Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
WORLD AIDS DAY DECEMBER 1
December 1, 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS DAY. The day is also an apportunity to highlight the need for continued development of education and prevention initiavtives.
STOP AIDS, KEEP THE PROMISE!!
ENJOY LIFE, TAKE CONTROL. STOP HIV/AIDS
WORLD AIDS DAY QUIZ
THE WHITE HOUSE/ WORLD AIDS DAY, 2008
So today is a good day to decide to get smart.
Make sure your children understand the risks — in 2004, the CDC estimated that more than 5 percent of new HIV infections are found in young people.
Make appointments for HIV testing for your child who is sexually active and for yourself and your partner if you're in a new relationship — or a longer term one in which neither has been tested.
KNOW HOW HIV TRANSMITTED
WHO MESSAGE FOR WORLD AIDS DAY
CONTROL YOUR LIFE
GLOBAL VOICES/ WORLD AIDS DAY: BLOGGING POSITIVELY
IMPORTANT HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAYS
KEEP YOUR BODY HEALTHY
WORLD AIDS DAY-BE CONCERNED
DONATE TO OUR "CHILDREN AFFECTED BY HIV/AIDS
Show Others You Support the Room By Joining The groupe of Abesha Care at Paltalk.
To share ideas and meet Habesha people living HIV/AIDS visit www.abeshacare.com Love connection site.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Vote For CNN Heroes Ato Yohannes Gebregeorgis
Ethiopia Reads' Founder Yohannes Gebregeorgis is A CNN Hero! Story Available Online Now.
www.cnn.com/heroes and Please vote for him!
Please visit his site for more information
http://www.ethiopiareads.org/
Monday, November 10, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Watch the Video "HIV/AIDS AWARENESS in ETHIOPIA"
HIV/AIDS AWARENESS in ETHIOPIA: Approaches to Prevention (2006)
WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THEY NOW? AIDS Orphans in Ethiopia (Amharic version) (2006)
From RISK to ACTION: Women and HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia (Amharic version) (2006)
WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THEY NOW? AIDS Orphans in Ethiopia (Amharic version) (2006)
From RISK to ACTION: Women and HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia (Amharic version) (2006)
Friday, October 17, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Pathologists Believe They Have Pinpointed Achilles Heel Of HIV
ScienceDaily (July 16, 2008) — Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston believe they have uncovered the Achilles heel in the armor of the virus that continues to kill millions.
The weak spot is hidden in the HIV envelope protein gp120. This protein is essential for HIV attachment to host cells, which initiate infection and eventually lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Normally the body’s immune defenses can ward off viruses by making proteins called antibodies that bind the virus. However, HIV is a constantly changing and mutating virus, and the antibodies produced after infection do not control disease progression to AIDS. For the same reason, no HIV preventative vaccine that stimulates production of protective antibodies is available.
The Achilles heel, a tiny stretch of amino acids numbered 421-433 on gp120, is now under study as a target for therapeutic intervention. Sudhir Paul, Ph.D., pathology professor in the UT Medical School, said, “Unlike the changeable regions of its envelope, HIV needs at least one region that must remain constant to attach to cells. If this region changes, HIV cannot infect cells. Equally important, HIV does not want this constant region to provoke the body’s defense system. So, HIV uses the same constant cellular attachment site to silence B lymphocytes - the antibody producing cells. The result is that the body is fooled into making abundant antibodies to the changeable regions of HIV but not to its cellular attachment site. Immunologists call such regions superantigens. HIV’s cleverness is unmatched. No other virus uses this trick to evade the body’s defenses.”
Paul is the senior author on a paper about this theory in a June issue of the journal Autoimmunity Reviews. Additional data supporting the theory are to be presented at the XVII International AIDS Conference Aug. 3-8 in Mexico City in two studies titled “Survivors of HIV infection produce potent, broadly neutralizing IgAs directed to the superantigenic region of the gp120 CD4 binding site” and “Prospective clinical utility and evolutionary implication of broadly neutralizing antibody fragments to HIV gp120 superantigenic epitope.”
First reported in the early 1980s, HIV has spread across the world, particularly in developing countries. In 2007, 33 million people were living with AIDS, according to a report by the World Health Organization and the United Nations.
Paul’s group has engineered antibodies with enzymatic activity, also known as abzymes, which can attack the Achilles heel of the virus in a precise way. “The abzymes recognize essentially all of the diverse HIV forms found across the world. This solves the problem of HIV changeability. The next step is to confirm our theory in human clinical trials," Paul said.
Unlike regular antibodies, abzymes degrade the virus permanently. A single abzyme molecule inactivates thousands of virus particles. Regular antibodies inactivate only one virus particle, and their anti-viral HIV effect is weaker.
“The work of Dr. Paul’s group is highly innovative. They have identified antibodies that, instead of passively binding to the target molecule, are able to fragment it and destroy its function. Their recent work indicates that naturally occurring catalytic antibodies, particularly those of the IgA subtype, may be useful in the treatment and prevention of HIV infection,” said Steven J. Norris, Ph.D., holder of the Robert Greer Professorship in the Biomedical Sciences and vice chair for research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston.
The abzymes are derived from HIV negative people with the autoimmune disease lupus and a small number of HIV positive people who do not require treatment and do not get AIDS. Stephanie Planque, lead author and UT Medical School at Houston graduate student, said, “We discovered that disturbed immunological events in lupus patients can generate abzymes to the Achilles heel of HIV. The human genome has accumulated over millions of years of evolution a lot of viral fragments called endogenous retroviral sequences. These endogenous retroviral sequences are overproduced in people with lupus, and an immune response to such a sequence that resembles the Achilles heel can explain the production of abzymes in lupus. A small minority of HIV positive people also start producing the abzymes after decades of the infection. The immune system in some people can cope with HIV after all.”
Carl Hanson, Ph.D., who heads the Retrovirus Diagnostic Section of the Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory of the California Department of Public Health, has shown that the abzymes neutralize infection of human blood cells by diverse strains of HIV from various parts of the world. Human blood cells are the only cells that HIV infects.
“This is an entirely new finding. It is a novel antibody that appears to be very effective in killing the HIV virus. The main question now is if this can be applied to developing vaccine and possibly used as a microbicide to prevent sexual transmission,” said David C. Montefiori, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine Research & Development at Duke University Medical Center. The abzymes are now under development for HIV immunotherapy by infusion into blood. They could also be used to guard against sexual HIV transmission as topical vaginal or rectal formulations.
“HIV is an international priority because we have no defense against it,” Paul said. “Left unchecked, it will likely evolve into even more virulent forms. We have learned a lot from this research about how to induce the production of the protective abzymes on demand. This is the Holy Grail of HIV research -- development of a preventative HIV vaccine.”
Major contributors to the research from the UT Medical School include Yasuhiro Nishiyama, Ph.D., and Hiroaki Taguchi, Ph.D., both with the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Miguel Escobar, M.D., of the Department of Pediatrics. Maria Salas and Hanson, both with the Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory, contributed.
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
The weak spot is hidden in the HIV envelope protein gp120. This protein is essential for HIV attachment to host cells, which initiate infection and eventually lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Normally the body’s immune defenses can ward off viruses by making proteins called antibodies that bind the virus. However, HIV is a constantly changing and mutating virus, and the antibodies produced after infection do not control disease progression to AIDS. For the same reason, no HIV preventative vaccine that stimulates production of protective antibodies is available.
The Achilles heel, a tiny stretch of amino acids numbered 421-433 on gp120, is now under study as a target for therapeutic intervention. Sudhir Paul, Ph.D., pathology professor in the UT Medical School, said, “Unlike the changeable regions of its envelope, HIV needs at least one region that must remain constant to attach to cells. If this region changes, HIV cannot infect cells. Equally important, HIV does not want this constant region to provoke the body’s defense system. So, HIV uses the same constant cellular attachment site to silence B lymphocytes - the antibody producing cells. The result is that the body is fooled into making abundant antibodies to the changeable regions of HIV but not to its cellular attachment site. Immunologists call such regions superantigens. HIV’s cleverness is unmatched. No other virus uses this trick to evade the body’s defenses.”
Paul is the senior author on a paper about this theory in a June issue of the journal Autoimmunity Reviews. Additional data supporting the theory are to be presented at the XVII International AIDS Conference Aug. 3-8 in Mexico City in two studies titled “Survivors of HIV infection produce potent, broadly neutralizing IgAs directed to the superantigenic region of the gp120 CD4 binding site” and “Prospective clinical utility and evolutionary implication of broadly neutralizing antibody fragments to HIV gp120 superantigenic epitope.”
First reported in the early 1980s, HIV has spread across the world, particularly in developing countries. In 2007, 33 million people were living with AIDS, according to a report by the World Health Organization and the United Nations.
Paul’s group has engineered antibodies with enzymatic activity, also known as abzymes, which can attack the Achilles heel of the virus in a precise way. “The abzymes recognize essentially all of the diverse HIV forms found across the world. This solves the problem of HIV changeability. The next step is to confirm our theory in human clinical trials," Paul said.
Unlike regular antibodies, abzymes degrade the virus permanently. A single abzyme molecule inactivates thousands of virus particles. Regular antibodies inactivate only one virus particle, and their anti-viral HIV effect is weaker.
“The work of Dr. Paul’s group is highly innovative. They have identified antibodies that, instead of passively binding to the target molecule, are able to fragment it and destroy its function. Their recent work indicates that naturally occurring catalytic antibodies, particularly those of the IgA subtype, may be useful in the treatment and prevention of HIV infection,” said Steven J. Norris, Ph.D., holder of the Robert Greer Professorship in the Biomedical Sciences and vice chair for research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston.
The abzymes are derived from HIV negative people with the autoimmune disease lupus and a small number of HIV positive people who do not require treatment and do not get AIDS. Stephanie Planque, lead author and UT Medical School at Houston graduate student, said, “We discovered that disturbed immunological events in lupus patients can generate abzymes to the Achilles heel of HIV. The human genome has accumulated over millions of years of evolution a lot of viral fragments called endogenous retroviral sequences. These endogenous retroviral sequences are overproduced in people with lupus, and an immune response to such a sequence that resembles the Achilles heel can explain the production of abzymes in lupus. A small minority of HIV positive people also start producing the abzymes after decades of the infection. The immune system in some people can cope with HIV after all.”
Carl Hanson, Ph.D., who heads the Retrovirus Diagnostic Section of the Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory of the California Department of Public Health, has shown that the abzymes neutralize infection of human blood cells by diverse strains of HIV from various parts of the world. Human blood cells are the only cells that HIV infects.
“This is an entirely new finding. It is a novel antibody that appears to be very effective in killing the HIV virus. The main question now is if this can be applied to developing vaccine and possibly used as a microbicide to prevent sexual transmission,” said David C. Montefiori, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine Research & Development at Duke University Medical Center. The abzymes are now under development for HIV immunotherapy by infusion into blood. They could also be used to guard against sexual HIV transmission as topical vaginal or rectal formulations.
“HIV is an international priority because we have no defense against it,” Paul said. “Left unchecked, it will likely evolve into even more virulent forms. We have learned a lot from this research about how to induce the production of the protective abzymes on demand. This is the Holy Grail of HIV research -- development of a preventative HIV vaccine.”
Major contributors to the research from the UT Medical School include Yasuhiro Nishiyama, Ph.D., and Hiroaki Taguchi, Ph.D., both with the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Miguel Escobar, M.D., of the Department of Pediatrics. Maria Salas and Hanson, both with the Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory, contributed.
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Jolie-Pitt Foundation Funds Ethiopian AIDS and TB Center
September 15, 2008 poz.com
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt donated $2 million through their Jolie-Pitt Foundation to the Global Health Committee, which will establish a center for children in Ethiopia affected by HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, MSNBC.com/Access Hollywood reports.
The center will be an expansion of the Cambodian Health Committee, which has fought both life-threatening diseases in that country since 1994.
“Our goal is to transfer the success we have had in Cambodia to Ethiopia where people are needlessly dying of tuberculosis, a curable disease, and HIV/AIDS, a treatable disease,” Jolie told Access Hollywood.
The couple’s oldest son, Maddox, was born in Cambodia, while Zahara, their adopted daughter, hails from Ethiopia.
“It is our hope when Zahara is older she will take responsibility of the clinic and continue its mission,” Pitt said in a statement.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt donated $2 million through their Jolie-Pitt Foundation to the Global Health Committee, which will establish a center for children in Ethiopia affected by HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, MSNBC.com/Access Hollywood reports.
The center will be an expansion of the Cambodian Health Committee, which has fought both life-threatening diseases in that country since 1994.
“Our goal is to transfer the success we have had in Cambodia to Ethiopia where people are needlessly dying of tuberculosis, a curable disease, and HIV/AIDS, a treatable disease,” Jolie told Access Hollywood.
The couple’s oldest son, Maddox, was born in Cambodia, while Zahara, their adopted daughter, hails from Ethiopia.
“It is our hope when Zahara is older she will take responsibility of the clinic and continue its mission,” Pitt said in a statement.
Positive Man Gets 5 Years in Prison for Unprotected Sex
Sept 10, 2008
An HIV-positive man in London, Ontario, in Canada has been sentenced to five years in prison for having unprotected sex with a female partner without disclosing his HIV status, The London Free Press reports. The woman remains HIV negative.
The man, Edward Kelly, had already served a three-year prison term for not disclosing his HIV status to four women with whom he had sex. None of those women tested positive.
“I realize the severity of the crime I have done, and I realize what I did was wrong,” Kelly told Justice Johanne Morissette. “Hopefully, it will never happen again,” he said before correcting himself. “No, it will never happen again.”
poz.com
An HIV-positive man in London, Ontario, in Canada has been sentenced to five years in prison for having unprotected sex with a female partner without disclosing his HIV status, The London Free Press reports. The woman remains HIV negative.
The man, Edward Kelly, had already served a three-year prison term for not disclosing his HIV status to four women with whom he had sex. None of those women tested positive.
“I realize the severity of the crime I have done, and I realize what I did was wrong,” Kelly told Justice Johanne Morissette. “Hopefully, it will never happen again,” he said before correcting himself. “No, it will never happen again.”
poz.com
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Scientists Unmask Key HIV Protein, Open Door For New AIDS Drugs
Latest Medical News For: HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 27 Sep 2008 - 0:00 PDT
University of Michigan scientists have provided the most detailed picture yet of a key HIV accessory protein that foils the body's normal immune response. Based on the findings, which appear online in the journal PLoS Pathogens, the team is searching for new drugs that may someday allow infected people to be cured and no longer need today's AIDS drugs for a lifetime.
"There's a big hole in current therapies, in that all of them prevent new infection, but none attack the cells that are already infected and hidden from the immune response," says Kathleen L. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., the study's senior author and a U-M associate professor in both internal medicine and microbiology and immunology.
In people infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS, there's an unsolved problem with current anti-viral drugs. Though life-saving, they cannot root the virus out of the body. Infected cells are able to live on, undetected by the immune system, and provide the machinery for the virus to reproduce and spread.
"People have to be on the existing drugs, and when they're not, the virus rebounds. If we can develop drugs that seek out and eradicate the remaining factories for the virus, then maybe we could eradicate the disease in that person," Collins says.
Research details:
The new research details the complex actions of a protein, HIV-1 Nef, that is known to keep immune system cells from doing their normal jobs of detecting and killing infected cells.
Collins and her team show how Nef disables two key immune system players inside an infected cell. These are molecules called major histocompatability complex 1 proteins (MHC-1) that present HIV antigens to the immune system, and CD4, the cell-surface receptor that normally locks onto a virus and allows it to enter the cell.
Collins likens MHC-1 to motion detectors on a house, which send the first signal to a monitoring station if an invader breaks in.
"The immune system, especially the cytotoxic T lymphocytes, are like the monitors who get the signal that there's a foreign invader inside the cell, and send out police cars," she says. "The 'police' are toxic chemicals produced by T lymphocyte cells, which kill the cell that harbors the invader."
By in effect pushing the MHC-I proteins into an infected cell's "trash bin" so they fail to alert the T lymphocytes, Nef's actions allow active virus to hide undetected and reproduce. Also, once a cell has been infected, Nef destroys CD4. The result is that this encourages new virus to spread to uninfected cells.
Nef's activities are variable and complex. But the research team's findings suggest that the many pathways involved may end in a final common step. That could make it possible to find a drug that could block several Nef functions.
Implications:
Collins' lab is now screening drug candidates to find promising Nef inhibitors. Such drugs, which are at least 10 years away from use in people, would supplement, not replace, existing anti-viral drugs given to HIV-infected people. The new drugs would target the reservoirs where the virus hides.
In developing countries, the new drugs could have a huge impact, Collins says. Today, children born with HIV infection start taking the existing anti-HIV drugs at birth. It's very hard to continue costly treatments for a lifetime. But if children could be cured within a few years, global HIV treatment efforts could spread their dollars further and be much more successful, she says.
Additional U-M authors are first author Malinda R. Schaefer, Ph.D.; Elizabeth R. Wonderlich, Jeremiah F. Roeth and Jolie A. Leonard.
Funding for the research came from the National Institutes of Health and U-M.
Citation: PLoS Pathogens, doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000131
University of Michigan Health System
2901 Hubbard St., Ste. 2400
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2435
United States
http://www.med.umich.edu
Article Date: 27 Sep 2008 - 0:00 PDT
University of Michigan scientists have provided the most detailed picture yet of a key HIV accessory protein that foils the body's normal immune response. Based on the findings, which appear online in the journal PLoS Pathogens, the team is searching for new drugs that may someday allow infected people to be cured and no longer need today's AIDS drugs for a lifetime.
"There's a big hole in current therapies, in that all of them prevent new infection, but none attack the cells that are already infected and hidden from the immune response," says Kathleen L. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., the study's senior author and a U-M associate professor in both internal medicine and microbiology and immunology.
In people infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS, there's an unsolved problem with current anti-viral drugs. Though life-saving, they cannot root the virus out of the body. Infected cells are able to live on, undetected by the immune system, and provide the machinery for the virus to reproduce and spread.
"People have to be on the existing drugs, and when they're not, the virus rebounds. If we can develop drugs that seek out and eradicate the remaining factories for the virus, then maybe we could eradicate the disease in that person," Collins says.
Research details:
The new research details the complex actions of a protein, HIV-1 Nef, that is known to keep immune system cells from doing their normal jobs of detecting and killing infected cells.
Collins and her team show how Nef disables two key immune system players inside an infected cell. These are molecules called major histocompatability complex 1 proteins (MHC-1) that present HIV antigens to the immune system, and CD4, the cell-surface receptor that normally locks onto a virus and allows it to enter the cell.
Collins likens MHC-1 to motion detectors on a house, which send the first signal to a monitoring station if an invader breaks in.
"The immune system, especially the cytotoxic T lymphocytes, are like the monitors who get the signal that there's a foreign invader inside the cell, and send out police cars," she says. "The 'police' are toxic chemicals produced by T lymphocyte cells, which kill the cell that harbors the invader."
By in effect pushing the MHC-I proteins into an infected cell's "trash bin" so they fail to alert the T lymphocytes, Nef's actions allow active virus to hide undetected and reproduce. Also, once a cell has been infected, Nef destroys CD4. The result is that this encourages new virus to spread to uninfected cells.
Nef's activities are variable and complex. But the research team's findings suggest that the many pathways involved may end in a final common step. That could make it possible to find a drug that could block several Nef functions.
Implications:
Collins' lab is now screening drug candidates to find promising Nef inhibitors. Such drugs, which are at least 10 years away from use in people, would supplement, not replace, existing anti-viral drugs given to HIV-infected people. The new drugs would target the reservoirs where the virus hides.
In developing countries, the new drugs could have a huge impact, Collins says. Today, children born with HIV infection start taking the existing anti-HIV drugs at birth. It's very hard to continue costly treatments for a lifetime. But if children could be cured within a few years, global HIV treatment efforts could spread their dollars further and be much more successful, she says.
Additional U-M authors are first author Malinda R. Schaefer, Ph.D.; Elizabeth R. Wonderlich, Jeremiah F. Roeth and Jolie A. Leonard.
Funding for the research came from the National Institutes of Health and U-M.
Citation: PLoS Pathogens, doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000131
University of Michigan Health System
2901 Hubbard St., Ste. 2400
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2435
United States
http://www.med.umich.edu
Friday, September 26, 2008
What Time Is The Presidential Debate?
The first debate between Barack Obama and John McCain is at 9 p.m. EST tonight (26 Sep 08). The reason I post this is because, when I typed this question into google I couldn’t find the time anywhere. I guess now it can help others if they google it they can get their answer. Thanks and Feel free to leave a message.
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
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Thursday, September 25, 2008
PLAY THE GAME
Play the game
If you are having trouble connecting to the game through these links, visit www.posornot.com
If you are having trouble connecting to the game through these links, visit www.posornot.com
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
AIDS 2008 | Antibodies Could Prevent HIV Transmission, Research Indicates
Antibodies that prevent some HIV-positive people from progressing to AIDS could be used to develop microbicides or a vaccine to prevent HIV-negative people from contracting the virus, according to research presented Thursday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, the Washington Post reports.
Read more...
Read more...
HIV+ with undetectable virus are ‘non-infectious’: Swiss experts
HIV+ with undetectable virus are ‘non-infectious’: Swiss experts
Posted in virus on 31 January 2008 at 18:04.
A panel of Swiss HIV experts have declared that HIV-positive people with undetectable viral load are sexually non-infectious. This is the first time that medical experts anywhere have agreed that well-suppressed blood viral levels are a reliable measure of sexual infectivity. This will be controversial, but it’s a fascinating development.
The statement’s headline statement says that “after review of the medical literature and extensive discussion,†the Swiss Federal Commission for HIV / AIDS resolves that, “An HIV-infected person on antiretroviral therapy with completely suppressed viraemia (“effective ARTâ€) is not sexually infectious, i.e. cannot transmit HIV through sexual contact.â€
It goes on to say that this statement is valid as long as:
the person adheres to antiretroviral therapy, the effects of which must be evaluated regularly by the treating physician, and
the viral load has been suppressed (< 40 copies/ml) for at least six months, and
there are no other sexually transmitted infections.
The experts noted the essential conundrum of proving the negative hypothesis (i.e. proving that something can never happen) but said “The situation is analogous to 1986, when the statement ‘HIV cannot be transmitted by kissing’ was publicised. This statement has not been proven, but after 20 years’ experience its accuracy appears highly plausible.”
A report on Aidsmap.com canvasses the implications of the announcement for medical practitioners, people with HIV, HIV prevention and the legal system.
As one colleague observed today, “I guess we know now what they’ll be fighting about at this year’s International AIDS Conference.”
Posted in virus on 31 January 2008 at 18:04.
A panel of Swiss HIV experts have declared that HIV-positive people with undetectable viral load are sexually non-infectious. This is the first time that medical experts anywhere have agreed that well-suppressed blood viral levels are a reliable measure of sexual infectivity. This will be controversial, but it’s a fascinating development.
The statement’s headline statement says that “after review of the medical literature and extensive discussion,†the Swiss Federal Commission for HIV / AIDS resolves that, “An HIV-infected person on antiretroviral therapy with completely suppressed viraemia (“effective ARTâ€) is not sexually infectious, i.e. cannot transmit HIV through sexual contact.â€
It goes on to say that this statement is valid as long as:
the person adheres to antiretroviral therapy, the effects of which must be evaluated regularly by the treating physician, and
the viral load has been suppressed (< 40 copies/ml) for at least six months, and
there are no other sexually transmitted infections.
The experts noted the essential conundrum of proving the negative hypothesis (i.e. proving that something can never happen) but said “The situation is analogous to 1986, when the statement ‘HIV cannot be transmitted by kissing’ was publicised. This statement has not been proven, but after 20 years’ experience its accuracy appears highly plausible.”
A report on Aidsmap.com canvasses the implications of the announcement for medical practitioners, people with HIV, HIV prevention and the legal system.
As one colleague observed today, “I guess we know now what they’ll be fighting about at this year’s International AIDS Conference.”
Lose Myself
Lauryn Hill Lose Myself Lyrics
Songwriters: N/A I used to do it for the love a long time ago
And all I ever wanted was love
I used to love without fear a long time ago
And all I ever wanted was love
Then somebody came around and tried to hurt me
Tried to make me feel like I was unworthy
Took a pure love and tried to make it dirty
Truth was they never did deserve me
No!
Chorus:
I had to lose myself so I could love you better
I had to lose myself, had to lose myself so I could
love you better
Had to lose myself, had to lose myself
So I could love you better
Had to lose myself in love
And that’s just the way it is…
Couldn’t tell me I was love when I needed it
When, all I ever wanted was love.
Should a told me just me because!
I’m worth receiving it
But all I ever wanted was love
There’s is something awkward about the selflessness it
takes to
Give love and the good that it makes you!
True love can never really forsake you
But it took a little while just for me to see!
Chorus:
I had to lose myself so I could love you better
I had to lose myself, had to lose myself so I could
love you better
Had to lose myself, had to lose myself
So I could love you better
Had to lose myself in love
And that’s just the way it is…
I had a paralyzing fear of facing failure
And I couldn’t love you perfectly with fear in my head
So I peerlessly had to face the danger
So I could come back and love you whole instead
All of your soul I said!
So I could make it better
Chorus:
I had to lose myself so I could love you better
I had to lose myself, had to lose myself so I could
love you better
Had to lose myself, had to lose myself
So I could love you better
Had to lose myself in love
And that’s just the way it is…
B-Sec:
And so it goes that I never meant to hurt you
Couldn’t stay but I never meant to desert you
Whole lot a things I just had to work thru
Time to heal and restore myself worth too
Confrontation of my fears and anxiety
Cried a whole lot years I suffered quietly
And though it may have taken years I can finally!
Tell you that you were always on my mind!
Chorus:
I had to lose myself so I could make it better
I had to lose myself, had to lose myself so I could
make it better
Had to lose myself, had to lose myself
So I could make it better
Had to lose myself in love
And that was just the way!
Bridge:
Takes strength to absorb all the abuse I did
Great love to absorb all the misuse I did
Hey baby it’s not an excuse I give.
And I’d do it all again because for you I live
Takes strength to absorb all the abuse I did
Great love to absorb all the abuse I did
Hey baby it’s not an excuse I give.
And I’d do it all again because for you I live
Chorus:
I had to lose myself so I could make it better
I had to lose myself, had to lose myself so I could
make it better
Had to lose myself, had to lose myself
So I could make it better
Had to lose myself in love
And that was just the way!
And that was just the way it is…
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Bush signs sweeping AIDS bill
Landmark measure repeals longtime ban on HIV-positive immigrants, visitors
LOU CHIBBARO JR
Friday, August 01, 2008
President Bush signed a sweeping global AIDS relief bill at a White House ceremony Wednesday afternoon that includes language repealing the U.S. ban on HIV-positive foreign visitors and immigrants.
The bill-signing ceremony took place less than a week after the House of Representatives voted 303 to 115 to approve a Senate-passed version of the legislation, which reauthorizes the highly popular U.S. foreign aid program known as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The Senate passed the bill one week earlier by a vote of 80 to 16.
First Lady Laura Bush and Mark Dybul, director of the U.S. global AIDS office, accompanied the president at the bill signing ceremony.
The president, along with a large, bipartisan majority in the House and Senate, agreed to include a provision in the PEPFAR bill that repeals a 1993 U.S. immigration law prohibiting HIV-positive visitors from entering the country. The 1993 law to be repealed by the PEPFAR bill also bars most foreign nationals with HIV from being eligible for legal immigrant status.
However, as the president prepared for Wednesday’s bill signing ceremony, the White House had yet to disclose whether he and his Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Mike Leavitt, would approve one more administrative action needed to end the U.S. ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants.
In 1987, HHS used its existing legal authority to add HIV to a list of communicable diseases that disqualifies HIV-positive visitors from entering the country as well as foreigners with HIV from being eligible for immigrant status.
The PEPFAR bill that Bush signed allows the 1987 administrative policy to remain in place unless HHS or one of its component agencies, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, reverses the policy.
An HHS spokesperson last week agreed to make inquiries into Leavitt’s position on the issue of repealing the HIV ban, but the spokesperson did not get back with additional information by press time.
A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for the president’s position on the HHS administrative ban.
“The legislation Congress has passed will move us from the emergency phase to the sustainability phase in fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,” said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), after the House voted to approve the PEPFAR bill.
“It will authorize $48 billion over five years to provide life-saving HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention for men, women and children in the poorest countries of the world,” she said.
Pelosi also noted that the bill would eliminate the HIV travel and immigrant ban, a policy that Pelosi and Democratic leaders, along with many Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate, have long opposed.
“Congressional backing for the repeal of this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States is a huge step forward for equality,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “The HIV travel and immigration ban performs no public health service, is unnecessary and ineffective.”
The 1993 immigration law and the HHS policy directive putting the HIV visitor and immigrant ban into place allow for some exceptions. But groups like Immigration Equality, which advocates for immigrants who are gay or who have HIV, have said the exceptions are limited and have helped only a small number of HIV-positive foreign nationals seeking access to the U.S.
Under the 1993 law and the HHS policy, foreign nationals seeking to visit the U.S. can obtain a temporary waiver from the ban, which allows short-term visits for tourism or business purposes. Foreign nationals seeking a waiver must register their names and HIV status with U.S. consular offices in their home countries in a process that immigration activists say could violate privacy rights. Waivers also place certain limitations on HIV-positive visitors.
The law and policy allows foreigners with HIV to be eligible for immigrant status if they can demonstrate that an immediate family member, such as a spouse, parent or child, who already has legal U.S. immigrant status or citizenship, is dependent upon them for care and support. Activists say U.S. immigration officials rarely grant this exemption and that it is off limits to same-sex partners whose relationships are not recognized under U.S. law.
Some Capitol Hill insiders have speculated that the Bush administration might decide to leave the HHS policy in place, preferring to let the next president decide whether to repeal it. That would leave the ban in place until at least late January.
A spokesperson for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said Obama opposes the ban and would take action to end it if he’s elected president.
A spokesperson for the campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, did not return a call seeking McCain’s position on the issue.
LOU CHIBBARO JR
Friday, August 01, 2008
President Bush signed a sweeping global AIDS relief bill at a White House ceremony Wednesday afternoon that includes language repealing the U.S. ban on HIV-positive foreign visitors and immigrants.
The bill-signing ceremony took place less than a week after the House of Representatives voted 303 to 115 to approve a Senate-passed version of the legislation, which reauthorizes the highly popular U.S. foreign aid program known as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The Senate passed the bill one week earlier by a vote of 80 to 16.
First Lady Laura Bush and Mark Dybul, director of the U.S. global AIDS office, accompanied the president at the bill signing ceremony.
The president, along with a large, bipartisan majority in the House and Senate, agreed to include a provision in the PEPFAR bill that repeals a 1993 U.S. immigration law prohibiting HIV-positive visitors from entering the country. The 1993 law to be repealed by the PEPFAR bill also bars most foreign nationals with HIV from being eligible for legal immigrant status.
However, as the president prepared for Wednesday’s bill signing ceremony, the White House had yet to disclose whether he and his Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Mike Leavitt, would approve one more administrative action needed to end the U.S. ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants.
In 1987, HHS used its existing legal authority to add HIV to a list of communicable diseases that disqualifies HIV-positive visitors from entering the country as well as foreigners with HIV from being eligible for immigrant status.
The PEPFAR bill that Bush signed allows the 1987 administrative policy to remain in place unless HHS or one of its component agencies, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, reverses the policy.
An HHS spokesperson last week agreed to make inquiries into Leavitt’s position on the issue of repealing the HIV ban, but the spokesperson did not get back with additional information by press time.
A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for the president’s position on the HHS administrative ban.
“The legislation Congress has passed will move us from the emergency phase to the sustainability phase in fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,” said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), after the House voted to approve the PEPFAR bill.
“It will authorize $48 billion over five years to provide life-saving HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention for men, women and children in the poorest countries of the world,” she said.
Pelosi also noted that the bill would eliminate the HIV travel and immigrant ban, a policy that Pelosi and Democratic leaders, along with many Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate, have long opposed.
“Congressional backing for the repeal of this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States is a huge step forward for equality,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “The HIV travel and immigration ban performs no public health service, is unnecessary and ineffective.”
The 1993 immigration law and the HHS policy directive putting the HIV visitor and immigrant ban into place allow for some exceptions. But groups like Immigration Equality, which advocates for immigrants who are gay or who have HIV, have said the exceptions are limited and have helped only a small number of HIV-positive foreign nationals seeking access to the U.S.
Under the 1993 law and the HHS policy, foreign nationals seeking to visit the U.S. can obtain a temporary waiver from the ban, which allows short-term visits for tourism or business purposes. Foreign nationals seeking a waiver must register their names and HIV status with U.S. consular offices in their home countries in a process that immigration activists say could violate privacy rights. Waivers also place certain limitations on HIV-positive visitors.
The law and policy allows foreigners with HIV to be eligible for immigrant status if they can demonstrate that an immediate family member, such as a spouse, parent or child, who already has legal U.S. immigrant status or citizenship, is dependent upon them for care and support. Activists say U.S. immigration officials rarely grant this exemption and that it is off limits to same-sex partners whose relationships are not recognized under U.S. law.
Some Capitol Hill insiders have speculated that the Bush administration might decide to leave the HHS policy in place, preferring to let the next president decide whether to repeal it. That would leave the ban in place until at least late January.
A spokesperson for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said Obama opposes the ban and would take action to end it if he’s elected president.
A spokesperson for the campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, did not return a call seeking McCain’s position on the issue.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
AMERICANS ADOPT HIV-POSITIVE KIDS FROM ETHIOPIA
Parents say they are driven by a desire for social change and confidence that the disease is more manageable than ever before.
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - When Solomon Henderson was a year old, his birth parents left him at an Ethiopian orphanage with three things: a picture of Jesus, a plastic crucifix, and HIV.
As one of 14,000 Ethiopian newborns diagnosed with the virus every year, Solomon's prospects for survival – much less adoption – were grim. But Erin Henderson's heart stirred when she saw him, and she decided on the spot to adopt him. "They told me that they weren't sure he would live through the weekend," Henderson said by e-mail from her home in rural Wyoming. Solomon, now an active 2-year-old, is part of a small but growing movement: Americans adopting children from abroad diagnosed as HIV-positive.
Figures from US-based Adoption Advocates International, the agency that arranges the majority of HIV-positive adoptions in Ethiopia, show a clear and steady rise, from two such adoptions in 2005, four in 2006, 13 in 2007, and 38 either completed or pending this year.
The motivations are wide-ranging – some parents say they were driven by religion, a desire for social change, or because the disease is more manageable than ever before. Over the past decade, HIV has become a chronic disease, rather than a death sentence. Some children, like Solomon, take daily medication that can cost between $700 and $1,500 a month, though all parents planning to adopt children diagnosed with HIV are required to carry health insurance, so costs are usually less.
American adoptions of Ethiopian children peaked at 1,255 in 2007, and the adoption of children diagnosed as HIV-positive is growing in step, according to US government figures. American adoptions in Ethiopia have steadily risen from 135 in 2003, to 289 in 2004 to 440 in 2005 to 731 in 2006.
Margaret Fleming, the founder of Chances By Choice, an international HIV-positive adoption advocacy group, said her group also has overseen adoptions of children from Haiti, Guatemala, and Russia.
Fleming, who has three children diagnosed as HIV-positive in her own brood of 12 children, said she wanted to make a difference in the world. "I feel like I'm on the cutting edge of making an impact on this epidemic," Fleming said by telephone from her office in Chicago. "It's given us a chance to be ambassadors, and our children to be ambassadors."
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - When Solomon Henderson was a year old, his birth parents left him at an Ethiopian orphanage with three things: a picture of Jesus, a plastic crucifix, and HIV.
As one of 14,000 Ethiopian newborns diagnosed with the virus every year, Solomon's prospects for survival – much less adoption – were grim. But Erin Henderson's heart stirred when she saw him, and she decided on the spot to adopt him. "They told me that they weren't sure he would live through the weekend," Henderson said by e-mail from her home in rural Wyoming. Solomon, now an active 2-year-old, is part of a small but growing movement: Americans adopting children from abroad diagnosed as HIV-positive.
Figures from US-based Adoption Advocates International, the agency that arranges the majority of HIV-positive adoptions in Ethiopia, show a clear and steady rise, from two such adoptions in 2005, four in 2006, 13 in 2007, and 38 either completed or pending this year.
The motivations are wide-ranging – some parents say they were driven by religion, a desire for social change, or because the disease is more manageable than ever before. Over the past decade, HIV has become a chronic disease, rather than a death sentence. Some children, like Solomon, take daily medication that can cost between $700 and $1,500 a month, though all parents planning to adopt children diagnosed with HIV are required to carry health insurance, so costs are usually less.
American adoptions of Ethiopian children peaked at 1,255 in 2007, and the adoption of children diagnosed as HIV-positive is growing in step, according to US government figures. American adoptions in Ethiopia have steadily risen from 135 in 2003, to 289 in 2004 to 440 in 2005 to 731 in 2006.
Margaret Fleming, the founder of Chances By Choice, an international HIV-positive adoption advocacy group, said her group also has overseen adoptions of children from Haiti, Guatemala, and Russia.
Fleming, who has three children diagnosed as HIV-positive in her own brood of 12 children, said she wanted to make a difference in the world. "I feel like I'm on the cutting edge of making an impact on this epidemic," Fleming said by telephone from her office in Chicago. "It's given us a chance to be ambassadors, and our children to be ambassadors."
Thursday, August 28, 2008
'Hidden epidemic' of HIV amongst African migrants in the United States
Michael Carter, Thursday, August 28, 2008
There is a “hidden epidemic” of HIV amongst African migrants living in the United States, according to investigators writing in the September 12th edition of AIDS. The researchers found that African-born individuals in the US had a disproportionately high prevalence of HIV – although they comprised only 0.6% of the study population, almost 4% of HIV diagnoses were amongst African-born individuals. Furthermore, the investigators found that in one health area approximately 50% of HIV infections amongst black people were amongst individuals originating in Africa.
Because current US surveillance data do not routinely include information on individuals’ country of origin, it is probable that a significant number of HIV infections currently classified as being amongst African-Americans are likely to involve recent migrants from Africa.
Failure to acknowledge the scale of the HIV epidemic amongst African-born individuals, could, the investigators argue, mean that the HIV prevention and care needs of African-born US residents are being neglected. The investigators call on the US government and health authorities to target information about the availability of HIV testing and care to individuals from Africa, and for the gathering of accurate surveillance data about the country of origin of individuals diagnosed with HIV.
In 2005, almost two-thirds of the world’s HIV infections were located in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that 25% or more of total HIV infections in western Europe are amongst migrants from southern Africa. Although the total number of African migrants in the US increased by 130% between 1990 and 2000, there is little information about the number of HIV infections amongst this community, and few HIV prevention or care services are targeted at individuals in this group.
US immigration law requires that all persons applying to become lawful permanent residents in the country have an HIV test. Infection with HIV is normally a bar to even temporary entry to the US (although this may change), but this prohibition is waived for refugees and in other special cases.
To try and find out what contribution African-born individuals were making to the epidemiology of HIV in the US, investigators contacted health authorities in nine areas where African-born individuals comprised 0.5% or more of the total population. Six states (California, Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Ohio) were included in the study, as were Washington DC, New York City and King County, Washington State.
The health authorities in these areas provided information on the total number of HIV infections within their district in 2003-04, as well as the place of birth of individuals diagnosed with HIV, and the HIV risk activity of these individuals.
A total of 459,000 African-born individuals were resident in the eight areas included in the study – some 47% of all African-born individuals living in the US according to figures from the US census.
Although African migrants comprised just 0.6% of the total population of the districts participating in the study, they accounted for 4% of all HIV diagnoses. But there was considerable variation between the participating areas, with African migrants contributing just over 1% of HIV diagnoses in Minnesota, but 20% of infections in California.
Further analysis of this surveillance data showed that African-born individuals constituted 16% of all HIV infections in black people due to heterosexual sex (or where the risk was unknown), and in every area except New Jersey well over one-third of black heterosexual HIV infections amongst African migrants.
“African-born persons account for a substantial proportion of HIV diagnoses in selected areas of the United States with large African-born populations”, write the investigators.
They believe their study has a number of implications:
· The failure of HIV surveillance methods to record the place of birth of individuals means that the needs of foreign-born individuals are being neglected.
· US surveillance data are currently being misinterpreted. For example, the increase in HIV infections amongst black people in King County, Washington, was originally thought to be due to new HIV infections amongst American-born black people. This could mean that prevention efforts are misdirected.
· By failing to properly estimate the full contribution of African-born individuals to the US HIV epidemic, current surveillance data may be underestimating the importance of heterosexual transmission to the ongoing epidemiology of HIV in the country.
The investigators call on US federal, state and local authorities and health departments to develop resources targeted at African-born individuals that provide information about the availability of HIV testing and care. The authors also note that there are unanswered questions about the “societal commitment to noncitizens residing in the United States”, particularly “to what extent will HIV-infected residents be eligible for medical care and how will testing HIV-positive affect their residency?”
Reference
Kerani RP et al. HIV among African-born persons in the United States: a hidden epidemic. AIDS 49: 102 – 106, 2008.
aidsmap resources
There is a “hidden epidemic” of HIV amongst African migrants living in the United States, according to investigators writing in the September 12th edition of AIDS. The researchers found that African-born individuals in the US had a disproportionately high prevalence of HIV – although they comprised only 0.6% of the study population, almost 4% of HIV diagnoses were amongst African-born individuals. Furthermore, the investigators found that in one health area approximately 50% of HIV infections amongst black people were amongst individuals originating in Africa.
Because current US surveillance data do not routinely include information on individuals’ country of origin, it is probable that a significant number of HIV infections currently classified as being amongst African-Americans are likely to involve recent migrants from Africa.
Failure to acknowledge the scale of the HIV epidemic amongst African-born individuals, could, the investigators argue, mean that the HIV prevention and care needs of African-born US residents are being neglected. The investigators call on the US government and health authorities to target information about the availability of HIV testing and care to individuals from Africa, and for the gathering of accurate surveillance data about the country of origin of individuals diagnosed with HIV.
In 2005, almost two-thirds of the world’s HIV infections were located in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that 25% or more of total HIV infections in western Europe are amongst migrants from southern Africa. Although the total number of African migrants in the US increased by 130% between 1990 and 2000, there is little information about the number of HIV infections amongst this community, and few HIV prevention or care services are targeted at individuals in this group.
US immigration law requires that all persons applying to become lawful permanent residents in the country have an HIV test. Infection with HIV is normally a bar to even temporary entry to the US (although this may change), but this prohibition is waived for refugees and in other special cases.
To try and find out what contribution African-born individuals were making to the epidemiology of HIV in the US, investigators contacted health authorities in nine areas where African-born individuals comprised 0.5% or more of the total population. Six states (California, Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Ohio) were included in the study, as were Washington DC, New York City and King County, Washington State.
The health authorities in these areas provided information on the total number of HIV infections within their district in 2003-04, as well as the place of birth of individuals diagnosed with HIV, and the HIV risk activity of these individuals.
A total of 459,000 African-born individuals were resident in the eight areas included in the study – some 47% of all African-born individuals living in the US according to figures from the US census.
Although African migrants comprised just 0.6% of the total population of the districts participating in the study, they accounted for 4% of all HIV diagnoses. But there was considerable variation between the participating areas, with African migrants contributing just over 1% of HIV diagnoses in Minnesota, but 20% of infections in California.
Further analysis of this surveillance data showed that African-born individuals constituted 16% of all HIV infections in black people due to heterosexual sex (or where the risk was unknown), and in every area except New Jersey well over one-third of black heterosexual HIV infections amongst African migrants.
“African-born persons account for a substantial proportion of HIV diagnoses in selected areas of the United States with large African-born populations”, write the investigators.
They believe their study has a number of implications:
· The failure of HIV surveillance methods to record the place of birth of individuals means that the needs of foreign-born individuals are being neglected.
· US surveillance data are currently being misinterpreted. For example, the increase in HIV infections amongst black people in King County, Washington, was originally thought to be due to new HIV infections amongst American-born black people. This could mean that prevention efforts are misdirected.
· By failing to properly estimate the full contribution of African-born individuals to the US HIV epidemic, current surveillance data may be underestimating the importance of heterosexual transmission to the ongoing epidemiology of HIV in the country.
The investigators call on US federal, state and local authorities and health departments to develop resources targeted at African-born individuals that provide information about the availability of HIV testing and care. The authors also note that there are unanswered questions about the “societal commitment to noncitizens residing in the United States”, particularly “to what extent will HIV-infected residents be eligible for medical care and how will testing HIV-positive affect their residency?”
Reference
Kerani RP et al. HIV among African-born persons in the United States: a hidden epidemic. AIDS 49: 102 – 106, 2008.
aidsmap resources
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Abesha Care Anniversary
Come and Celebrate With Us The First Year Anniversary & The inception of Abesha Care
July 25-26, 2008
The Room will be open @ 11:30PM The program will be start at 12:00AM midnight Easter Time.
6:00 Hrs Central Europe time
(Saturday Morning)
8:00 AM ETH Time (Saturday Morning)
Abesha Care (HIV) Paltalk Chat Room
Abesha Care Group
Thursday, May 15, 2008
United States of America HIV ban/Travel Restrictions
United States of America
The US HIV ban - additional information, updated July 28 2007
Due to the large number of inquiries on the US entry restrictions for people living with HIV/AIDS, the authors collected more detailed information on this special page.
The reader will find information on
background and history of the law,
who is concerned by the law,
how the law is enforced,
how to enter the US legally as a person with HIV/AIDS,
strategies on how people try to circumvent the regulations,
the first ever study on the effects of the law (Brighton study).
Basic information on the US entry and residency restrictions: Go to www.eatg.org/hivtravel/country.php?id=3017
Since 1987, HIV-positive foreigners are banned from entering the USA. Today, the forced repatriation of HIV-positive tourists still happens. Although the US HIV tourist ban has been almost universally criticised – both from within and outside the US – the restrictions remain after almost 20 years. Due to the convoluted nature of the history of this discriminatory piece of legislation, an act of Congress is required to remove it.
As our ongoing survey [www.eatg.org/hivtravel] shows, the US is one of only a handful of countries to completely ban HIV-positive visitors, even for short term tourist stays (other countries are: Armenia, Brunei, China, Fiji, Iraq, Korea (South), Moldavia, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia).
Who is concerned by the law?
Immigrants
Residency and work permit applicants
Non-immigrant visitors requiring a visa
Non-immigrant visitors entering with the green I94-W form
The prohibition against entry to the United States by those with HIV applies to both immigrants and non-immigrant visitors. Immigrants with HIV face significant problems in remaining permanently in the United States. For some immigrants, however, a "waiver" of the exclusionary policy may be available. Immigrants with HIV should consult an attorney familiar with immigration standards in this area. The same is true for HIV-positives applying for a work permit or who want to pursue studies.
HIV-infected non-citizens with a legal U.S. immigration status may travel outside the United States, but should first determine whether they will be subject to the HIV exclusion upon their return and whether a waiver of the exclusion is available.
Non-immigrant visitors entering with the green I94-W form:
Citizens of certain countries are allowed to enter the US for up to 90 days without applying for a visa, as long as they are not terrorists, communists, convicts or “afflicted with a communicable disease”. These visitors will have to complete the green I94-W form before proceeding through immigration. The forms are distributed by the flight attendants. There is no specific question related to HIV on the form, but an HIV infected person is ineligible to receive a visa and ineligible to be admitted to the United States (see 2nd paragraph chapter “How is the law enforced”). [1]
Non-immigrant visitors requiring a visa:
Visa applicants are asked the same question as travellers entering with the I94-W form (“Are you afflicted with a communicable disease of public health significance?”).
The following paragraph applies for both non-immigrant visitors requiring a visa & non-immigrant visitors entering with the green I94-W form:
According to the web site www.aidsandthelaw.com “if the applicant is not aware that HIV is such a disease under US immigration law, he or she could respond ‘no’. In that case, the application would not be fraudulent. But if the applicant answers ‘no’, while knowing that individuals with HIV are barred from entry, then the applicant has committed immigration fraud, which, if discovered, is a permanent, non-waivable, basis for inadmissibility”.
How is the law enforced?
Initially, the policy was adopted by the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, now U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) within the Department of Homeland Security. Subsequently, however, the U.S. Congress put this exclusion into the Immigration and Nationality Act itself, Section 212(a)(1)(A)(i) [8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(1)(A)(i)]:
"Any alien . . . who is determined (in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services) to have a communicable disease of public health significance, which shall include infection with the etiologic agent for acquired immune deficiency syndrome" is ineligible to receive a visa and ineligible to be admitted to the United States.”
Reform of the law in this area will require another act of Congress to repeal the ban.
In 1990, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service issued an "advisory" policy regarding border inspections regarding HIV/AIDS. In the event that this policy is violated by immigration officials, however, there is no remedy or recourse available for the traveller. Under this policy, immigration and customs enforcement officials should not inquire about HIV status unless there are physical symptoms of illness or the individual makes an unambiguous and unsolicited statement of his or her status. Carrying literature pertaining to HIV/AIDS or related materials should not cause questioning regarding HIV status. However, discovery of medications used to treat HIV illness may result in questioning and a referral for a medical examination.
In the event that an individual with HIV is identified at the border, immigration officials generally attempt to persuade the individual to return to his or her country of origin. In many cases, they will release the individual, either with or without posting any bond. The individual is then required to appear within a few days for a "deferred inspection." The individual can present evidence and have legal counsel present. Immigration officials will then determine whether the individual will be legally admitted to the United States. If an individual with HIV is identified at the border, however, immigration officials have the authority to detain the individual indefinitely, without any right to release on bail. The individual has no right to counsel and may not be permitted to communicate with others who may be able to help the individual.
Source: www.aidsandthelaw.com/issues/entry%20to%20US.htm
Since 69% if US visits in the Brighton study were for tourism – which, according the latest INS fact sheet is not a valid reason to be granted an HIV visa waiver – many (43,4%) were concerned that they would be denied a visa if they did declare their status. [2]
However, the media often report confliction and confusing (mis-)information regarding who exactly is eligible for the HIV waiver, including this article from The Guardian. “Inadmissibility because of HIV/AIDS ‘is routinely waived’, a [US Embassy] spokesman said. ´People are given visas and the waiver many times and do travel on holidays, business and as students. It is a public health issue. In some cases it is a financial concern as well. It is not saying there is anything wrong with the person.’” [3]
Is it possible to enter the US legally with HIV?
Yes, it is possible, under certain circumstances:
to attend conferences
to receive medical treatment
to visit close family members
to conduct business
However, this requires applying for a stigmatising HIV visa waiver. Even if the waiver is granted – which may take three months or longer to obtain, and requires a personal interview at the US Embassy – the person’s passport is endorsed to show that this person may not enter the US without the waiver, which must be renegotiated on each entry. This also means that people who once apply for an HIV visa waiver will always have to go through this process when they plan to visit the US in the future, irrespective of the fact if the waiver has been granted or not.
This can cause further HIV disclosure issues on entering other countries, where immigration officers and consular staff may want to know why the passport holder is barred from the US.
Experiences collected from our contacts and other sources
The passport will be marked with the mention “Allowed to enter the U.S. with HIV visa waiver only”.
HIV-Nachrichten, Germany, no 80, May 2004
A stamp is put in the passport unless the applicant asks for it to be put on a separate piece of paper attached to the passport. However, most PWHA aren't told about this option when they apply for the visa.
Terrence Higgins Trust, by e-mail, Aug 10, 2004
As I applied for a J1 and an H1B working visa including an HIV waiver, this was stamped in my passport:
For the J1 visa:
Annotation A77 681 388
212 (D) (3) (A) Waiver
The J1 visa is a non-immigrant visa for exchange visitors (e.g. au-pairs, guest professors, post doctoral associates and other short term workers) and is issued for the maximum period of 3 years). In my case, the visa was issued for 20 months from the US Consulate in Berlin (August 2001). My sponsor was the Council of International Educational Exchange. I was the first of 40.000 participants in this exchange program who openly declared her HIV status. I had to bring my entire family (although they were all HIV negative) to a physician licensed to issue health certificates for the US consulate (costs $350).
For the H1B visa:
Annotation 212(A) (I)
The H1B visa programme is the primary method for bringing foreign professionals to work in the USA. If you do not have HIV, were not borne in a country behind the "axis of evil" or have no other characteristics the immigration law does not favor, you can apply for a green-card with the H1B visa. The H1B visa can be issued for up to 5 years for non-immigrants. This time the University of Miami applied for my visa for duration of three years and the visa was issued in July 2003 by the US consulate in Frankfurt.
For both visas I had to appear in person at the US consulates. A proof of coverage of my HIV related treatment from Germany and the letter of the physician licensed by the US consulate were required.
None of the consulates informed me that there was the option to have the annotation attached on a separate form. I did not ask and was not aware of this option.
Although the annotation in the H1B visa does not say explicitly that I required a waiver, I got pulled out at customs at entry and an officer asked me why I required a visa. He was very friendly after he heard that I was HIV infected and gave me a webpage with treatment information and wished me good health.
HK, Germany, by e-mail, Aug 10, 2004
What are people doing to enter the US anyway?
This is not very difficult, as long a visitor has no visible symptoms of illness and/or no antiretrovirals to take. For people on treatment however, the question becomes tricky.
People on ARVs use more or less crafty strategies to circumvent the regulations. We do not legally recommend any of those.
We try to describe the US policies and how they might apply in various circumstances, and then let the reader make their own decisions about what to do.
It might well be that some of the bypassing strategies below would also be a violation of US immigration laws or other US laws. We don’t know what the consequences of such violations might be. It could be that they, too, result in a permanent ban on entry. That might not make much difference to someone, since once they're found out, they're found out and barred from re-entry anyway.
1. The probably safest strategy
**Rebottle medications with non-prescription packaging
**Have a letter from a clinician on you
Get the meds rebottled in neutral packaging and properly labeled by your pharmacy (which means without mentioning the nature or brand name of the drugs). To comply with US law, you need to carry a letter from a clinician which states that your drugs are prescribed for a personal medical condition. This letter should not mention HIV. Be ready to answer the question why you need these meds without hesitation (blood pressure, coronary problems, etc.).
Risk:
Small, especially with today’s therapies (reduced number of pills). Plan well ahead to have everything ready.
Advice:
You should carry the drugs in your hand luggage. Checked luggage is sometimes late or can get lost completely. However, be aware that the drugs can be detected more easily that way.
2. Carry the needed drugs on you, or in your luggage
*This is, as the Brighton study shows below, what most people do.
Risk:
There is a certain risk of being detected, by immigration officials, or by customs. Since September 11 2001, luggage is checked more frequently and more thoroughly.
If this happens, you may face deportation by the next available flight. As a consequence, there is zero chance of being readmitted to enter the US at a later occasion.
Advice:
-HIV-positives are advised to take enough medication to cover delays.
-To comply with US law, you need to carry a letter from a clinician which states that your drugs are prescribed for a personal medical condition. This letter should not mention HIV. Be ready to answer the question why you need these meds without hesitation (blood pressure, coronary problems, etc.).
-You should carry the drugs in your hand luggage. Checked luggage is sometimes late or can get lost completely. However, be aware that the drugs can be detected more easily that way.
-Leaving the US with remaining ARVs in the hand luggage is not free of risk. The authors know of a case where an HIV-positive person had his hand luggage searched through customs officials after boarding the plane. His drugs were detected, he cannot return to the US anymore.
-Take a last dose to be safe during travel, before checking in, eliminate remaining meds and ensure to have drugs available when needed after arrival. However, there is a small risk in case of delayed departure.
3. Send your meds in advance by mail
This needs to be carefully planned:
- Identify a US citizen to whom you can mail the drugs safely.
- Put a note in the parcel, saying that the drugs are a donation (this is credible, as many people in the United States have no health insurance and live on donated drugs).
- Make sure that the sender of the parcel is an HIV-negative family member, friend or a US citizen.
Advice:
Plan the mailing well in advance to have enough time for a second parcel in case the first one is lost.
Risk:
The most surprising conclusion of the Brighton study was that people who took up the option of mailing their drugs to the US were more likely to stop treatment than those who chose to carry their drugs with them.
This was because of the 12 people who attempted to mail their drugs ahead of time, only seven were successful (58%). This compares with 62/83 (75%) of those who took their drugs with them.
Of the five who were unsuccessful, two reported that their drugs did not reach the USA (most likely prevented from entering by US customs); one reported that their drugs arrived late; and a further two found that they were unable to mail their drugs at all. Since 9/11 the Post Office and courier firms now require a detailed description of the contents of any package sent to the US, with full details of the sender as well as the addressee. This makes the sending of antiretrovirals anonymously impossible, and once the sender includes their details, the same fears of discovery by US officials would then apply.
This method is no longer safe.
4. Buy your meds in the US
This looks simple, but also needs some planning.
- Contact your health insurance to learn if drugs you purchase in the US are reimbursed (medication, including antiretrovirals, are often more expensive in the US than elsewhere).
- Get a prescription for the medication you are taking from your doctor.
- Take a last dose of your meds before leaving the plane.
- Get an appointment with an HIV specialist on arrival to get a prescription.
- Buy your drugs through a US pharmacy.
US contacts to locate HIV specialists:
Act Up, New York,
www.actupny.org,
e-mail: actupny@panix.com
Gay Men’s Health Crisis, New York,
www.gmhc.org,
e-mail hotline@gmhc.org,
T +1 212 807 6655
5. Considerations before stopping medications
As the Brighton study shows below, some people decide to interrupt treatment before travelling to the US. THIS CAN BE VERY RISKY.
If you are thinking of stopping your medications when travelling to the US it is imperative that you consult with either your HIV clinician or pharmacist well ahead before doing so, otherwise you run the risk of acquiring new or further resistance that could have significant future health risks. Remember also that if you do stop HAART that you may feel ill during your trip, and that you may also be more infectious.
US organisations to get in touch with:
Act Up, New York,
www.actupny.org,
e-mail: actupny@panix.com
Gay Men’s Health Crisis, New York,
www.gmhc.org,
e-mail hotline@gmhc.org,
T +1 212 807 6655
IMPORTANT: Do never ever discuss your HIV status with US officials!
****
First-ever study on ban’s health effects
Until recently, there had been no research on the physical, emotional and psychological effects of the ban on HIV-positive people. Late 2003, however, a study from Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals was presented as a poster at the European AIDS Conference in Warsaw. [4]
The study sought to determine whether those attending the Lawson Unit HIV Outpatients’ Clinic in Brighton travelled with a visa waiver and/or medical insurance, and to establish how they managed their HAART medications when travelling.
A self-completion questionnaire was given to everyone who attended the clinic in February and March last year. Of 642 attendees, 346 completed the questionnaire, of which 96.5% were male, with an average age of 41.
In total, 135 (39%) respondents had travelled to the US since their HIV diagnosis, all but two of them “illegally”.
One-in-eight interrupted treatment
The most striking – and worrying – finding of the Brighton study was the way people travelling to the US without an HIV waiver managed their drugs.
Of the 83 respondents on HAART who travelled to the US, 10 (12,5%) stopped their drugs for the duration of their stay. Five chose to take treatment interruptions prior to leaving for the States, and five had problems with mailing their drugs.
Of the ten who interrupted their treatment, five were on NNRTI-based HAART, which, due to its longer half-life, must be stopped ahead of the other HAART components in order to reduce the likelihood of NNRTI mutations that could lead to clinical resistance.
In the Brighton study, only one of the five on NNRTI-based regimens stopped their NNRTI in the best-possible way after consulting with their HIV clinician. This person switched from efavirenz to tenofovir two weeks prior to stopping all drugs. The remaining four stopped their NNRTI two days, one day or at the same time as the rest of their HAART combination.
Of the three people who had short- or long-term problems due to their treatment interruption, one subsequently developed NNRTI drug resistance. This was a highly drug experienced patient who has subsequently run out of options now that he has also developed resistance to T-20.
The other two developed intermittent fevers, arthralgia, headaches and diarrhea, symptomatic of a viral load rebound, whilst in the US.
The study results confirm the fears that people with HIV are still travelling to the US and it seems they choose to go on an unplanned drug holiday because they fear they will have their drugs found on them.
Inadequate insurance
Despite the fact that 62% (n=215) of all respondents were aware that an HIV waiver was required, more than two-thirds (n=88) of all those who travelled to the US did so without adequate HIV medical insurance. This is not only risky, it is also another reason that the US says the HIV travel ban is in place: to make sure that foreigners do not place undue stress upon the US public health system.
Indeed, according to Section 212(a)(1)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act: “The applicant must demonstrate that he or she is not currently afflicted with symptoms of the disease; there are sufficient assets, such as insurance, that would cover any medical care that might be required in the event of illness while in the United States; the proposed visit to the United States is for 30 days or less; and that the visit will not pose a danger to public health in the United States.” [5]
www.immigration-usa.com/ina_96_title_2.html
It is highly recommended to anybody, HIV-positive or not, to inquire the need for additional insurance coverage before any trip to any country.
Citizens of the EU, the EEA and CH are covered for trips within these countries. Form E111 needs to be carried along.
A blunt instrument
Although one of the reasons for the US HIV ban is to control and monitor HIV-positive people entering the country, of the 135 who travelled to the US, only two (1,5%) actually travelled with an HIV waiver: 98,5% entered then country without the US knowing their HIV status. The most common reason (83%) given for not applying for an HIV waiver concerned disclosure to both the US and travelling companions.
Ironically, if the law is there to prevent onwards transmission of HIV from foreign visitors, by forcing a significant minority into treatment interruption – which invariably leads to a rise in viral load and therefore, theoretically, a rise in the likelihood of transmission – it is counterproductive.
Timeline
1987
President Reagan and Congress add AIDS to the list of “dangerous, contagious diseases for excluding persons from the United States”. Senator Jesse Helms’ “Helms amendment” add HIV to the exclusion list.
1989
Dutch HIV-prevention expert Hans Paul Verhoef jailed for four days in Minneapolis en route to an AIDS meeting in San Francisco, after AZT discovered in his suitcase.
1990
Mass boycott of 6th International AIDS Conference in San Francisco; thousands demonstrate.
1992
International AIDS Conference moves from Boston to Amsterdam; Clinton campaign promises end to the ban by executive order.
1993
Congress adds amendment to NIH Reauthorization Act adding HIV to the list of “communicable diseases for excluding people from the United States”. Clinton signs the bill, making the policy law.
2001
9/11 results in increased security and bag searches, increasing concerns that HIV medication would be found.
2002
Terrence Higgins Trust (UK) launches the „Stop the Ban“ campaign.
2004
Senator Kerry is promising to lift the US travel ban in case of his election.
(July 10, 2004)
President Bush is reelected.
(November 2004)
References
**Terrence Higgins Trust,
www.tht.org.uk
**AIDS Treatment Update, February 2004, #133, US Travel Health Warning
**Why the US HIV travel ban is seriously damaging our health.
www.aidsmap.co.uk
www.aidsandthelaw.com/
www.eatg.org/hivtravel/country.php?id=3022
**HIV Nachrichten, May 2004, #80,
www.hivlife.de/
** Kerry campaign promise:
http://archives.healthdev.net/pwha-net/msg00786.html
1. Countries participating in the visa waiver programme (VWP):
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. Citizens of the mentioned countries are admitted to the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
2. HIV Infection: Inadmissibility and Waiver Policies, US Department of Justice July 10, 1998 see
www.uscis.gov/propub/ProPubVAP.jsp?dockey=2a99077363b05b4f57f9a903fc0ca1d6
3. www.uscis.gov/propub/ProPubVAP.jsp?dockey=bff81c6f743142d536054ea514c22282
4. Boseley S. Drive to end US curb on HIV visitors, The Guardian March 5, 2002
5. Ponnusamy K et al. A study of knowledge attitudes and health outcomes in HIV positive patients following travel to the United States of America. 9th EACS, abstract 10.1/2, 2003.
6.www.immigration-usa.com/ina_96_title_2.html
References
**eatg.org
http://www.eatg.org/hivtravel/country.php?id=3022
The US HIV ban - additional information, updated July 28 2007
Due to the large number of inquiries on the US entry restrictions for people living with HIV/AIDS, the authors collected more detailed information on this special page.
The reader will find information on
background and history of the law,
who is concerned by the law,
how the law is enforced,
how to enter the US legally as a person with HIV/AIDS,
strategies on how people try to circumvent the regulations,
the first ever study on the effects of the law (Brighton study).
Basic information on the US entry and residency restrictions: Go to www.eatg.org/hivtravel/country.php?id=3017
Since 1987, HIV-positive foreigners are banned from entering the USA. Today, the forced repatriation of HIV-positive tourists still happens. Although the US HIV tourist ban has been almost universally criticised – both from within and outside the US – the restrictions remain after almost 20 years. Due to the convoluted nature of the history of this discriminatory piece of legislation, an act of Congress is required to remove it.
As our ongoing survey [www.eatg.org/hivtravel] shows, the US is one of only a handful of countries to completely ban HIV-positive visitors, even for short term tourist stays (other countries are: Armenia, Brunei, China, Fiji, Iraq, Korea (South), Moldavia, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia).
Who is concerned by the law?
Immigrants
Residency and work permit applicants
Non-immigrant visitors requiring a visa
Non-immigrant visitors entering with the green I94-W form
The prohibition against entry to the United States by those with HIV applies to both immigrants and non-immigrant visitors. Immigrants with HIV face significant problems in remaining permanently in the United States. For some immigrants, however, a "waiver" of the exclusionary policy may be available. Immigrants with HIV should consult an attorney familiar with immigration standards in this area. The same is true for HIV-positives applying for a work permit or who want to pursue studies.
HIV-infected non-citizens with a legal U.S. immigration status may travel outside the United States, but should first determine whether they will be subject to the HIV exclusion upon their return and whether a waiver of the exclusion is available.
Non-immigrant visitors entering with the green I94-W form:
Citizens of certain countries are allowed to enter the US for up to 90 days without applying for a visa, as long as they are not terrorists, communists, convicts or “afflicted with a communicable disease”. These visitors will have to complete the green I94-W form before proceeding through immigration. The forms are distributed by the flight attendants. There is no specific question related to HIV on the form, but an HIV infected person is ineligible to receive a visa and ineligible to be admitted to the United States (see 2nd paragraph chapter “How is the law enforced”). [1]
Non-immigrant visitors requiring a visa:
Visa applicants are asked the same question as travellers entering with the I94-W form (“Are you afflicted with a communicable disease of public health significance?”).
The following paragraph applies for both non-immigrant visitors requiring a visa & non-immigrant visitors entering with the green I94-W form:
According to the web site www.aidsandthelaw.com “if the applicant is not aware that HIV is such a disease under US immigration law, he or she could respond ‘no’. In that case, the application would not be fraudulent. But if the applicant answers ‘no’, while knowing that individuals with HIV are barred from entry, then the applicant has committed immigration fraud, which, if discovered, is a permanent, non-waivable, basis for inadmissibility”.
How is the law enforced?
Initially, the policy was adopted by the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, now U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) within the Department of Homeland Security. Subsequently, however, the U.S. Congress put this exclusion into the Immigration and Nationality Act itself, Section 212(a)(1)(A)(i) [8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(1)(A)(i)]:
"Any alien . . . who is determined (in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services) to have a communicable disease of public health significance, which shall include infection with the etiologic agent for acquired immune deficiency syndrome" is ineligible to receive a visa and ineligible to be admitted to the United States.”
Reform of the law in this area will require another act of Congress to repeal the ban.
In 1990, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service issued an "advisory" policy regarding border inspections regarding HIV/AIDS. In the event that this policy is violated by immigration officials, however, there is no remedy or recourse available for the traveller. Under this policy, immigration and customs enforcement officials should not inquire about HIV status unless there are physical symptoms of illness or the individual makes an unambiguous and unsolicited statement of his or her status. Carrying literature pertaining to HIV/AIDS or related materials should not cause questioning regarding HIV status. However, discovery of medications used to treat HIV illness may result in questioning and a referral for a medical examination.
In the event that an individual with HIV is identified at the border, immigration officials generally attempt to persuade the individual to return to his or her country of origin. In many cases, they will release the individual, either with or without posting any bond. The individual is then required to appear within a few days for a "deferred inspection." The individual can present evidence and have legal counsel present. Immigration officials will then determine whether the individual will be legally admitted to the United States. If an individual with HIV is identified at the border, however, immigration officials have the authority to detain the individual indefinitely, without any right to release on bail. The individual has no right to counsel and may not be permitted to communicate with others who may be able to help the individual.
Source: www.aidsandthelaw.com/issues/entry%20to%20US.htm
Since 69% if US visits in the Brighton study were for tourism – which, according the latest INS fact sheet is not a valid reason to be granted an HIV visa waiver – many (43,4%) were concerned that they would be denied a visa if they did declare their status. [2]
However, the media often report confliction and confusing (mis-)information regarding who exactly is eligible for the HIV waiver, including this article from The Guardian. “Inadmissibility because of HIV/AIDS ‘is routinely waived’, a [US Embassy] spokesman said. ´People are given visas and the waiver many times and do travel on holidays, business and as students. It is a public health issue. In some cases it is a financial concern as well. It is not saying there is anything wrong with the person.’” [3]
Is it possible to enter the US legally with HIV?
Yes, it is possible, under certain circumstances:
to attend conferences
to receive medical treatment
to visit close family members
to conduct business
However, this requires applying for a stigmatising HIV visa waiver. Even if the waiver is granted – which may take three months or longer to obtain, and requires a personal interview at the US Embassy – the person’s passport is endorsed to show that this person may not enter the US without the waiver, which must be renegotiated on each entry. This also means that people who once apply for an HIV visa waiver will always have to go through this process when they plan to visit the US in the future, irrespective of the fact if the waiver has been granted or not.
This can cause further HIV disclosure issues on entering other countries, where immigration officers and consular staff may want to know why the passport holder is barred from the US.
Experiences collected from our contacts and other sources
The passport will be marked with the mention “Allowed to enter the U.S. with HIV visa waiver only”.
HIV-Nachrichten, Germany, no 80, May 2004
A stamp is put in the passport unless the applicant asks for it to be put on a separate piece of paper attached to the passport. However, most PWHA aren't told about this option when they apply for the visa.
Terrence Higgins Trust, by e-mail, Aug 10, 2004
As I applied for a J1 and an H1B working visa including an HIV waiver, this was stamped in my passport:
For the J1 visa:
Annotation A77 681 388
212 (D) (3) (A) Waiver
The J1 visa is a non-immigrant visa for exchange visitors (e.g. au-pairs, guest professors, post doctoral associates and other short term workers) and is issued for the maximum period of 3 years). In my case, the visa was issued for 20 months from the US Consulate in Berlin (August 2001). My sponsor was the Council of International Educational Exchange. I was the first of 40.000 participants in this exchange program who openly declared her HIV status. I had to bring my entire family (although they were all HIV negative) to a physician licensed to issue health certificates for the US consulate (costs $350).
For the H1B visa:
Annotation 212(A) (I)
The H1B visa programme is the primary method for bringing foreign professionals to work in the USA. If you do not have HIV, were not borne in a country behind the "axis of evil" or have no other characteristics the immigration law does not favor, you can apply for a green-card with the H1B visa. The H1B visa can be issued for up to 5 years for non-immigrants. This time the University of Miami applied for my visa for duration of three years and the visa was issued in July 2003 by the US consulate in Frankfurt.
For both visas I had to appear in person at the US consulates. A proof of coverage of my HIV related treatment from Germany and the letter of the physician licensed by the US consulate were required.
None of the consulates informed me that there was the option to have the annotation attached on a separate form. I did not ask and was not aware of this option.
Although the annotation in the H1B visa does not say explicitly that I required a waiver, I got pulled out at customs at entry and an officer asked me why I required a visa. He was very friendly after he heard that I was HIV infected and gave me a webpage with treatment information and wished me good health.
HK, Germany, by e-mail, Aug 10, 2004
What are people doing to enter the US anyway?
This is not very difficult, as long a visitor has no visible symptoms of illness and/or no antiretrovirals to take. For people on treatment however, the question becomes tricky.
People on ARVs use more or less crafty strategies to circumvent the regulations. We do not legally recommend any of those.
We try to describe the US policies and how they might apply in various circumstances, and then let the reader make their own decisions about what to do.
It might well be that some of the bypassing strategies below would also be a violation of US immigration laws or other US laws. We don’t know what the consequences of such violations might be. It could be that they, too, result in a permanent ban on entry. That might not make much difference to someone, since once they're found out, they're found out and barred from re-entry anyway.
1. The probably safest strategy
**Rebottle medications with non-prescription packaging
**Have a letter from a clinician on you
Get the meds rebottled in neutral packaging and properly labeled by your pharmacy (which means without mentioning the nature or brand name of the drugs). To comply with US law, you need to carry a letter from a clinician which states that your drugs are prescribed for a personal medical condition. This letter should not mention HIV. Be ready to answer the question why you need these meds without hesitation (blood pressure, coronary problems, etc.).
Risk:
Small, especially with today’s therapies (reduced number of pills). Plan well ahead to have everything ready.
Advice:
You should carry the drugs in your hand luggage. Checked luggage is sometimes late or can get lost completely. However, be aware that the drugs can be detected more easily that way.
2. Carry the needed drugs on you, or in your luggage
*This is, as the Brighton study shows below, what most people do.
Risk:
There is a certain risk of being detected, by immigration officials, or by customs. Since September 11 2001, luggage is checked more frequently and more thoroughly.
If this happens, you may face deportation by the next available flight. As a consequence, there is zero chance of being readmitted to enter the US at a later occasion.
Advice:
-HIV-positives are advised to take enough medication to cover delays.
-To comply with US law, you need to carry a letter from a clinician which states that your drugs are prescribed for a personal medical condition. This letter should not mention HIV. Be ready to answer the question why you need these meds without hesitation (blood pressure, coronary problems, etc.).
-You should carry the drugs in your hand luggage. Checked luggage is sometimes late or can get lost completely. However, be aware that the drugs can be detected more easily that way.
-Leaving the US with remaining ARVs in the hand luggage is not free of risk. The authors know of a case where an HIV-positive person had his hand luggage searched through customs officials after boarding the plane. His drugs were detected, he cannot return to the US anymore.
-Take a last dose to be safe during travel, before checking in, eliminate remaining meds and ensure to have drugs available when needed after arrival. However, there is a small risk in case of delayed departure.
3. Send your meds in advance by mail
This needs to be carefully planned:
- Identify a US citizen to whom you can mail the drugs safely.
- Put a note in the parcel, saying that the drugs are a donation (this is credible, as many people in the United States have no health insurance and live on donated drugs).
- Make sure that the sender of the parcel is an HIV-negative family member, friend or a US citizen.
Advice:
Plan the mailing well in advance to have enough time for a second parcel in case the first one is lost.
Risk:
The most surprising conclusion of the Brighton study was that people who took up the option of mailing their drugs to the US were more likely to stop treatment than those who chose to carry their drugs with them.
This was because of the 12 people who attempted to mail their drugs ahead of time, only seven were successful (58%). This compares with 62/83 (75%) of those who took their drugs with them.
Of the five who were unsuccessful, two reported that their drugs did not reach the USA (most likely prevented from entering by US customs); one reported that their drugs arrived late; and a further two found that they were unable to mail their drugs at all. Since 9/11 the Post Office and courier firms now require a detailed description of the contents of any package sent to the US, with full details of the sender as well as the addressee. This makes the sending of antiretrovirals anonymously impossible, and once the sender includes their details, the same fears of discovery by US officials would then apply.
This method is no longer safe.
4. Buy your meds in the US
This looks simple, but also needs some planning.
- Contact your health insurance to learn if drugs you purchase in the US are reimbursed (medication, including antiretrovirals, are often more expensive in the US than elsewhere).
- Get a prescription for the medication you are taking from your doctor.
- Take a last dose of your meds before leaving the plane.
- Get an appointment with an HIV specialist on arrival to get a prescription.
- Buy your drugs through a US pharmacy.
US contacts to locate HIV specialists:
Act Up, New York,
www.actupny.org,
e-mail: actupny@panix.com
Gay Men’s Health Crisis, New York,
www.gmhc.org,
e-mail hotline@gmhc.org,
T +1 212 807 6655
5. Considerations before stopping medications
As the Brighton study shows below, some people decide to interrupt treatment before travelling to the US. THIS CAN BE VERY RISKY.
If you are thinking of stopping your medications when travelling to the US it is imperative that you consult with either your HIV clinician or pharmacist well ahead before doing so, otherwise you run the risk of acquiring new or further resistance that could have significant future health risks. Remember also that if you do stop HAART that you may feel ill during your trip, and that you may also be more infectious.
US organisations to get in touch with:
Act Up, New York,
www.actupny.org,
e-mail: actupny@panix.com
Gay Men’s Health Crisis, New York,
www.gmhc.org,
e-mail hotline@gmhc.org,
T +1 212 807 6655
IMPORTANT: Do never ever discuss your HIV status with US officials!
****
First-ever study on ban’s health effects
Until recently, there had been no research on the physical, emotional and psychological effects of the ban on HIV-positive people. Late 2003, however, a study from Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals was presented as a poster at the European AIDS Conference in Warsaw. [4]
The study sought to determine whether those attending the Lawson Unit HIV Outpatients’ Clinic in Brighton travelled with a visa waiver and/or medical insurance, and to establish how they managed their HAART medications when travelling.
A self-completion questionnaire was given to everyone who attended the clinic in February and March last year. Of 642 attendees, 346 completed the questionnaire, of which 96.5% were male, with an average age of 41.
In total, 135 (39%) respondents had travelled to the US since their HIV diagnosis, all but two of them “illegally”.
One-in-eight interrupted treatment
The most striking – and worrying – finding of the Brighton study was the way people travelling to the US without an HIV waiver managed their drugs.
Of the 83 respondents on HAART who travelled to the US, 10 (12,5%) stopped their drugs for the duration of their stay. Five chose to take treatment interruptions prior to leaving for the States, and five had problems with mailing their drugs.
Of the ten who interrupted their treatment, five were on NNRTI-based HAART, which, due to its longer half-life, must be stopped ahead of the other HAART components in order to reduce the likelihood of NNRTI mutations that could lead to clinical resistance.
In the Brighton study, only one of the five on NNRTI-based regimens stopped their NNRTI in the best-possible way after consulting with their HIV clinician. This person switched from efavirenz to tenofovir two weeks prior to stopping all drugs. The remaining four stopped their NNRTI two days, one day or at the same time as the rest of their HAART combination.
Of the three people who had short- or long-term problems due to their treatment interruption, one subsequently developed NNRTI drug resistance. This was a highly drug experienced patient who has subsequently run out of options now that he has also developed resistance to T-20.
The other two developed intermittent fevers, arthralgia, headaches and diarrhea, symptomatic of a viral load rebound, whilst in the US.
The study results confirm the fears that people with HIV are still travelling to the US and it seems they choose to go on an unplanned drug holiday because they fear they will have their drugs found on them.
Inadequate insurance
Despite the fact that 62% (n=215) of all respondents were aware that an HIV waiver was required, more than two-thirds (n=88) of all those who travelled to the US did so without adequate HIV medical insurance. This is not only risky, it is also another reason that the US says the HIV travel ban is in place: to make sure that foreigners do not place undue stress upon the US public health system.
Indeed, according to Section 212(a)(1)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act: “The applicant must demonstrate that he or she is not currently afflicted with symptoms of the disease; there are sufficient assets, such as insurance, that would cover any medical care that might be required in the event of illness while in the United States; the proposed visit to the United States is for 30 days or less; and that the visit will not pose a danger to public health in the United States.” [5]
www.immigration-usa.com/ina_96_title_2.html
It is highly recommended to anybody, HIV-positive or not, to inquire the need for additional insurance coverage before any trip to any country.
Citizens of the EU, the EEA and CH are covered for trips within these countries. Form E111 needs to be carried along.
A blunt instrument
Although one of the reasons for the US HIV ban is to control and monitor HIV-positive people entering the country, of the 135 who travelled to the US, only two (1,5%) actually travelled with an HIV waiver: 98,5% entered then country without the US knowing their HIV status. The most common reason (83%) given for not applying for an HIV waiver concerned disclosure to both the US and travelling companions.
Ironically, if the law is there to prevent onwards transmission of HIV from foreign visitors, by forcing a significant minority into treatment interruption – which invariably leads to a rise in viral load and therefore, theoretically, a rise in the likelihood of transmission – it is counterproductive.
Timeline
1987
President Reagan and Congress add AIDS to the list of “dangerous, contagious diseases for excluding persons from the United States”. Senator Jesse Helms’ “Helms amendment” add HIV to the exclusion list.
1989
Dutch HIV-prevention expert Hans Paul Verhoef jailed for four days in Minneapolis en route to an AIDS meeting in San Francisco, after AZT discovered in his suitcase.
1990
Mass boycott of 6th International AIDS Conference in San Francisco; thousands demonstrate.
1992
International AIDS Conference moves from Boston to Amsterdam; Clinton campaign promises end to the ban by executive order.
1993
Congress adds amendment to NIH Reauthorization Act adding HIV to the list of “communicable diseases for excluding people from the United States”. Clinton signs the bill, making the policy law.
2001
9/11 results in increased security and bag searches, increasing concerns that HIV medication would be found.
2002
Terrence Higgins Trust (UK) launches the „Stop the Ban“ campaign.
2004
Senator Kerry is promising to lift the US travel ban in case of his election.
(July 10, 2004)
President Bush is reelected.
(November 2004)
References
**Terrence Higgins Trust,
www.tht.org.uk
**AIDS Treatment Update, February 2004, #133, US Travel Health Warning
**Why the US HIV travel ban is seriously damaging our health.
www.aidsmap.co.uk
www.aidsandthelaw.com/
www.eatg.org/hivtravel/country.php?id=3022
**HIV Nachrichten, May 2004, #80,
www.hivlife.de/
** Kerry campaign promise:
http://archives.healthdev.net/pwha-net/msg00786.html
1. Countries participating in the visa waiver programme (VWP):
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. Citizens of the mentioned countries are admitted to the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
2. HIV Infection: Inadmissibility and Waiver Policies, US Department of Justice July 10, 1998 see
www.uscis.gov/propub/ProPubVAP.jsp?dockey=2a99077363b05b4f57f9a903fc0ca1d6
3. www.uscis.gov/propub/ProPubVAP.jsp?dockey=bff81c6f743142d536054ea514c22282
4. Boseley S. Drive to end US curb on HIV visitors, The Guardian March 5, 2002
5. Ponnusamy K et al. A study of knowledge attitudes and health outcomes in HIV positive patients following travel to the United States of America. 9th EACS, abstract 10.1/2, 2003.
6.www.immigration-usa.com/ina_96_title_2.html
References
**eatg.org
http://www.eatg.org/hivtravel/country.php?id=3022
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
A NEW EARTH WEB EVENT
Oprah and Eckhart’s class (free)
Awakening To Your Life's Purpose
Watch TonightIt's not too late for you to participate! You'll be able to watch tonight's (EVERY MONEDAY) webcast about chapter 3 when the doors open at 8:30/7:30c.
Last week Oprah and Eckhart introduced you to the ego. This week they're delving into what the ego is really made of—and how complaining, resentment and fame feed it. Then, they're going to help you discover your inner truth.
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Saturday, March 1, 2008
Tizita's Story
Hello Everyone,
Before you start reading my comment on Tizita's real-life experience, you should first listen to Tizita's Story.
What makes this series of diaries very special and unique, from what we used to hear in earlier days, is hearing Tizita herself tell her stories. Furthermore, she obviously represents the real life experiences of many Ethiopian women.
Tizita's story is so powerful and universal in its message. Tizita has drawn on her own life as a wife, as a daughter and sister which takes most of us back to our own childhood memories and the realization that hardships in life can make a person much stronger. The importance of telling/sharing real life experiences especially in this case is to see this our of the box or see the bigger picture of what is going on in one's life and/or a different way of seeing things, and perhaps a different path to follow in life. They can really widen our perspective and as a result, we can become a better person and can have a better understanding without prejudging others.
One thing that we shouldn't forget is Tizita's educational background was limited and the rural life style in which she grew up was not easy, however, the way she tells her story sounded to a very interesting university lecturer or a professor - a high level creative literary work we could hear from a panelist.
Tizita was an innocent little girl and like her other childhood friends or neighbors had a dream of going to school and becoming a nurse but it was not easy for her. Unfortunately, her mother passed away when she was five and everything changed after that day. Being alone she had to take some responsibilities for her siblings and you can imagine how hard it could be. For a little girl, growing up without a mother is one of the many moments in life which we cannot have control over. We also heard how she became attracted to her future husband. At a time like this it would be a big deal for her to meet someone that she could talk to and be comfortable with. At the time her boyfriend then her husband became the only person in her life that she really trusted after she lost her father. However, that didn't last long because he was getting sick and that made her life to go upside down again.
One thing that I want to say is how her husband was such a smart person and he should be admired greatly. He kept his daily diaries, even before he found out that he's HIV positive because he used to love writing. Also, another thing I liked about him is that he gathered all his family members and told them that he is living with the HIV virus and helped them to have a better understanding about the virus, which is a big deal even at this time in our culture to open up like that. It would take a huge amount of courage to do what her husband did. So I feel that he did go beyond what one person would normally be able to do. But the sad part, which I don't blame him either, it was hard for him to tell share this with his wife (Tizita) after he learned that He is HIV positive. He was in Addis for better treatment when He found out and his wife was not with him.
I hope many of us learned a lot from her life experience. When she found out about her husband health status, how she reacted and more. Also, we should have more respect and a better understanding about those people living with the virus. I can say we need to educate everyone about HIV/AIDS. Awareness (education) is power. You don’t have to be a health professional, or a doctor - anyone who has a better understanding should be able to teach/share with our community to stop the spread of this virus. We need to be educated so that we can be able to challenge the discrimination, stigma and bias that is going on in our society. I know whoever reading this, you might not have any idea what I am talking about. But after listening to Tizita's story, then you would understand it I hope.
" I just got done writing this & saw the last of Tizita's diaries is online. I was so happy to see that, but at the same time I have mixed feelings to listen to her last episode, but it was so good. I am so happy for her. She had a baby boy and he's HIV negative."
Best Wishes to all
Sweet
“This Betega radio broadcast, the series gives millions of Ethiopians a chance to hear about the real-life experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS. The radio program is a series of self-narrated stories of the everyday lives and experiences of PLHA.”
Before you start reading my comment on Tizita's real-life experience, you should first listen to Tizita's Story.
What makes this series of diaries very special and unique, from what we used to hear in earlier days, is hearing Tizita herself tell her stories. Furthermore, she obviously represents the real life experiences of many Ethiopian women.
Tizita's story is so powerful and universal in its message. Tizita has drawn on her own life as a wife, as a daughter and sister which takes most of us back to our own childhood memories and the realization that hardships in life can make a person much stronger. The importance of telling/sharing real life experiences especially in this case is to see this our of the box or see the bigger picture of what is going on in one's life and/or a different way of seeing things, and perhaps a different path to follow in life. They can really widen our perspective and as a result, we can become a better person and can have a better understanding without prejudging others.
One thing that we shouldn't forget is Tizita's educational background was limited and the rural life style in which she grew up was not easy, however, the way she tells her story sounded to a very interesting university lecturer or a professor - a high level creative literary work we could hear from a panelist.
Tizita was an innocent little girl and like her other childhood friends or neighbors had a dream of going to school and becoming a nurse but it was not easy for her. Unfortunately, her mother passed away when she was five and everything changed after that day. Being alone she had to take some responsibilities for her siblings and you can imagine how hard it could be. For a little girl, growing up without a mother is one of the many moments in life which we cannot have control over. We also heard how she became attracted to her future husband. At a time like this it would be a big deal for her to meet someone that she could talk to and be comfortable with. At the time her boyfriend then her husband became the only person in her life that she really trusted after she lost her father. However, that didn't last long because he was getting sick and that made her life to go upside down again.
One thing that I want to say is how her husband was such a smart person and he should be admired greatly. He kept his daily diaries, even before he found out that he's HIV positive because he used to love writing. Also, another thing I liked about him is that he gathered all his family members and told them that he is living with the HIV virus and helped them to have a better understanding about the virus, which is a big deal even at this time in our culture to open up like that. It would take a huge amount of courage to do what her husband did. So I feel that he did go beyond what one person would normally be able to do. But the sad part, which I don't blame him either, it was hard for him to tell share this with his wife (Tizita) after he learned that He is HIV positive. He was in Addis for better treatment when He found out and his wife was not with him.
I hope many of us learned a lot from her life experience. When she found out about her husband health status, how she reacted and more. Also, we should have more respect and a better understanding about those people living with the virus. I can say we need to educate everyone about HIV/AIDS. Awareness (education) is power. You don’t have to be a health professional, or a doctor - anyone who has a better understanding should be able to teach/share with our community to stop the spread of this virus. We need to be educated so that we can be able to challenge the discrimination, stigma and bias that is going on in our society. I know whoever reading this, you might not have any idea what I am talking about. But after listening to Tizita's story, then you would understand it I hope.
" I just got done writing this & saw the last of Tizita's diaries is online. I was so happy to see that, but at the same time I have mixed feelings to listen to her last episode, but it was so good. I am so happy for her. She had a baby boy and he's HIV negative."
Best Wishes to all
Sweet
“This Betega radio broadcast, the series gives millions of Ethiopians a chance to hear about the real-life experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS. The radio program is a series of self-narrated stories of the everyday lives and experiences of PLHA.”
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
ተረትና ምሳሌ
"ብርሌ ከንቃ አይሆንም እቃ"
"ጎሽ ለልጅዋ ስትል ተወጋች"
"ከሞኝ ደጅ ሞፈረ ይቆረጣል"
"ይህች ባቄላ ካደርች አትቆረጠምም"
"የልቡን ሲነግሩት የኮርኮሩትን ያህል ያስቃል"
"ሆድ ያባውን ብቅል ያወጣዋል"
"አንዱ ባንዱ ሲስቅ ጀንበር ጥልቅ"
"እንኳን አባቴ ሞቶ እንዲሁም አልቅሽ አልቅሽ ይለኛል"
"በፊት ነበር እንጂ መጥኖ መደቆስ አሁን ምን ያደርጋል ድስት ጥዶ ማልቀስ"
"ባጎረስኩ እጄ ተነከስኩ"
"አለመታደል ነው ቀላውጦ ማስመለስ"
"የእህያ ቀበጥ ከጅብ ጡት ይጠባል"
"ምንም ቢፈቀሩ አብረው አይቀበሩ"
Thanks
"ጎሽ ለልጅዋ ስትል ተወጋች"
"ከሞኝ ደጅ ሞፈረ ይቆረጣል"
"ይህች ባቄላ ካደርች አትቆረጠምም"
"የልቡን ሲነግሩት የኮርኮሩትን ያህል ያስቃል"
"ሆድ ያባውን ብቅል ያወጣዋል"
"አንዱ ባንዱ ሲስቅ ጀንበር ጥልቅ"
"እንኳን አባቴ ሞቶ እንዲሁም አልቅሽ አልቅሽ ይለኛል"
"በፊት ነበር እንጂ መጥኖ መደቆስ አሁን ምን ያደርጋል ድስት ጥዶ ማልቀስ"
"ባጎረስኩ እጄ ተነከስኩ"
"አለመታደል ነው ቀላውጦ ማስመለስ"
"የእህያ ቀበጥ ከጅብ ጡት ይጠባል"
"ምንም ቢፈቀሩ አብረው አይቀበሩ"
Thanks
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Not Everyone, Who Becomes Infected With HIV, Originates From A 'High Risk' Group
Medical News Today: 18 Jan 2008
The common usage of the words 'high risk', in reference to people, who are most likely to become infected with HIV, has led many to believe misguidedly that they are not at risk. Unfortunately, this belief couldn't be further from the truth.Everyone is at risk of infection and worldwide infection rates show that HIV is infecting men, women and children of all ages. Millions of people, who were not considered to be 'high risk', are now infected. The outdated and inaccurate messages that continue to be broadcast contribute globally to a false sense of security.People do not think that they are at risk. The pervasive message in the media states that HIV infections are highest among the 'high risk' groups of drug users and gay people. There is little reported about the steady, worldwide climb of the disease among those, who are not considered to be at 'high risk'.Safe sex messages and condom promotion are effective strategies. However, everyone needs to be informed of the mounting evidence, which shows that HIV is thriving outside of 'high risk' groups.Both heterosexuals and homosexuals are being infected. In addition, individuals, who are not promiscuous and not drug addicts, become infected. One encounter with someone, who is HIV positive, can lead to infection. A person with just one sexual experience can become infected.It is more and more likely that those, who are not infected, will encounter individuals who are infected. UNAIDS and WHO estimate that approximately 33.2 million people are infected with HIV around the world. Unknown numbers of individuals are unaware that they are infected with HIV and unaware that they may infect others.We are failing to inform people properly. Sending the message that HIV infections occur in 'high risk' groups leaves many to believe that they have no concerns for safeguarding their own health. Anyone, who engages in sexual activity without a condom, risks infection.Educating the public about the real risks is a better HIV prevention strategy.
Written by - Bradford McIntyre
HIV+ since 1984
Vancouver, Canada
The common usage of the words 'high risk', in reference to people, who are most likely to become infected with HIV, has led many to believe misguidedly that they are not at risk. Unfortunately, this belief couldn't be further from the truth.Everyone is at risk of infection and worldwide infection rates show that HIV is infecting men, women and children of all ages. Millions of people, who were not considered to be 'high risk', are now infected. The outdated and inaccurate messages that continue to be broadcast contribute globally to a false sense of security.People do not think that they are at risk. The pervasive message in the media states that HIV infections are highest among the 'high risk' groups of drug users and gay people. There is little reported about the steady, worldwide climb of the disease among those, who are not considered to be at 'high risk'.Safe sex messages and condom promotion are effective strategies. However, everyone needs to be informed of the mounting evidence, which shows that HIV is thriving outside of 'high risk' groups.Both heterosexuals and homosexuals are being infected. In addition, individuals, who are not promiscuous and not drug addicts, become infected. One encounter with someone, who is HIV positive, can lead to infection. A person with just one sexual experience can become infected.It is more and more likely that those, who are not infected, will encounter individuals who are infected. UNAIDS and WHO estimate that approximately 33.2 million people are infected with HIV around the world. Unknown numbers of individuals are unaware that they are infected with HIV and unaware that they may infect others.We are failing to inform people properly. Sending the message that HIV infections occur in 'high risk' groups leaves many to believe that they have no concerns for safeguarding their own health. Anyone, who engages in sexual activity without a condom, risks infection.Educating the public about the real risks is a better HIV prevention strategy.
Written by - Bradford McIntyre
HIV+ since 1984
Vancouver, Canada
Friday, February 8, 2008
HIV Can Be Transmitted Through Pre-Chewed Food, Researchers Say
HIV Can Be Transmitted Through Pre-Chewed Food, Researchers Say
HIV can be transmitted to infants through food that is pre-chewed by an HIV-positive parent or caregiver, CDC researchers said Wednesday at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, the New York Times reports. Specific findings from the study have not been released, the Times reports.
According to the Times, pre-chewing food most often occurs in developing countries, where commercially prepared infant food and blenders are not available and caregivers need to soften food before giving it to an infant. The practice is rare in the U.S. but does occur among several racial and ethnic groups, according to a CDC study on infant feeding. >>
HIV can be transmitted to infants through food that is pre-chewed by an HIV-positive parent or caregiver, CDC researchers said Wednesday at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, the New York Times reports. Specific findings from the study have not been released, the Times reports.
According to the Times, pre-chewing food most often occurs in developing countries, where commercially prepared infant food and blenders are not available and caregivers need to soften food before giving it to an infant. The practice is rare in the U.S. but does occur among several racial and ethnic groups, according to a CDC study on infant feeding. >>
Monday, January 14, 2008
Food-for-thought
"Some day, in years to come, we will be wrestling with the great temptation, or trembling under the great sorrow of our life. But the real struggle is here, now, in these quiet weeks. Now it is being decided whether, in the day of your supreme sorrow or temptation, we shall miserably fail or gloriously conquer. Character cannot be made except by a steady, long continued process."
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Revance
Relevance
One look at these pictures
Which were taken in the nation of Africa
A country we’re so fond of
A beautiful land and hospitable people
A place that I want to be
And, well, even the windswept splendor of the sub-Sahara
It’s perfection of nature
You can’t help but ask?
“how can there be this much perfection in one place”
a continent built on struggle
signs of it are palpable every where
it lurks in the most visited places
from the “western walls”
with its weight of tragedy and redemption over slavery
to the easteren seas of “haram al-sharif”
an anxiety pervades the most mundane of transactions
a nation feels fragile
yet this fragility is the most compelling reason to love this land
an extraordinary nation and an extraordinary time.
Author
One look at these pictures
Which were taken in the nation of Africa
A country we’re so fond of
A beautiful land and hospitable people
A place that I want to be
And, well, even the windswept splendor of the sub-Sahara
It’s perfection of nature
You can’t help but ask?
“how can there be this much perfection in one place”
a continent built on struggle
signs of it are palpable every where
it lurks in the most visited places
from the “western walls”
with its weight of tragedy and redemption over slavery
to the easteren seas of “haram al-sharif”
an anxiety pervades the most mundane of transactions
a nation feels fragile
yet this fragility is the most compelling reason to love this land
an extraordinary nation and an extraordinary time.
Author
The person I really respct and I wouldn't be here without You!
Copyright © 2008 by Abesha Care
When you feel hopeless, tired, how do you Move On? Where do you get your strength?
When you feel hopeless, tired, how do you Move On? Where do you get your strength?
- What matters most is how you see yourself!!
- How we can move on........why we need to forgive? why we need to let go?
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
አማርኛ አባባሎች ( ተረት እና መሳሌ)
እስቲ ለመጀመር የአበሻን ኬር ብሎግ የአማርኛ አባባሎች እንካፈል
አንድ ሁለት ጣል አርጌ ልሂድ
አንድ ሁለት ጣል አርጌ ልሂድ
- የጊዜ ምስቅልቅል እግር እራስ ያካል
- የማያዋጣ ባል ቅድብ ይስማል
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