Moreover, AIDS has been bumped

Moreover, AIDS has been bumped out of the medical limelight by the H1N1 flu virus. But the "swine flu" has killed fewer than 6,100 people, according to the CDC; 14,000 AIDS patients die annually.

Yanzhong Huang, director of the Center for Global Health Studies at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, said the public may ignore the AIDS issue because people feel they aren't at risk for getting the disease. AIDS can be managed with drug treatment, he said, but "still, it kills people."

Oldham said too many younger people aren't taking precautions to prevent getting the disease because they don't remember the horrors of the early years of the epidemic in the 1980s. Oldham was living in New York City when he was diagnosed 20 years ago and started a sad cycle of attending friends' funerals.

"My entire circle of friends was dying," he said. Many were dead within 30 to 90 days of diagnosis. As they wasted away, he said, some hospital personnel were too afraid of the new disease to even bring the patients their meals.

Now, he points out, HIV patients can live 20 to 25 years after diagnosis, many with treatment from anti-retroviral drugs. And new medicines are so recent that it's unclear how long they will prolong the lives of infected people but could give them close to a normal life span, said Judith Feinberg, professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati and an AIDS researcher for 25 years. "This is not an automatic death sentence anymore," she said.

But that rosier picture has led to some complacency in following safe-sex practices, Oldham noted.

AIDS is the No. 1 cause of death among African-American women ages 25 to 35, he said. Their rate of infection is 15 times that of white women, according to the CDC.

Americans found many ways to commemorate World AIDS Day on Tuesday

Americans found many ways to commemorate World AIDS Day on Tuesday. Prayer vigils in Las Vegas. Free rapid-result testing in Iowa. Even a carnival ring toss in New Mexico. But the atmosphere was hardly festive.

The disease may have evolved from a quick death sentence to an illness that can be managed. Yet AIDS experts warn that the global epidemic is still taking 2 million lives a year. They also point out the continued need for prevention and early diagnosis and the shortage of money for treatment.

UNAIDS, a United Nations program, recently reported that the number of new infections has dropped 30 percent from a peak of 3.5 million cases in 1996. But in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that about 56,300 people a year still are newly infected -- about one person every nine and a half minutes. HIV-AIDS is an autoimmune disease, transmitted through methods such as sharing needles for intravenous drug use and some sexual practices.

"We have done a very good job of helping developing countries. Where we have not done a good job is inside the United States -- giving it attention," said Frank J. Oldham Jr., president of the National Association of People with AIDS, which represents the 1.1 million Americans with HIV and AIDS.

activist groups hoping to stop the spread of AIDS

despite the urging of activist groups hoping to stop the spread of AIDS among porn industry workers.

Officials in Los Angeles, where the industry is centered, said Tuesday that it would be nearly impossible to enforce such restrictions.

"It's very, very difficult to implement," Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the county's public health chief, told the Los Angeles Times. "There are roughly 200 production companies with 1,200 actors. All you need is a room and a camera and a bed, basically, to do this kind of shoot, and we have no ability to police this."

Gabriel Bouys, AFP / Getty Images

Los Angeles County health officials say they will not attempt to force actors in adult movies to use condoms because they lack the resources to enforce such a rule.

In 2004, following a spike in HIV infections among porn actors, the industry itself enacted guidelines for condom use in films. Today, however, condom use in films is almost nonexistent.

As reported by ABC News, at least 16 porn actors have tested positive for HIV since 2004, even though for much of that time, the industry has required HIV/AIDS tests every 30 days.

In December, L.A. County Superior Court Judge David P. Yaffe rejected a petition that attempted to mandate the use of condoms on all adult film sets, citing the county health board's authority to decide how to deal with public health threats.

"Words alone cannot fight disease," the petition circulated by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation said. "For over a decade, county health officials have talked, watched, written and analyzed. What county health officials have not done is act."

In addition to the spread of HIV, more than 3,700 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis have been reported at a clinic in the San Fernando Valley frequented by porn industry actors, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Some L.A. County officials who support mandating condom use in porn films say that for any such restrictions to be enforceable, a measure would need to be passed in the state Legislature, enabling police to raid movie sets.

The United Nations' AIDS agency today pushed

The United Nations' AIDS agency today pushed for a simplified HIV treatment plan, called Treatment 2.0, which it says could prevent 10 million AIDS-related deaths by 2025.

A report released in Geneva by UNAIDS revealed that HIV prevalence among young people has declined by more than 25 percent in 15 of the 25 countries most affected by AIDS. This is largely because of less risky sexual behavior among the youth in countries like Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

"Young people are taking the lead," UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibe said. He named the new objectives in combating AIDS as "zero new HIV infection, zero discrimination, zero AIDS-related death," but said "current treatment strategy is not enough to reach our goals."

Denis Farrell, AP

The United Nations' AIDS agency says its new plan, called Treatment 2.0, could prevent 10 million AIDS-related deaths by 2025. Here, a woman walks past HIV+ written upside-down on a wall in Johannesburg on World AIDS Day 2009.

His agency laid out the new approach, Treatment 2.0, which Sidibe called a "game changer" consisting of five "pillars."

The first is to create a better pill and diagnostics. In today's treatment regimens, infected individuals have to take multiple pills every day to stop the virus from reproducing.

But the heavy dosages that need to be consumed cause severe side effects and often leave people unable to afford the second stage of treatment, which is necessary to keep the virus in check.

The U.N. wants to see multiple drugs consolidated into a single pill that would have fewer side effects and be less toxic. "A one-pill, once a day anti-retroviral therapy has been shown to improve both adherence and quality of life while maintaining the same efficacy," the report said, noting that such a pill would also remove the need for a second or third line of treatment.

The study also underlined the need to produce simpler and cheaper diagnostic tools that don't require complicated lab work and can yield results within a few hours.

The second pillar of the U.N. plan advocates "treatment as prevention," with a focus on stopping the transmission of the virus from mother to child and between couples. The report found that providing anti-retroviral treatment to everyone who needs it could reduce new HIV infections by as much as one-third annually. A recent study provided anti-retroviral drugs to the infected partner in each of 3,400 couples in sub-Saharan Africa, and found that such treatment reduced transmission rates by 92 percent.

HIV is so pervasive in the poorest urban

HIV is so pervasive in the poorest urban regions of America that infection rates match those of developing countries, where the condition is endemic among the general population.

That's the startling conclusion of a new report, commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and presented at this week's International AIDS Conference in Vienna.

The report is the first federal assessment of the powerful connection between poverty and HIV.

Researchers evaluated 9,000 Americans living in some of the country's poorest neighborhoods, spanning 23 cities.

Among those living below the poverty line, rates of infection were 2.4 percent. By comparison, the national average is 0.45 percent.

Because the study only looked at heterosexual adults, it's also a reminder that HIV in the U.S is by no means exclusive to gay men or intravenous drug users.

The report also raises the question of race. Blacks made up 77 percent of the sample population, though researchers found that Hispanics and whites in the targeted communities were just as likely to contract HIV.

Now, some experts are calling for an approach to HIV prevention that targets poverty -- which has obvious racial implications -- rather than the illness itself.

Microbicide research Headed by Salim Abdool Karim in association Ayesha Kharsany The highest burden of HIV infection is in women younger than 30

Microbicide research

Headed by Salim Abdool Karim in association Ayesha Kharsany

The highest burden of HIV infection is in women younger than 30 years, making prevention interventions targeting adolescents and young women a high priority. Various sexual coupling patterns place young women at high risk, including partnering with older men who are more likely to be infected, multiple concurrent relationships, low marriage rates, low condom use rates, and limited skills in negotiating safer sex practices. Gender-based violence increases vulnerability, and poverty increases reliance on transactional sex for survival. Women are often unable to convince their male partners, especially husbands and regular partners, to use condoms. Notwithstanding the greater vulnerability of women, current options to reduce acquisition of HIV infection remain limited for women. New technologies to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV in women are urgently needed. Even a partially effective microbicide could have a profound impact on the dynamics of HIV transmission. According to mathematical modelling, 2.5 million HIV infections could be averted over 3 years if a microbicide with 60% effectiveness was used in 73 low-income countries. Hence, CAPRISA is conducting research aimed at discovering a safe and effective microbicide.

The pivotal study in the CAPRISA Microbicide Research programme is the CAPRISA 004 Tenofovir Gel Trial, which is a phase IIb, two-arm, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial assessing the safety and effectiveness of 1% tenofovir gel, in 900 HIV-negative, sexually active women between the ages of 18 to 40 years. The trial is being conducted at two clinical research sites, Durban and Vulindlela, located in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Results from this study were announced at the XVIIIth International AIDS Conference in Vienna on 20 July 2010.

Most of the world's 33.4 million people who live with HIV/AIDS

On the Market by 2013?

Most of the world's 33.4 million people who live with HIV/AIDS are in Africa, where the highest burden of HIV infection is among women younger than 30 years. The trial involved 889 women in Durban and a remote rural village in South Africa. Half the women were given the gel containing the medicine to use before and after sex, while half were given a placebo gel.

After one year, the study results showed the gel lowered the risk of infection by 50%. After two-and-a-half years, the gel reduced the rate of infection by 39%. The lower level of effectiveness in the second year was associated with a drop-off in usage by women who became infected with HIV. Also, there were 54% fewer infections among those who used the gel more than 80% of the time and a 28% reduction among those who used it least.

While the study used the gold standard for clinical research, some flaws would prevent applying for regulatory approval of the gel. But if the study results are confirmed in a second trial known as Voice, which is already enrolling patients, a product could be ready as early as 2013, according to Bloomberg.

The "study is an exciting scientific achievement that moves us one step forward to gaining another effective tool to prevent HIV infection," said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci in a statement.

See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/95fXVg

he 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna is still underway, but already some studies released there show the constant advances made in the atte

he 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna is still underway, but already some studies released there show the constant advances made in the attempts to slow the pandemic. As the world hopes for an HIV vaccine following recent positive developments, a new study in South Africa shows that a vaginal gel made using Gilead Sciences' (GILD) AIDS drug Viread cut HIV infections in women by as much as 50%.

Gilead's HIV drug Viread, or tenofovir, is used as a pill in AIDS treatment cocktails and was supplied royalty-free for the purpose of the study. This is the first time such a microbicide product -- an antiretroviral drug in a gel form -- has protected users after previous attempts failed. In addition, a surprising and positive finding of the trial is that the gel also reduced the risk of genital herpes infection by 51%.

"Tenofovir gel could fill an important HIV prevention gap by empowering women who are unable to successfully negotiate mutual faithfulness or condom use with their male partners," said study co-principal investigator Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, associate director of CAPRISA and associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University. "This new technology has the potential to alter the course of the HIV epidemic, especially in southern Africa where young women bear the brunt of this devastating disease."

HIV-positive pregnancies are twice what they were five years ago.

HIV-positive pregnancies are twice what they were five years ago.

"Eastern Europe has some of the highest concentrations of HIV among people who inject drugs," Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, told The Associated Press. "This epidemic is inflamed by stigma and punitive laws and won't stop burning until harm reduction and drug substitution are scaled up."

And because 80 percent of the region's sex workers are children, and often struggling with drug problems, local youth are facing a serious risk.

An estimated 1.3 million kids in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are homeless, working in the sex industry, or both.

Widespread social stigma, along with a dearth of preventive services and a lack of medical care, all portend a growing crisis, the report warns.

"Children and adolescents living on the margins of society need access to health and social welfare services, not a harsh dose of disapproval," said Anthony Lake, executive director of UNICEF.

AIDS is spreading in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, a

AIDS is spreading in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, especially among marginalized youth, according to warnings from United Nations advocates at this week's International HIV/AIDS Conference in Vienna.

Rates of HIV in the region, which includes Russia and Georgia, have been climbing for much of the past decade.

The illness afflicted about 1.5 million people in 2008, according to the U.N. That represents a 66 percent increase over seven years.

"Eastern Europe and Central Asia are the only parts of the world where the HIV epidemic remains clearly on the rise," reads the report, published by UNICEF on Monday.

And diagnoses of HIV are anticipated to have increased yet again in 2009. Belarus, most notably, is reporting a 22 percent rise in rates of HIV. In some areas of Russia, rates have surged 400 percent in the past decade.

Experts have also identified key transmission trends. Intravenous drug users, especially those age 15 to 24, are contracting HIV and then passing it onto sexual partners and, eventually, offspring.

Data showed that HIV-prevention services in the Asia

Data showed that HIV-prevention services in the Asia-Pacific region reach only 9 to 20 percent of men who have sex with men, meaning that countries are falling short of their universal access targets. The report underscored that the eight countries with anti-discrimination laws (including Fiji, Philippines, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) had greater coverage of prevention services.

The U.N. report also found widespread police abuse of homosexuals and transgender people in Asian countries, including rape, blackmail, beatings and harassment in public cruising areas.

HIV-prevention workers reported that because of a lack of private spaces to have sex, male couples resort to public places, but the fear of being caught pushes them to have rushed and unsafe sex. State harassment also resulted in the men's reluctance to carry condoms for fear of being arrested for sex work.

The U.N. report also highlighted that conservative factions of Christianity and Islam continue to pose objections to same-sex sexual relations. Several religious organizations continue to back repressive laws, particularly in conservative Muslim communities and some Christian communities in Pacific island countries.

"Successful AIDS responses do not punish people; they protect them. ... We must ensure that AIDS responses are based on evidence, not ideology, and reach those most in need and most affected," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last year on World AIDS Day.

Benaissa is set to call the HIV/AIDS expert

Benaissa is set to call the HIV/AIDS expert Dr. Josef Eberle, of Munich's Ludwig Maximilian University, in her defense, according to The Guardian, and he is expected to testify that the man may have been infected by another sexual partner.

During a TV interview last summer, Benaissa spoke of the strain of living with HIV, which she believes she caught during her troubled teenage years, when she was addicted to crack cocaine. (She says she no longer drinks alcohol or takes drugs.)

"I can't just go anywhere I like and be free and be a normal person. I now have this stamp. I will do my best to make the most of it," she told the program, according to Agence France-Presse. "I am actually completely healthy, not sick. I am HIV-positive. Being HIV-positive doesn't mean being ill. If the disease breaks out, it is called AIDS. I have a completely normal life expectancy."

A singer with the best-selling German pop group

A singer with the best-selling German pop group No Angels broke down in tears during a court appearance today, as she confessed to having unprotected sex without telling her partners she was HIV-positive. One of her lovers was later diagnosed with the disease.

"I am sorry with all my heart," Nadja Benaissa, 28, told the court in Darmstadt near Frankfurt, according to Agence France-Presse.

Boris Roessler, AFP / Getty Images

German pop star Nadja Benaissa waits for the start of her trial in the district courthouse in the central German city of Darmstadt on Monday. Benaissa, a singer in the German pop group No Angels, is accused of not telling sexual partners, with whom she had unprotected sex, that she is HIV-positive.

The singer, who appeared in court wearing jeans and a purple shirt and had her hair tied back in a ponytail, has been charged with aggravated assault and attempted aggravated assault, according to German news agency Deutsche Welle. Benaissa allegedly had unprotected sex on five occasions between 2000 and 2004 with three different men and did not tell them she was infected, according to a charge sheet seen by Agence France-Presse. If found guilty, she could face up to 10 years in jail.

Benaissa first discovered she was HIV-positive in 1999, but she told the court she had never intended to infect any of her partners. Entertainment newswire WENN reported that her attorney read out a statement in court, in which the pop star claimed that she had been told "the chance of the infection breaking out in my case is almost zero" and that the possibility "I could infect somebody else with HIV" was similarly low.

Benaissa added that she didn't tell her lovers about her condition, as she was worried the news would go public and damage her daughter (now 11) as well as her booming career with the band. No Angels are Germany's most successful girl band and sold 5 million albums between 2000 and 2003. They reformed in 2007 and took part in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest competition, but came in at only 23rd place.

However, as the German tabloid Bild reported, one of Benaissa's former lovers paid a heavy price for her silence. The man -- who has not been named -- took the witness stand and said he had unprotected sex with the singer on three occasions. He said he went for a HIV test after learning of Benaissa's condition from her aunt and discovered he had also contracted the virus.

it 's been more than 25 years since scientists discovered HIV, the retrovirus responsible for causing AIDS. Since then, there have been advances in treatment that help slow the spread of the virus, promising leads toward stopping it entirely, but still no cure. Now, out of Loyola University, a potential breakthrough: Researchers have figured out the "key components" of TRIM5-alpha, a natural protein that "gangs up" and destroys the virus in rhesus monkeys.

"The finding could lead to new TRIM5a-based treatments that would knock out HIV in humans," senior researcher Edward M. Campbell, PhD, of Loyola University Health System said in a press release.

The results of the research are described in full in the Sept. 15 issue of Virology and have also been posted online. (Subscription required.) Six years ago, researchers at Harvard first identified the protective power of TRIM5a in monkeys, noting that it is 87 percent identical to a variant of the protein found in humans.

Unfortunately, our version doesn't yet stop HIV, but thanks to a $225,000 microscope and the wisdom of Yogi Berra (whose saying "You can see a lot just by looking" allegedly inspired the team), researchers at Loyola now think they know why this is: Just six individual amino acids -- the building blocks of protein -- differ between humans and the rhesus monkey cells.

"By continuing to narrow their search, researchers hope to identify an amino acid, or combination of amino acids, that enable TRIM5a to destroy HIV. Once these critical amino acids are identified, it might be possible to genetically engineer TRIM5a to make it more effective in humans. [Emphasis added] Moreover, a better understanding of the underlying mechanism of action might enable the development of drugs that mimic TRIM5a action."

Four American health care workers

Four American health care workers were released on bail today in Zimbabwe after being jailed for three days for allegedly distributing AIDS medicine without a license.

They face trial on Sept. 27. A magistrate ordered them to surrender their passports and post $200 bail, The Associated Press reported. They could be fined and deported.

Two others volunteers, from Zimbabwe and New Zealand, were also arrested. Among them are nurses, doctors and a community worker, all associated with the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, Calif., Britain's the Guardian reported, citing the U.S. embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital.

"They operated from two clinics, one in Mutoko and one in Harare, where they worked primarily with AIDS orphans and HIV-positive patients for the past decade," the embassy said.

As they left a courthouse today, American citizens Gloria Cox Crowell, 48, Dr. Anthony Eugene Jones, 39, Gregory Renard Miller, 64, and David Greenburg, 62, were surrounded by children and members of their congregation, the AP reported. During the hearing, AIDS patients and orphans wept.

Defense attorney Jonathan Samukange described the alleged offenses as minor. In the past week, he said, the medical team had treated more than 3,000 patients.

"They were arrested in the scope of their duty. I am very embarrassed by the actions of our government in arresting people who are doing charity work. They are Christians ... not criminals," the AP quoted him as saying.

The origins of HIV/AIDS can now be traced

The origins of HIV/AIDS can now be traced back at least 32,000 years to African monkeys infected with a precursor to the virus, scientists report. The mystery is how that precursor persisted for centuries and posed relatively little risk to humans before evolving into the virus that causes AIDS and now afflicts more than 33 million people worldwide.

The latest findings, published this week in Science, come out of a study, led by Tulane University's National Primate Research Center and the University of Arizona, involving 79 monkeys from the African island of Bioko, which split from the mainland 10,000 years ago.

Fayez Nureldine, AFP / Getty Images

A 1983 study on macaque monkeys infected with simian immunodeficiency virus helped establish the link between SIV and HIV.

Monkeys from four species on the island were infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). The viral strains infecting the monkeys were similar to those in the same species on the African continent, which indicates that the virus existed before the island and the mainland parted.

In other words, the HIV precursor is older than 10,000 years and probably existed somewhere between 32,000 and 75,000 years ago, based on how quickly it mutated in subsequent computer-based lab tests.

Earlier attempts at tracking the evolution of HIV had pegged the virus at a few hundred years old. But "that just didn't seem right," Dr. Beatrice Hahn, a virologist at the University of Alabama, told The New York Times.

The pitches sound really interesting together

The pitches sound really interesting together. It was weird because no matter how slow or fast I set the tempo, the songs always came out sounding good. The music is complex and strange, but also has an eerie, spooky kind of vibe to it," Pajak said.

James K. Holder II/ Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine

University of Georgia grad student Alexandra Pajak has composed a unique and strange CD dubbed "Sounds of HIV."

Pajak hopes her unique way of breaking down the AIDS virus comes off as a "socially minded, human take on HIV." She insists it's not meant to offend those affected by HIV in any way, shape or form.

In fact, a portion of the proceeds from her trippy, psychedelic-sounding CD are being donated to the Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta specifically to fund AIDS research.

Carl Schmid from The AIDS Institute told AOL News that Pajak's project is not in the least offensive. In fact, because it's so unusual, he said it could really help garner more attention toward HIV awareness.

"Anything to raise awareness and educate the public about AIDS is a good thing. By connecting AIDS to music, the album could even help reduce the stigma associated with the disease," Schmid said. "I've never heard of anything quite like this. It's very interesting."

Pajak said she's already gotten feedback on the tunes from a few people infected with HIV and so far, so good.

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"A man in Russia wrote to me about it and said he found it very inspiring. He said he was planning on posting the songs on an HIV support website. Another man told me that because the songs are so complex, they reflect his complicated experience with HIV," she said. "A professor also asked to use the CD in his classes to show students a different interpretation of the virus."

Pajak said she has no plans to add lyrics to her songs because that would interfere with the accuracy of the DNA music.

Out of respect for science, and those who have HIV, she said she won't be singing on the album anytime soon.

For now, listeners can enjoy the classical instrumentals and the fact that for once, this particular news about HIV/AIDS is actually music to one's ears.

AIDS virus, leading two companies to halt production.

Another porn actor in California's lucrative adult film industry has tested positive for the AIDS virus, leading two companies to halt production.

The positive HIV test was confirmed to the Los Angles Times by the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, a clinic in Sherman Oaks that serves the porn industry. Jennifer Miller, a counselor at the clinic, would not disclose the person's gender or employers.

"We are quarantining and testing all exposed partners to the individual," Miller told the Times.

Two of the industry's largest companies, Vivid Entertainment and Wicked Pictures, suspended filming on Tuesday as a precaution, the Times said.

"We will wait for all of the facts to emerge before we resume production," Vivid co-founder Steven Hirsch told the paper.

The test renewed calls for condoms to be mandatory for porn performers.

"How many more people have to be infected with HIV before Los Angeles County steps in to do its job and protect performers' and the public's health?" Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, told the paper.

A woman tested positive for the virus last year, and an HIV outbreak that affected several actors stopped production at some studios in 2004.

"I wanted to show all of the properties that the DNA in HIV contains

"I wanted to show all of the properties that the DNA in HIV contains. Hopefully it's a whole new way for people to learn about the science behind the disease," Pajak told AOL News.

The graduate student -- who studied music as an undergrad at Agnes Scott College -- said the project took her more than three painstaking months to complete because she wanted to compose the most accurate musical translation possible of the genetic code of HIV.

"I stayed very loyal to the DNA. Every segment of the virus was assigned music pitches that correspond to the segment's scientific properties. The sounds literally reflect the nature of the virus," she explained.

Pajak said she first broke down the basic nucleotides in the DNA -- scientifically abbreviated A,C,T and G -- and assigned tones to those. Luckily, A, C and G are also already musical pitches in the scale, so she said matching up that part was easy.

"There was a lot of logic involved in this. I also broke down 20 amino acids and proteins and assigned pitches to those. I used the A-minor scale for the amino acids based on their level of attraction to water. So, when you hear this CD, you're literally hearing the entire genome of the HIV virus. It's pretty cool," she added.

Pajak said she wrote and composed all of the classical tunes on her keyboard first, and then called for help from an instrumental band named "Sequence Ensemble" to lay down the final tracks.

The band brought a piano, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and cello to blend all of her rhythms and patterns together and, to Pajak's surprise, the songs ended up sounding rather "pleasant."

The number of new HIV infections and AIDSa

The number of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths has fallen dramatically worldwide, leading researchers to cautiously report that the deadly epidemic has been slowed or even halted for the first time, according to a global study.

The UNAIDS annual report found a nearly 20 percent decrease in new HIV infections globally and an almost 20 percent decline in deaths among those infected with HIV from 2004 to 2009.

Sergei Supinsky, AFP / Getty Images

A nurse cares for a terminally ill patient at an HIV/AIDS clinic in Kiev, Ukraine. A new study shows a dramatic drop in the number of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths worldwide.

"For the first time, we can say that we are breaking the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic. We have halted and begun to reverse the epidemic," UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe told Reuters on Monday. "Fewer people are becoming infected with HIV and fewer people are dying from AIDS."

A separate study published this week offered another bright spot in the battle against the AIDS epidemic. Men who take an anti-retroviral pill can lower their chances of HIV infection by more than 90 percent when they use the pill as prescribed, according to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Sidibe told The New York Times the study was "a breakthrough that will accelerate the prevention revolution."

The UNAIDS annual report stated that while progress in the fight against AIDS has been made thanks to an increase in access to life-saving drugs, treatments are still being denied to 10 million people infected with the disease around the world, particularly children and members of marginalized communities.

The gains are "real but still fragile," the report said. Researchers noted that those gains depend on resources that have been hard to come by since the global recession began. "In 2009, for the first time, the funds available for fighting the epidemic were less than in the previous year," Bernhard Schwartlander, chief epidemiologist at UNAIDS, told reporters Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

World AIDS Day, where people around the worlda

World AIDS Day, where people around the world rally to raise funds and awareness to combat the still-potent global pandemic. But 30 years after the auto-immune disease surfaced in Central Africa, there remains no cure and no vaccine.

In western countries, drug cocktails that include anti-retrovirals can manage AIDS and reduce levels of the HIV virus to undetectable amounts, but small, self-replicating viral reservoirs remain in patients' immune systems. Properly medicated HIV-positive people can now live relatively normal lives, but eliminating the virus entirely remains elusive.

Still, there is hope in some fields.

Some researchers have tried using a cancer drug to attempt to force the virus out of resting immune cells, and others have examined the possibility of using costly gene therapy or bone marrow transplants. A recent vaccine trial in Thailand has also shown promising results for reducing incidences of HIV.

Still, AIDS is most devastating in countries where high-tech solutions are simply not practical. For many, controlling the AIDS pandemic is about prevention first and foremost. Scientists have had luck with using preventive anti-retroviral drugs to slow the spread of HIV, and simpler solutions like promoting male circumcision have also been shown to reduce the spread of HIV.

Last week, a report by UNAIDS said that 56 countries had slowed or stopped the spread of HIV, and while data shows that the pandemic has slowed by about 20 percent in the past 10 years, 2.6 million people were still newly infected with the virus in 2009.

the universal suffering caused by AIDS

Art historians and curators say the video, which depicts Jesus on a crucifix covered with ants, was created in 1987 as a statement about the universal suffering caused by AIDS. In the eye of some beholders, however, the exhibit, which features works from acclaimed artists like John Singer Sargent and Georgia O'Keeffe, is simple blasphemy.

Some conservative lawmakers Tuesday waged a vocal campaign against the exhibit and threatened to pull the Washington gallery's federal funding. They said the video, along with the rest of the exhibit, "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture," is sacrilegious and a waste of taxpayer money.

A spokesman for incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., told CNSNews.com the exhibit was an "outrageous use of taxpayer money and an obvious attempt to offend Christians during the Christmas season." He called for the museum to "pull the exhibit and be prepared for serious questions come budget time."

Incoming House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told CNSNews.com that the video was "symbolic of the arrogance Washington routinely applies to thousands of spending decisions involving Americans' hard-earned money at a time when one in every 10 Americans is out of work and our children's future is being threatened by debt." And Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, a Republican and a member of the House Appropriations Committee, told Fox News the exhibit was "in-your-face perversion paid for by tax dollars."

But Jerome Zack, an HIV researcher at the

But Jerome Zack, an HIV researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles, told MSNBC that "you can't eliminate the potential for there still being low-level virus in the body that's undetectable."

There's also a problem with replicating the same procedure in otherwise healthy patients who are HIV-positive but don't have leukemia. Plus, the genetic mutation found in Brown's donor, which makes patients resistant to HIV, is extremely rare.

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"This probably is a cure, but it comes at a bit of a price," Dr. Michael Saag, professor of medicine and director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham AIDS Center, told CNN.

"For him to receive the donor cells, his body had to have all of his immune system wiped out" and then receive a bone marrow transplant, Saag said. "The catch-22 here is that the best candidates for a cure, ideally, are people who are healthy" and don't have leukemia, he said.

Stem cell transplants are very risky because they wipe out the patient's immune system to the point where they could die without an insertion of healthy donor cells. That process is "very hazardous," Saag said. "Even if somebody doesn't die from a transplant, there are complications that make it very unpleasant for people to live with."

-- Doctors in Germany report they have cured an HIV

-- Doctors in Germany report they have cured an HIV-positive American of the AIDS virus after performing a stem cell transplant to treat his leukemia.

But experts caution that while the man's outcome seems promising, the risky procedure might not work on otherwise healthy people with HIV and probably won't yield an overall cure for AIDS. Still, if the patient's HIV doesn't resurface, this would mark the first time HIV has been wiped out in any patient.

In 2007, Timothy Ray Brown received a stem cell transplant to treat his leukemia, a cancer of the blood. The procedure involves destroying a patient's natural immune system with chemotherapy and radiation, then boosting it back up by inserting bone marrow or blood stem cells from a healthy donor.

Brown's donor was not only a perfect match for his blood and bone marrow type but also happened to have a rare, inherited genetic mutation that makes carriers virtually immune to HIV. The donor's cells took root in Brown's body and multiplied. Three years later, Brown's leukemia is in remission, and he's also HIV-negative.

The German doctors' findings were published last week in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. "Our results strongly suggest that cure of HIV has been achieved in this patient," they wrote.

Other experts warn that HIV could still be present -- but dormant and undetectable -- in the patient's blood.

"'Cured' is a strong word. But this is very encouraging," Dr. David Scadden, co-director of the Harvard University Stem Cell Institute, told The Miami Herald. "From all indications, there was no residual virus. It's as good an outcome as one could hope."

The luxurious presentation of our product removes any

The luxurious presentation of our product removes any negative stigma associated with a woman who cares enough about herself to be sure to carry along an Original Condom box in her purse, or for a male to leave it on the nightstand without perceptions shifting about expectations, as they definitely should not nowadays," he explained.

The Original Condom Co.

Company vice president Count Gil de Bizemont says his high-end condoms will eliminate any "negative stigma" that surrounds condoms. "Condoms protect everyone from disease, ours protect from tackiness," he said.

De Bizemont says his company's condoms are far more upscale than the competition -- and it shows in the price tag.

The Original Condom comes in suede-lined black boxes purportedly "inspired by the world of jewelery," which contain three prophylactics for $13.50, or six for $20. Customers can buy refills for $2 apiece.

The company says it shares part of its earnings with nonprofits that fight HIV and AIDS, and shows its commitment to an eco-friendly business model by helping develop new forests and manufacturing its condoms on a rubber-tree plantation in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions by eliminating excess transport of raw materials.

The fancy condoms are already on sale online. In January, they'll be offered at some "higher-end retailers" and hotels, according to de Bizemont.

There's certainly a market for luxury cars and luxury condoms

There's certainly a market for luxury cars and luxury condoms. But what about luxury condoms?

A pair of self-described French aristocrats have launched a high-end condom company that aims to offer customers protection -- as well as an air of prestige.

The minds behind The Original Condom Co. say there is a demand for classier prophylactics in the same way there is a demand for luxury brands like Rolls Royce, Cartier and Dior.

The Original Condom Co.

What does your condom say about you? The prophylactics manufacturers at The Original Condom Co. say they've made a classier condom that you shouldn't be embarrassed to carry in your purse or leave on your nightstand.

"There [is] always a need for quality, good taste and beautiful objects," said vice president Count Gil de Bizemont, who co-founded the company with His Royal Highness the Prince Charles Emmanuel de Bourbon Parme after passing through the town of Condom, France.

"It is sexy to care about yourself and to want to pamper and provide yourself with the very best."

For de Bizemont, that means choosing neatly packaged prophylactics that come in a little black box instead of an ordinary foil wrapper.

"Would you be proud to have a traditional condom on your table when your mom visits you? With a nude woman on the box or something that says lubed or ribbed all over it?" he asked.

According to de Bizemont, many people judge a rubber by its cover.

It's been more than 25 years since scientists discovered HIV,

It's been more than 25 years since scientists discovered HIV, the retrovirus responsible for causing AIDS. Since then, there have been advances in treatment that help slow the spread of the virus, promising leads toward stopping it entirely, but still no cure. Now, out of Loyola University, a potential breakthrough: Researchers have figured out the "key components" of TRIM5-alpha, a natural protein that "gangs up" and destroys the virus in rhesus monkeys.

"The finding could lead to new TRIM5a-based treatments that would knock out HIV in humans," senior researcher Edward M. Campbell, PhD, of Loyola University Health System said in a press release.

The results of the research are described in full in the Sept. 15 issue of Virology and have also been posted online. (Subscription required.) Six years ago, researchers at Harvard first identified the protective power of TRIM5a in monkeys, noting that it is 87 percent identical to a variant of the protein found in humans.

Unfortunately, our version doesn't yet stop HIV, but thanks to a $225,000 microscope and the wisdom of Yogi Berra (whose saying "You can see a lot just by looking" allegedly inspired the team), researchers at Loyola now think they know why this is: Just six individual amino acids -- the building blocks of protein -- differ between humans and the rhesus monkey cells.

"By continuing to narrow their search, researchers hope to identify an amino acid, or combination of amino acids, that enable TRIM5a to destroy HIV. Once these critical amino acids are identified, it might be possible to genetically engineer TRIM5a to make it more effective in humans. [Emphasis added] Moreover, a better understanding of the underlying mechanism of action might enable the development of drugs that mimic TRIM5a action."

Telling Your Kids

Telling Your Kids

A major concern for mothers with HIV is whether to tell their kids about their HIV and when and how they will do it. Opinions on how mothers should handle this hard decision are mixed. Some studies show that open communication about the illness to their kids is better than not telling them. Children may already know something is wrong; keeping the illness a secret can confuse children and make them feel anxious. Other studies have found that children have negative reactions to being told, like behavior problems, sexual risk-taking behavior, and lower school performance. Several studies have shown that if a HIV-positive mother reveals her status, telling a child to keep her health condition a secret is stressful for that child and as a result, that child may have behavior problems.

In one study, women with HIV who told their children about their illness were interviewed. The women recommend these tips for talking to your kids about your HIV status.

• Think about why you want to tell your children about your HIV status. Make sure you're ready and they're ready to listen.

• Educate yourself about HIV so you can talk to your children about the illness.

• Plan for what you're going to say to your children.

• Consider how healthy you are right now and how healthy you will be later. It might be better to talk to your child when you're feeling healthy and can show your child a healthy, positive attitude.

• Think about other things going on in the family. It may not be the best time to tell your child when there are other stresses in the family.

• After you tell your children, get them additional support. They could talk to a health professional who can talk more with your children about HIV.

Revealing HIV Status

Revealing HIV Status

Deciding who to share your status with is a very personal decision. It may be hard to know if telling certain people will bring good or bad outcomes. You might fear rejection, discrimination, abandonment, or isolation. You might worry about being judged or feel guilty about past drug use or sexual behavior. In some situations, revealing your status could put you at risk for physical harm. Since some people may not be as accepting of your HIV status, these are all valid issues to think about.

By opening up about your HIV status, you can get support, information, and acceptance. For example, you can talk to other women with HIV about your symptoms and fears or other issues like childcare and relationships. You can get emotional support, and you won't have the burden of keeping this secret. A support network can help you deal with the stresses of having HIV and help you to feel less alone.

Taking these steps can help you figure out whom you want to tell:

1. Think about the people you rely on for support, like family, friends, or coworkers.
2. Figure out your relationship with each of these people and the pros and cons of telling them.
3. Determine any issues the person might have that will affect how much he or she can support you. For example, does the person have any health problems of her own? Can you trust her?
4. Look at the person's attitude and knowledge about HIV. Do they have fears or misconceptions about HIV?
5. Think about why you'd want to tell this person. What kind of support can this person provide?
6. For each person, decide if the person should be told now, later, or to wait and see.

(Julianne Serovich, PhD, Professor, Marriage and Family Therapy)

Deciding who to tell may take a short time or a long time. There is no right way to do this. It is a very personal choice that only you can make.

When you tell someone that you're HIV-positive, they may also need support. Be ready with information they can read; phone numbers for support groups; and contact information for other people in your support network they can talk to.

AIDS is thought to have originated in Africa

AIDS is thought to have originated in Africa, where monkeys and apes harbor a virus similar to HIV called SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus). Scientists believe the illness first jumped to humans from wild chimpanzees in central Africa.

How the disease crossed the species barrier remains a puzzle. The leading theory is that it was picked up by people who hunted or ate infected chimpanzees. Researchers have dated the virus in humans to about 1930 using scientific estimates of the time it's taken for different strains of HIV to evolve.

AIDS today is a global pandemic affecting every country. In 2006, an estimated 39.5 million people had HIV/AIDS. Almost three million of them died.

The region most devastated by the disease is sub-Saharan Africa. It accounts for two-thirds of the world's HIV cases and nearly 75 percent of deaths due to AIDS. Infection rates vary, with southern African countries worst affected. In South Africa, an estimated 29 percent of pregnant women have HIV. Infection rates in Zimbabwe's adult population exceed 20 percent, while in Swaziland a third of adults are HIV-positive. Poverty, inadequate health care and education, and promiscuity have all been highlighted to explain Africa's AIDS nightmare.

AIDS wasn't discovered until the early 1980s

AIDS wasn't discovered until the early 1980s, when doctors in the United States noticed clusters of patients suffering from highly unusual diseases. First seen in gay men in New York and California, these illnesses included Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare skin cancer, and a type of lung infection carried by birds.

Soon cases were also detected in intravenous drug users and recipients of blood transfusions. By 1982 the illness had a name—acquired immune deficiency syndrome. AIDS has since killed around 25 million people worldwide, orphaning 12 million children in Africa alone.

AIDS is triggered by a virus acquired through direct contact with infected body fluids. The virus causes an immune deficiency by attacking a type of white blood cell that helps to fight infections. Because this leads to various diseases, not a single illness, AIDS is referred to as a syndrome. The virus is called HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

Unprotected sex is HIV's main route into humans, where it targets the white blood cell known as CD4. The virus replicates inside, eventually bursting out and flooding the body in the billions. The immune system then kicks in, and the body and the virus wage all-out war. During the height of battle billions of CD4 cells can be destroyed in a single day. As the cell count drops, the immune system begins to fail and opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis take hold.

Facts About HIV & AIDS In the Body

With so many myths and misconceptions floating around about HIV, it can be hard for some people to distinguish the truth from fiction. This is especially true in regards to the ways in which HIV is transmitted, and ignorance about these facts can lead some people to fear and discrimination.

Location of the HIV Virus in the Body

1. HIV is found in bodily fluids such as breast milk, vaginal fluid, seminal fluid and blood. The virus doesn't live in or on the skin or other solid tissues of the body.

HIV Doesn't Live in All Bodily Fluids

2. Though HIV lives in body fluids, it is not found in saliva, urine or tears. HIV also does not survive to be passed through the body in fecal matter.

Sexual Transmission

3. HIV can be transmitted during unprotected anal, vaginal or oral sex. The correct and consistent use of condoms can prevent this. Though male-to-female transmission is the most common type in regards to sexual transmission, female-to-male transmission is still possible.

Intravenous Transmission

4. The second most common method of transmission is the sharing of needles. It is recommended that all drugs users join a needle exchange program where available; if one is not available, make sure that needles are sterilized properly and thoroughly before each use.

Casual Contact Does Not Spread HIV

5. Casual contact cannot transmit HIV from one person to another. This includes hand-holding, sharing dishes and eating utensils, hugging, kissing, petting, sharing a drink or cigarette or using the toilet after an HIV-infected person.

HIV AIDS Facts for Kidsa

HIV AIDS Facts for Kids

By the end of 2007, UNAIDS/WHO reported that about 2 million children around the world were living with HIV/AIDS. Because people can be affected by HIV at any age, it's important for kids to understand some basic facts about HIV and HIV-disease.

Features

1. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a syndrome, which means a group of conditions that make a person sick. It is caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), which is a virus, a disease particle you can only see under a powerful microscope.

Significance

2. HIV attacks the immune system, which is our natural way of protecting ourselves against disease. Your skin and your tears protect you, but so do special white blood cells that attack disease particles, and this is what HIV attacks.

Effects

3. Eventually, most people with HIV develop AIDS, which means they often get sick and have a harder time recovering from illnesses than people who do not have HIV.

Treatment

4. People with HIV can be treated with drugs that control their virus, helping them stay healthier for a longer time. Drugs for HIV are normally taken in groups called HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy). Sadly, there is not yet a cure for HIV.

Misconceptions

5. According to Avert.org, you can't get HIV like a cold or the flu. HIV patients can live normal lives--you can play with a family member who has HIV, share her juice, and give her a big hug. HIV patients should not be made fun of or treated differently than other friends.

Prevention Because there is no vaccine for HIV,

Prevention

Because there is no vaccine for HIV, the only way people can prevent infection with the virus is to avoid behaviors putting them at risk of infection, such as sharing needles and having unprotected sex.

Many people infected with HIV have no symptoms. Therefore, there is no way of knowing with certainty whether a sexual partner is infected unless he or she has repeatedly tested negative for the virus and has not engaged in any risky behavior.

Abstaining from having sex or using male latex condoms or female polyurethane condoms may offer partial protection, during oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Only water-based lubricants should be used with male latex condoms.

Although some laboratory evidence shows that spermicides can kill HIV, researchers have not found that these products can prevent a person from getting HIV.

Recently, NIAID-supported two studies that found adult male medical circumcision reduces a man’s risk of acquiring HIV infection by approximately 50 percent. The studies, conducted in Uganda and Kenya, pertain only to heterosexual transmission. As with most prevention strategies, adult male medical circumcision is not completely effective at preventing HIV transmission. Circumcision will be most effective when it is part of a more complete prevention strategy, including the ABCs (Abstinence, Be Faithful, Use Condoms) of HIV prevention.

Research

NIAID-supported investigators are conducting an abundance of research on all areas of HIV infection, including developing and testing preventive HIV vaccines, prevention strategies, and new treatments for HIV infection and AIDS-associated opportunistic infections.

Researchers also are investigating exactly how HIV damages the immune system. This research is identifying new and more effective targets for drugs and vaccines. NIAID-supported investigators also continue to trace how the disease progresses in different people.

Scientists are investigating and testing chemical barriers, such as topical microbicides, that people can use in the vagina or in the rectum during sex to prevent HIV transmission. They also are looking at other ways to prevent transmission, such as:

• Control of sexually transmitted infections
• Modification of personal behavior
• Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
• Ways to prevent transmission from mother to child

known at fusion inhibitors, to treat HIV infection.

Fusion Inhibitors

FDA also has introduced a third new class of drugs, known at fusion inhibitors, to treat HIV infection. Fuzeon (enfuvirtide or T-20), the first approved fusion inhibitor, works by interfering with the ability of HIV-1 to enter into cells by blocking the merging of the virus with the cell membranes. This inhibition blocks HIV’s ability to enter and infect the human immune cells. Fuzeon is designed for use in combination with other anti-HIV treatments. It reduces the level of HIV infection in the blood and may be effective against HIV that has become resistant to current antiviral treatment schedules.

HAART

Because HIV can become resistant to any of these drugs, healthcare providers must use a combination treatment to effectively suppress the virus. When multiple drugs (three or more) are used in combination, it is referred to as highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, and can be used by people who are newly infected with HIV as well as people with AIDS. Recently, FDA approved the first one-a-day, three-drug combination pill called Atripla.

Researchers have credited HAART as being a major factor in significantly reducing the number of deaths from AIDS in this country. While HAART is not a cure for AIDS, it has greatly improved the health of many people with AIDS, and it reduces the amount of virus circulating in the blood to nearly undetectable levels. Researchers, however, have shown that HIV remains present in hiding places, such as the lymph nodes, brain, testes, and retina of the eye, even in people who have been treated.

Side effects

Despite the beneficial effects of HAART, there are side effects associated with the use of antiviral drugs that can be severe. Some of the nucleoside RT inhibitors may cause a decrease of red or white blood cells, especially when taken in the later stages of the disease. Some may also cause inflammation of the pancreas and painful nerve damage. There have been reports of complications and other severe reactions, including death, to some of the antiretroviral nucleoside analogs when used alone or in combination. Therefore, health experts recommend that anyone on antiretroviral therapy be routinely seen and followed by their healthcare provider.

The most common side effects associated with protease inhibitors include nausea, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition, protease inhibitors can interact with other drugs, resulting in serious side effects. Fuzeon may also cause severe allergic reactions such as pneumonia, difficult breathing, chills and fever, skin rash, blood in urine, vomiting, and low blood pressure. Local skin reactions are also possible since it is given as an injection underneath the skin. People taking HIV drugs should contact their healthcare providers immediately if they have any of these symptoms.

Treatment

Treatment

When AIDS first surfaced in the United States, there were no drugs to combat the underlying immune deficiency, and few treatments existed for the opportunistic diseases that resulted. Researchers, however, have developed drugs to fight both HIV infection and its associated infections and cancers.

HIV infection: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a number of drugs for treating HIV infection.

RT Inhibitors

The first group of drugs, called reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors, interrupts an early stage of the virus, making copies of itself. Nucleoside/nucleotide RT inhibitors are faulty DNA building blocks. When these faulty pieces are incorporated into the HIV DNA (during the process when the HIV RNA is converted to HIV DNA), the DNA chain cannot be completed, thereby blocking HIV from replicating in a cell. Non-nucleoside RT inhibitors bind to reverse transcriptase, interfering with its ability to convert the HIV RNA into HIV DNA. This class of drugs may slow the spread of HIV in the body and delay the start of opportunistic infections.

Protease Inhibitors

FDA has approved a second class of drugs for treating HIV infection. These drugs, called protease inhibitors, interrupt the virus from making copies of itself at a later step in its life cycle.

Babies born to mothers infected with HIV may

Diagnosis in Babies

Babies born to mothers infected with HIV may or may not be infected with the virus, but all carry their mothers’ antibodies to HIV for several months. If these babies lack symptoms, healthcare providers cannot make a definitive diagnosis of HIV infection using standard antibody tests. Instead, they are using new technologies to detect HIV and more accurately determine HIV infection in infants between ages 3 months and 15 months. Researchers are evaluating a number of blood tests to determine which ones are best for diagnosing HIV infection in babies younger than 3 months.

Because early HIV infection often causes no symptoms

Diagnosis

Because early HIV infection often causes no symptoms, a healthcare provider usually can diagnose it by testing blood for the presence of antibodies (disease-fighting proteins) to HIV. HIV antibodies generally do not reach noticeable levels in the blood for 1 to 3 months after infection. It may take the antibodies as long as 6 months to be produced in quantities large enough to show up in standard blood tests. Hence, to determine whether a person has been recently infected (acute infection), a healthcare provider can screen blood for the presence of HIV genetic material. Direct screening of HIV is extremely critical to prevent transmission of HIV from recently infected individuals.

Anyone who has been exposed to the virus should get an HIV test as soon as the immune system is likely to develop antibodies to the virus—within 6 weeks to 12 months after possible exposure to the virus. By getting tested early, a healthcare provider can give advice to an infected person about when to start treatment to help the immune system combat HIV and help prevent the emergence of certain opportunistic infections (see section on treatment). Early testing also alerts an infected person to avoid high-risk behaviors that could spread the virus to others.

Most healthcare providers can do HIV testing and will usually offer counseling at the same time. Of course, testing can be done anonymously at many sites if a person is concerned about confidentiality.

Healthcare providers diagnose HIV infection by using two different types of antibody tests: ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and Western blot. If a person is highly likely to be infected with HIV but has tested negative for both tests, a healthcare provider may request additional tests. A person also may be told to repeat antibody testing at a later date, when antibodies to HIV are more likely to have developed.

Later symptoms

Later symptoms

More persistent or severe symptoms may not appear for 10 years or more after HIV first enters the body in adults, or within 2 years in children born with HIV infection. This period of asymptomatic infection varies greatly in each person. Some people may begin to have symptoms within a few months, while others may be symptom-free for more than 10 years.

Even during the asymptomatic period, the virus is actively multiplying, infecting and killing cells of the immune system. The virus can also hide within infected cells and be inactive. The most obvious effect of HIV infection is a decline in the number of CD4 positive T (CD4+) cells found in the blood—the immune system’s key infection fighters. The virus slowly disables or destroys these cells without causing symptoms.

As the immune system becomes more debilitated, a variety of complications start to take over. For many people, the first signs of infection are large lymph nodes, or swollen glands, that may be enlarged for more than 3 months. Other symptoms often experienced months to years before the onset of AIDS include:

• Lack of energy
• Weight loss
• Frequent fevers and sweats
• Persistent or frequent yeast infections (oral or vaginal)
• Persistent skin rashes or flaky skin
• Pelvic inflammatory disease in women that does not respond to treatment
• Short-term memory loss
• Some people develop frequent and severe herpes infections that cause mouth, genital, or anal sores, or a painful nerve disease called shingles. Children may grow slowly or get sick frequently.

Transmission

Transmission

HIV is spread most often through unprotected sex with an infected partner. The virus can enter the body through the lining of the vagina, vulva, penis, rectum, or mouth during sex.

Risky behavior

HIV can infect anyone who practices risky behaviors such as:

• Sharing drug needles or syringes
• Having sexual contact, including oral sexual contact, with an infected person without using a condom
• Having sexual contact with someone whose HIV status is unknown

Infected blood

HIV also is spread through contact with infected blood. Before donated blood was screened for evidence of HIV infection and before heat-treating techniques to destroy HIV in blood products were introduced, HIV was transmitted through transfusions of contaminated blood or blood components. Today, because of blood screening and heat treatment, the risk of getting HIV from blood transfusions is extremely small.

Contaminated needles

HIV is often spread among injection drug users when they share needles or syringes contaminated with very small quantities of blood from someone infected with the virus.

It is rare for a patient to be the source of HIV transmitted to a healthcare provider or vice versa by accidental sticks with contaminated needles or other medical instruments.

Mother to child

Women can transmit HIV to their babies during pregnancy or birth. Approximately one-quarter to one-third of all untreated pregnant women infected with HIV will pass the infection to their babies. HIV also can be spread to babies through the breast milk of mothers infected with the virus.

If the mother takes certain drugs during pregnancy, she can significantly reduce the chances that her baby will get infected with HIV.

If healthcare providers treat HIV-infected pregnant women and deliver their babies by cesarean section, the chances of the baby being infected can be reduced to a rate of 1 percent.

HIV infection of newborns has been almost eradicated in the United States because of appropriate treatment.

A study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in Uganda found a highly effective and safe drug for preventing transmission of HIV from an infected mother to her newborn. Independent studies have also confirmed this finding. This regimen is more affordable and practical than any other examined to date. Results from the study show that a single oral dose of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine (NVP) given to an HIV-infected woman in labor and another to her baby within 3 days of birth reduces the transmission rate of HIV by half compared with a similar short course of AZT

Put Your Child's Safety First

Put Your Child's Safety First

Some adults mistakenly believe that AIDS is only a disease of homosexuals. Whatever your beliefs, try not to let your opinions or feelings prevent you from giving your child the facts about AIDS and its transmission -- it's information that's essential to their health and safety.

Be prepared to discuss death

When talking with your kids about AIDS, questions about death may come up. So get ready to answer them by reading books (see Readings for Children and Parents) available at libraries or bookstores. In the meantime, here are three helpful tips:

• Explain death in simple terms. Explain that when someone dies, they don't breathe, or eat, or feel hungry or cold, and you won't see them again. Although very young children won't be able to understand such finality, that's okay. Just be patient and repeat the message whenever appropriate.
• Never explain death in terms of sleep. It may make your child worry that if he falls asleep, he'll never wake up.
• Offer reassurance. If appropriate, tell your child that you are not going to die from AIDS and that he won't either. Stress that while AIDS is serious, it is preventable.

HIV Infection and AIDS: An Overview

HIV Infection and AIDS: An Overview

Article Provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Overview

AIDS was first reported in the United States in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. By killing or damaging cells of the body’s immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body’s ability to fight infections and certain cancers. People diagnosed with AIDS may get life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infections. These infections are caused by microbes such as viruses or bacteria that usually do not make healthy people sick.

Since 1981, more than 980,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in the United States to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to CDC, more than 1,000,000 Americans may be infected with HIV, one-quarter of whom are unaware of their infection. The epidemic is growing most rapidly among minority populations and is a leading killer of African-American males ages 25 to 44. According to CDC, AIDS affects nearly seven times more African Americans and three times more Hispanics than whites. In recent years, an increasing number of African-American women and children are being affected by HIV/AIDS.

A Pill a Day Reduces Risk for HIV Infection

A Pill a Day Reduces Risk for HIV Infection

San Francisco - A new HIV prevention strategy that has the potential to slow the global HIV epidemic has been proven effective in a new research trial. The iPrEx Study showed that HIV negative people who were given a daily HIV treatment drug had 44% fewer HIV infections than those who received a placebo. The study, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first evidence that this new HIV prevention method, called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, reduces HIV infection risk in men who have sex with men and transgender women who are at high risk for HIV infection. The drug used in the trial is known as Truvada®, a commonly used HIV treatment pill that is a combination of emtricitabine and tenofovir.

The HIV Research Section of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) enrolled 140 participants into this groundbreaking study, which was known locally as Prepare.

Worldwide, a total of 2,499 individuals participated in the six-country study. All study participants received a comprehensive package of prevention services designed to reduce their risk of HIV infection throughout the trial, including HIV testing, intensive safer sex counseling, condoms, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Half of the study participants also received the PrEP pill, while the other half received a placebo.

In all, 64 HIV infections occurred among the 1,248 study participants who received the placebo pill, while 36 HIV infections occurred among the 1,251 participants who received Truvada®. The average reduction in HIV infection risk of 44% includes all study participants - even those who did not take the daily pill consistently. All studies have some uncertainty -- based on evidence from this study, the likely range for the overall protective effect of Truvada® is between 15% and 63%.

The iPrEx study found that PrEP offered more protection to those who reported taking the pill more consistently. Pill use in the study was measured through pill counts, bottle counts, and participants' self-reports. Among those who took the drug on 50% or more of days, risk of HIV infection fell by 50% (95% CI 18-70%); among those who used the pill on 90% or more of days, the PrEP pill reduced infection risk by 73% (95% CI 41-88%).

In addition to pill-taking measures that rely on self-reports, iPrEx also measured levels of Truvada® in the blood of study participants. These tests corroborated that participants who were protected against HIV infection were likely taking the study drug more regularly. Among a subset of 77 study participants who were given Truvada®, detectable levels of the drug were found in the blood of 51% (22 of 43) of those who remained HIV uninfected, but in only 9% (3 of 34) of participants who became HIV infected. Low or absent drug levels underlie all of the infections that occurred among those who received active PrEP.

"iPrEx proves that PrEP provides important additional protection against HIV when offered with other prevention methods such as HIV testing, counseling, condom use and management of sexually transmitted infections," said iPrEx Protocol Chair Robert Grant, MD, MPH of the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California at San Francisco. "As with other prevention methods, the greatest protection comes with consistent use. I hope this finding inspires a renewed commitment from communities, industry, and government to stop the spread of HIV." "These study results are an historic step forward in developing effective prevention strategies for men who have sex with men and transgender women, populations that are heavily impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide," said Susan Buchbinder, MD, Director of the HIV Research Section. "The study could not have been completed successfully without the collaboration of our community partners, and the commitment of study participants here in San Francisco, and on 4 continents. We look forward to continuing to work with them all as we move forward to better understand how and for whom PrEP might be implemented."

In Memory of Dawn Wolff, the Mother of Camp Heartland

In Memory of Dawn Wolff, the Mother of Camp Heartland

Dawn Wolff, the "mother of Camp Heartland," died on Monday, August 16, 2010. Wolff was the mother of Nile Sandeen, the boy whose HIV status caused uproar in Mequon, Wisconsin. After learning of Sandeen’s struggle in 1991, Neil Willenson founded One Heartland, a camp for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Neil Willenson commented on Wolff’s life yesterday, “Her willingness to speak openly about AIDS back in 1990, when few did so, ultimately led to the creation of One Heartland. Without Dawn's courage, thousands of children and volunteers would never have experienced Camp Heartland. The genesis of my 20 year journey in the HIV fight – and that of so many others – was Dawn’s desire to create a world that was far more accepting and understanding regarding HIV/AIDS. She was a powerful voice for acceptance and HIV education at a time when few women publicly disclosed their HIV status. She was a role model who was truly ahead of her time.”

Wolff is survived by her parents Don and Jackie Wolff, her sons Nile and Sean Sandeen, a grandchild and many other family members.

“My mother spent her life working towards tolerance and acceptance of those living with HIV/AIDS in our community and communities across the country. If there was any message that she wants to come from her death it is the same message of education, prevention, and love for the AIDS community. Just as she lived a life of hope we grieve and commend her to God with hope. She did not lose, AIDS did not win. To the contrary, AIDS, like death has no dominion over her,” stated Nile Sandeen, Wolff’s son who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota and is attending Luther Seminary.

World AIDS Day is December 1st each year

World AIDS Day is December 1st each year. It's a busy time for One Heartland to celebrate our campers living with HIV/AIDS, remember those we've lost and spend time educating the public to ensure that individuals know how to prevent the spread of this preventable disease.

This year, our campers and staff have taken part in several panels and speaking events including:

> Red Spots AIDS Awareness Panel sponsored by the African Student Association at the University of Minnesota

> Speech at the Minnesota AIDS Project on behalf of Community Health Charities

> Two speeches at Beverly Hills High School in LA

> Speech at UCLA to Dance Marathon Committee members

> Speech at Boston University sponsored by DM at BU

> Speech to medical students at the University of Minnesota's Medical School

Thank you for your support of children, youth and families affected by HIV/AIDS! Our programs are made possible primarily by individual donors.

One Heartland's Phone-a-Thon

One Heartland's Phone-a-Thon

This week at One Heartland, staff and volunteers are calling all of our former and current Camp counselors to say ‘hi’ and encourage you to become a sustaining supporter of the cause!

Each year we work hard to provide programs and services to kids living with HIV/AIDS and other isolating circumstances. Each year, we have to find ways to fund these programs and we need your help! At $10/month for a year, you will be helping to not only provide a child with an opportunity to attend Camp in the summer but also birthday cards and get well wishes and opportunities to attend other programs including our Youth Retreat and our Journey of Hope AIDS Awareness presentations. Summer 2010 was amazing with 9 weeks of Camp provided, 6 of them serving HIV/AIDS impacted kids and families and we’re already looking towards the future and beginning to plan our 2011 sessions! Help ensure that Summer 2011 will be as robust and impactful as possible by becoming a sustaining supporter!

Want to support a specific program? You can designate your dollars to fund only Camp Heartland, Birch Family Camp, or any of our other programs! Donate today and make a difference in the lives of children, youth and families facing social isolation!

Set them straight

Set them straight

Children's misconceptions about AIDS can be pretty scary, so it's important to correct them as soon as possible. Suppose your 8-year-old comes home from school one day, tearful because she fell down on the playground, scraped her knee and started bleeding -- and the other kids told her she would get AIDS. As a parent, you might explain, "No, you don't have AIDS. You're fine. You can't get AIDS from scraping your knee. The way you can get AIDS is when the fluids from your body mix with those of someone who has AIDS. Do you understand?" After such a discussion, it's also wise to check back with your child and see what she remembers. Understanding AIDS, particularly for young children, takes more than a single conversation.

Foster self-esteem

Praising our children frequently, setting realistic goals and keeping up with their interests are an effective way to build self-esteem. And that's important, because when kids feel good about themselves, they are much more likely to withstand peer pressure to have sex before they are ready, or to not do drugs. In short, they are less likely to engage in behavior that could put them at risk for AIDS.

Talking With Kids About HIV and AIDS

Talking With Kids About HIV and AIDS

As upsetting and confusing as it can be to bring up the subject of AIDS with young children, it's essential to do so. By the time they reach third grade, research shows that as many as 93 percent of children have already heard about the illness. Yet, while kids are hearing about HIV/AIDS early on, what they are learning is often inaccurate and frightening. You can set the record straight -- if you know the facts yourself. HIV is transmitted from person to person through contact with blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk. HIV can be prevented by using latex condoms during sex, not sharing "drug needles," and avoiding contact with another person's bodily fluids. So stay informed. Sharing this information with your youngster can keep her safe and calm her fears. Finally, talking with your child about AIDS lays the groundwork for any future conversations about AIDS-preventative behavior. Here are some tips on how to get started:

Initiate discussion

Use a "talk opportunity" to introduce the subject of AIDS to your child. For example, try tying a discussion into something your child sees or hears, such as a commercial about AIDS. After you and your child watch the ad, say something like, "Have you heard about AIDS before? Well, what do you think AIDS is?" This way, you can figure out what she already understands and work from there.

Present the facts

Offer honest, accurate information that's appropriate to a child's age and development. To an 8-year-old you might say, "AIDS is a disease that makes people very sick. It's caused by a virus, called HIV, which is a tiny germ." An older child can absorb more detailed information: "Your body is made up of billions of cells. Some of these cells, called T-cells, help your body stay healthy by fighting off disease. But if you get a virus called HIV, that virus kills the T- cells. Over time, the body can't fight disease any more and that person has AIDS." Pre-teens should also understand how condoms could help protect people from getting AIDS and that the disease can be transmitted between persons who share drug needles. (If you have already explained sexual intercourse to your children, you might add, "During sexual intercourse, the semen from the man's body goes into the woman's body. That semen can carry HIV." If you have not yet talked about sex, don't bring it up during initial discussions about AIDS. It's not a good idea for your child's first information about sex to be associated with such a serious disease.)

As upsetting and confusing as it can be to bring up the subject of AIDS with young children, it's essential to do so. By the time they reach third grade, research shows that as many as 93 percent of children have already heard about the illness. Yet, while kids are hearing about HIV/AIDS early on, what they are learning is often inaccurate and frightening. You can set the record straight -- if you know the facts yourself. HIV is transmitted from person to person through contact with blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk. HIV can be prevented by using latex condoms during sex, not sharing "drug needles," and avoiding contact with another person's bodily fluids. So stay informed. Sharing this information with your youngster can keep her safe and calm her fears. Finally, talking with your child about AIDS lays the groundwork for any future conversations about AIDS-preventative behavior. Here are some tips on how to get started:

Initiate discussion

Use a "talk opportunity" to introduce the subject of AIDS to your child. For example, try tying a discussion into something your child sees or hears, such as a commercial about AIDS. After you and your child watch the ad, say something like, "Have you heard about AIDS before? Well, what do you think AIDS is?" This way, you can figure out what she already understands and work from there.

Present the facts

Offer honest, accurate information that's appropriate to a child's age and development. To an 8-year-old you might say, "AIDS is a disease that makes people very sick. It's caused by a virus, called HIV, which is a tiny germ." An older child can absorb more detailed information: "Your body is made up of billions of cells. Some of these cells, called T-cells, help your body stay healthy by fighting off disease. But if you get a virus called HIV, that virus kills the T- cells. Over time, the body can't fight disease any more and that person has AIDS." Pre-teens should also understand how condoms could help protect people from getting AIDS and that the disease can be transmitted between persons who share drug needles. (If you have already explained sexual intercourse to your children, you might add, "During sexual intercourse, the semen from the man's body goes into the woman's body. That semen can carry HIV." If you have not yet talked about sex, don't bring it up during initial discussions about AIDS. It's not a good idea for your child's first information about sex to be associated with such a serious disease.)