations, including young people" (HIV: Myths Persist and APA, 2011)."Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia already require schools to provide HIV/AIDS instruction, although these laws vary, according to the Guttmacher Institute" (HIV: Myths Persist and APA, 2011).


DID YOU KNOW!!!!
One-third of all new HIV infections occur in young people between the ages of 13 and 29. And according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll in 2009, nearly 30 percent believed  that HIV is spread through water in a swimming pool or by sharing a drinking glass. "The National AIDS strategy recommends schools improve current education by providing accurate and more age-appropriate information about the biological aspects of the infection. The office promotes programs that cover abstaining, delaying or limiting sexual activity but that also ensure sexually active young people know how to protect themselves" (HIV: Myths Persist and APA, 2011).

HIV: Myths Persist. (2011). State Legislatures, 37(1), 11. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ucf.edu/ehost/detail?hid=122&sid=e7eb5ed9-72d5-495f-a351-a8778742c828%40sessionmgr114&vid=3&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=57429749

Blog 6- What We Fear The Most About HIV.

For my research this week, I came across an article by Tyler J. Helms from his column called "Living the Questions" (Helms, 2011). Tyler Helms is "an award- winning advertising executive, a former TV journalist, and a contributor for the world's leading gay news magazine, The Advocate"(Helms, 2011). It's a great article and I personally think that it is an inspiration for others who are living with the disease. There are certain things that he said in the article that I've, myself, been given a lot of thoughts lately.

One of the things is said is that “there is power in the conversation around HIV/AIDS today, but I have struggled to elaborate beyond that. What message should this conversation be supporting, debating, or developing? What makes this disease so very different from any other illness? Why is it still so hard talk about? How would conversation help? On one hand, HIV is manageable; in its 30 years they have made advancements unlike any other terminal illness of its kind. But on the other hand, there is this huge social stigma, perception, and cloud of preconceived notions that follow even the healthiest HIV-positive person” (Helms, 2011). The researches, the knowledge, and the educations about HIV had progressed since the 1900s, which is good for HIV patients in regards to better treatment and health but what do they do for them socially? Why can’t a HIV-positive person come out publicly and be treated the same? We have come far from where we were in the 1900s, but we are not quite there yet.

He also stated that even though “no longer scared of dying from HIV, we are each in some way scared of living with it” (Helms, 2011).  Oh, that statement really hit the spot. Even though I wouldn’t want to discriminate against someone with HIV, I find out that I wouldn’t want to be them either. Like he put it, I am “Scared of being infected. Scared of being judged. Scared of someone lying about his or her status. Scared of getting sick. Scared of a sex life forever changed. Scared of what my friends may think, for taking a chance on love. Scared of never finding love. Scared of being alone. Scared of a world scared of me” (Helms, 2011).  I am a hypocrite???? I want to help fight the stigma about HIV and AIDS but as long I am not in that position, being a HIV positive.

Helms, T. (2011, Feb. 22). Living The Questions. Retreived from http://www.advocate.com/Health_and_Fitness/Health_and_Treatments/Living_the_Questions_February_23/

DID YOU KNOW

I had the chance to talk to a newlywed woman this week at a hair store and sometime during our conversation the disease HIV came up. She stated " it is impossible for me to get HIV, I've only been with one man I won't contract the disease". I was dumbfounded and she was very serious. I found it ironic because that is one of the myths for HIV. According to the Well Project, so people think they are safe from contracting HIV because they are monogamous. I tried to explain to her that even though she is a faithful wife that doesn’t mean her husband is, and that before her she doesn’t know who her husband has been in sexual contact with. I don’t think she liked my comment very much but she did thank me and we went our separate ways. Some questions need to be considered by everyone who is in any kind of relationship: “Were you tested for HIV before you got into the relationship? Was your partner? Are you sure both tests was negative? Do you spend twenty- four hours a day together?” (The Well Project, 2010).

The Well Project. (2010, July). Myths about HIV. Retrieved from http://www.thebody.com/content/whatis/art58887.html

Blog 5- Criminal transmission of HIV

A couple days ago I was watching a rerun of one of my favorites show Law & Order: SVU, and the episode was about criminalisation of transmitting HIV intentionally to someone else. I found it interesting and did some research about it.
 Many states and countries now allow the prosecution of HIV-positive people for all forms of transmission, including reckless and accidental, and even for exposure where no transmission has taken place (Avert.org, n.d). I found a table from avert.org that summarize some of the arguments for the criminalisation of HIV transmission, and the counter arguments against such legislation:

FOR CRIMINALISATION	AGAINST CRIMINALISATION
If you are HIV positive, failing to use protection is wrong, and people who do wrong should be brought to justice through the law regardless of their health status or background.	Criminalising HIV positive people does not address the complexities involved in disclosure and increases HIV stigma, particularly when positive people being brought to trial are demonised by the press.
Giving someone HIV is akin to murder.	HIV is an unpleasant virus to live with, but it is no longer a death sentence, and with modern antiretroviral drugs, HIV positive people can live a healthy life for many years.
If you are HIV positive, it is your duty to use protection. The idea of 'shared responsibility' is based on ideals that came about when HIV was still a 'gay' illness. With heterosexual relationships, it is not always a practical reality. Many women, even in the West, do not necessarily have the power to force their partners to wear a condom.	The more cases that come to court, the more people will believe that the responsibility for having safe sex should lie solely with positive people. This could in turn lead to more incidents of unprotected intercourse, with people believing it to be a legal responsibility for their partner to disclose any infection. Safe sex should always be a shared concern.
Criminalising people for reckless transmission will act as a deterrent and will make HIV positive people think twice before having unprotected sex.	The law has little effect on people's sexual behaviour, as is clear from the number of teens who have illegal underage sex. Criminalisation of transmission does however enable lovers to use the law as a way of exacting revenge. In such cases, the original HIV positive partner would always be at a natural disadvantage.
To ensure that people don't believe they are immune from prosecution just because they haven't taken an HIV test, it should be possible to call an HIV positive person 'reckless' even if they have never actually had an HIV test - knowledge that they have put themselves at risk in the past should be enough to make them aware of their HIV risk and thus legally obliged to use a condom in the future.	Prosecuting positive people for reckless transmission could well leave many afraid to be tested, believing that if they do find out their status, they could be liable to all sorts of criminal charges. Avoiding this problem by telling people they should be 'aware' of their risk even if they haven't tested for HIV is entirely unfair. It is also impossible to assess or judge how 'aware' of past risk of infection any one person is or should have been.
Putting people in prison will stop them from spreading HIV and endangering the community.	In the short term, this may be true, but imprisonment does nothing to help people come to terms with their HIV and take a safer attitude towards sex. Education and psychological counselling would be a more appropriate course of action in many cases. The sharing of needles for injecting drugs and the high incidence of male rape and sex between men in prisons also mean that HIV transmission is still perfectly possible, even behind bars.
Criminal cases help to uncover and warn lots of HIV positive people who might not otherwise learn their status.	Criminal cases give police licence to investigate the background of anyone they suspect of having passed on HIV. This can represent a serious invasion of privacy as well as a potential breach of confidentiality and anonymity, and it may well be entirely unjustified.
Laws on the transmission of diseases do not necessarily apply just to HIV. Many laws relating to HIV could potentially be used to prevent people spreading many other fatal illnesses.	No other illnesses are treated with the same hysteria as HIV, and few people are ever criminalised for transmitting them. It is for example very unlikely that anyone would think to prosecute an employee of a residential care home for coming into work with the flu and giving it to the residents, even if several of those residents subsequently died. HIV is only singled out in criminal cases because of its association with stigmatised groups and promiscuity.
HIV positive people can easily be divided into legal definitions of "guilty" (people who 'bring HIV upon themselves' and recklessly give it to others) and "innocent" (victims who were infected through no fault of their own, and would never put anyone else at risk).	These categorisations are far from clear cut, and most HIV positive people have at some point in their lives belonged to both. After all, everyone who transmits HIV was once a 'victim' of someone else with the virus.
Vulnerable women who do not have control over their sexual relations will find protection in laws that would prosecute reckless male partners.	Women will face a greater risk of prosecution as they more often know their status through attending health clinics more frequently. A HIV positive man may accuse his female partner of infecting him, because she was diagnosed first, even if he infected her and was not diagnosed until much later.

According to Avert.org:

            As of the end of 2008, 36 states in America had prosecuted HIV positive individuals for criminal transmission or HIV exposure, with many having laws specifically mentioning HIV. Some states punish those convicted of offences such as prostitution or rape more severely if the person knows they have HIV. Spitting or emitting HIV-infected bodily fluids at another person while in prison is also an offence in some states. Failure to disclose one's HIV status to a partner is most often the only necessary basis for prosecution, rather than intent to infect someone else or actual transmission of HIV. At least nine HIV-positive individuals in the US have been sentenced for spitting with sentences ranging from 90 days to 25 years. Samples of the laws are below:

            Alabama – Engaging in activities likely to transmit an STD is a class C misdemeanour.
California – Engaging in uninformed, unprotected sexual activity (exception for consent) with the intent to infect the other person is a felony punishable by up to 8 years in prison.
Colorado – Committing or soliciting prostitution with knowledge of being HIV positive are class 5 and 6 felonies.
Florida – Unlawful for person with HIV, with knowledge both of their infection and risk of sexual transmission, to have sex without disclosure and consent having taken place.
Michigan – It is a felony to engage in sexual penetration, however slight and regardless of whether semen has been emitted, without informing the other of his/her HIV status.
Missouri – It is a class B felony to expose a person to HIV if defendant knowingly acted in a reckless manner without knowledge and consent through oral, anal or vaginal sex. If complainant becomes infected, the charge is a class A felony. The use of a condom is not a defence.
New York – The applicable part of the law is reckless endangerment in the first degree for engaging in ‘conduct which creates a grave risk of death to another person’.
Pennsylvania – The state Superior Court ruled in a 2006 case involving oral sex that HIV positive people who do not disclose their status to their sexual partners can be charged with reckless endangerment. It follows that any kind of unprotected sex without disclosure could be prosecuted.
Texas – HIV transmission cases have been brought to court under aggravated assault laws whereby a person “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly… uses or exhibits a deadly weapon as part of an assault”. Saliva of an HIV infected person is considered a deadly weapon.

Avert.org. (n.d). Criminal Transmission of HIV. Retrieved from http://www.avert.org/criminal-transmission.htm

DID YOU KNOW

"Women who only have sex with women are generally at much lower risk for getting any sexually transmitted disease. But in rare cases, they can still get HIV. One report tells of a lesbian who was infected through sharing sex toys with an HIV-positive woman. Also, some women who consider themselves lesbians occasionally have sex with men, and can get infected that way. Lesbians who use drugs and share needles can get HIV from a needle that has been used by someone who is HIV positive" (The Well Project).

The Well Project. (2010, July). Myths about HIV. Retrieved from http://www.thebody.com/content/whatis/art58887.html

Blog 4- HIV and possible Cure!!!!!

        In Mumbai, India a new discovering, that is more bad than good, was found about the HIV disease while doing a "continuing research about HIV-discordant couples of whom only one partner has the virus"(Lyer, 2011).
       The research was perform by the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH). "The NIRRH is an institute operates under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), located in Patel" (Lyer, 2011). Scientist of the NIRRH "have found in the case of a patient that the genetic sequence of the HIV virus in his blood sample was different from that in his sperm" (Lyer, 2011). The founding is both important and scary because it emphasizes "the disease's instability" (Lyer, 2011). The assistant director of the NIRRH team,Dr Atmaram Bandivdekar, stated that "HIV is so weak that it cannot replicate completely. Hence, its genetic sequence keeps changing as seen from the same patient's blood and semen samples" (Lyer, 2011). He beleives that this consecutive change of the disease is the reason why a cure haven't been found and it can also explain " the full-blown manifestation AIDS" (Lyer, 2011).

        "Bandivdekar said the finding would impact the current practice of allowing HIV-positive men to have their own children using infertility treatment. 'While making a test-tube baby in a laboratory, the sperm of an HIV-positive man is washed. But we have to now study if the sperm-wash is indeed completely safe in not transmitting the virus to the embryo' (lyer, 2011)

Lyer, M. (2011, Feb. 10). City Scientist bring bad news for HIV cure. Retrieved from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/City-scientists-bring-bad-news-for-HIV-cure/articleshow/7464077.cms 

DID YOU KNOW???

I encounter this myth a lot, that HIV can be contracted through tears, sweat, mospuitoes bits, pools, or casual contact. According to the Well project, HIV can only be transmited through infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.

The Well Project. (2010, July). Myths about HIV. Retrieved from http://www.thebody.com/content/whatis/art58887.html

Blog 3- Miss HIV

For this week blog, I want to introduce you all to Miss HIV. Throughout my research this week, I stumble upon a movie about the Miss HIV beauty pageant. I haven’t watched the movie yet but I am planning on it as soon as my order is in. I wanted to share it with the class because I thought it was pretty interesting and it was worth knowing.

       “Miss HIV, a documentary from Ethnographic Media, is a film of an unexpected beauty on a subject that is anything but beautiful - HIV/AIDS and the international struggle of competing HIV/AIDS policies” (Jalsevac, 2008). The movie focuses on unexplained and unanswered question such as ‘"Why, after countless billions of dollars have been spent on HIV/AIDS prevention and cures, is there still no end in sight? Why are millions still dying of a preventable disease? And who is to blame?" (Jalsevac, 2008). The documentary was inspired by the Miss HIV beauty pageant contest Botswana’s capital city, Gaborone.  

The HIV beauty pageant was created out of anger by Basha Mupeli who was fired from her job and humiliated after she was declared HIV positive in 2003(Benjamin, 2009). From an interview made by Benjamin with a 29 years old HIV positive woman name Tshebetso Thobolo, she stated that “The attitude here is that it’s OK to be a man and have this virus but women who are infected are worthless” (2009). “It’s the men we need to reach. If we have to get them here with the promise of beautiful women, then that’s fine. At least they come, and then, while they sit and watch the ladies, they are being educated. I hope they will one day get the message that wearing a condom doesn’t make them less macho” stated Basha (Benjamin, 2009). Every woman who are openly living with HIV in Botswana are invited to audition for the beauty pageant and the goal is to educated the public especially men (Benjamin, 2009). “The final competition includes a catwalk fashion show, dance displays and inspirational speeches by the twelve contestants” (Benjamin, 2009). 

        The documentary was created to “showcase attractive, healthy-looking women who are also HIV-positive in an effort to eradicate "stigma" and raise awareness” (Jalsevac, 2008). “The movie follows two of the Miss HIV contestant on their journey to the Miss HIV catwalk, and places us in the midst of their lives and their families” (Jalsevac, 2008).

"Winner of the Miss HIV Stigma free 2007 contest, Maria Motse (centre) on stage at the end of the competition. Photo by David White" (Benjamin, 2009).

References

Jalsevac, J. (2008, Sep. 5). Miss HIV: A Film To Change How The World Sees HIV/AIDS. Retrieved from http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2008/sep/08090201

Benjamin. (2009, Sep. 5). miss HIV Contest in Botswana. Retrieved from http://www.adevelopingstory.org/2009/miss-hiv-botswana



         

DID YOU KNOW

A common myth about HIV and AIDS is that those who are still virgins are safe from the disease and that it is not necessary to get tested. Well According to The Well Project, "virgin is only a label" and that if one "had oral or anal sex but never genital sex", he or she is at risk (The Well Project, 2010). And besides, sex is not the only way a person can contract HIV, someone can get infected through sharing needdles like tatoos, body piercing, or IV drug use (The Well Project, 2010). And it can be past from mother to child through breast feeding or during delivery (The Well Project, 2010).

The Well Project. (2010, July). Myths about HIV. Retrieved from http://www.thebody.com/content/whatis/art58887.html

Blog 2- How HIV Becomes Aids

Hello everyone,
                          Throughout my research I found  a lot of informations on HIV and AIDS that I thought everyone should know. I found a perfect video that will trace steps by steps how HIV turns into AIDS and some of the stuffus they are saying are actually some of our assignments.

DID YOU KNOW

In Sub-Saharan African the most trusted style of treatment is trough traditinal hearlers. "Traditional healers rely on medicinal herbs and some also on spiritual powers to heal illness"(Sehovic, 2010). Many traditional healres claimed that their "concoction of herbs and plant material can cure HIV"(Sehovic, 2010) and that they were reveal to them by their ancestor in their dreams.

Sehovic, Annamarie Bindenagel . (2010, April 30). Myths, Mysteries and Medicine in Fighting HIV and AIDS. Retrieved from http://www.consultancyafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=392:myths-mysteries-and-medicine-in-fighting-hiv-a-aids&catid=61:hiv-aids-discussion-papers&Itemid=268

                                                                                                                                                    

Blog 1- My First Week of Class!!!!

This is like my third online class and it feels like I've never been in one before. I can honestly and shamefully say that I am extremely confuse in this class so far, and I kind of have an idea why? Like I said before, this is my third online class and the previous ones  were extremely easy and the works load were a lot less. I think I kind of underestimate this class as the others and waited at the last minutes to do my works. And yes!!!Teach and Linda had  warned us about it but as you can see, I didn't listen. But as far as the disease goes, I am an certified nursing assistant so I had to undergo a lot of trainings on HIV and AIDS and I've been in contact with some HIV patients, so I am some what more confortable and understanding of the disease now. But humanly I am kind of scared, especially by the amount of cases of death reported each year due to the disease. It makes you wonder if anyone is safe!!!!! This first week alone I learned that if I want to pass this class, I need to stop procrastinating. As the semester progress, I feel like each week my knowledge on the HIV disease will increase profondly that if caring a conversation with my family and friends that HIV will be in my top list of subject to talk about.

Did You Know????

In many countried in South  Africa, the citizens blame witchcraft for the increase of  deaths caused by HIV and AIDS. "UNAIDS estimated that 250,000 people died of AIDS in South Africa during 1999. City officials in Durban and Johannesburg announced in May that the number of deaths in 1999 was more than twice that of five years earlier. They predicts that the death rate will continue to rise at 20% per year". They encounter that it is very difficult for healthcare workers to educate the citizens on how to avoid the disease.

http://www.sss.ias.edu/files/papers/paperten.pdf