Bittersweetness

I cannot believe it is the end of the semester! This course flew by so fast. On one hand, I am so happy that this semester is over but on the other hand I walk away from this course with somewhat of a heavy heart. I viewed this class as a stepping stone that would bring me closer to my goal of graduating,Teach and Linda had other plans for me, thanfully.

I became so emotionally involved in this class that it was overwhelming at times. When I was watching the movies for our assignment, I was crying through them. I somewhat felt the devastating affects of HIV and AIDS and that was shocking to me. I never thought I would actually feel something emotionally when I was taking this class. I am so glad that I took this course because this is one that will be ingrained in my brain and in my heart years after I have graduated and I cannot say that about most of the classes I have taken. Witnessing first hand the effects of the disease was such a turning point for me.

I could never express fully how this class touched me and how thankful I am for this course. Many colleges do not have anything like this and it is sad. I feel like everyone should be educated in a way that this course offers. It is not just the science of the disease, the statistics and the emotional impact need to be brought to light and this class did that for me more than I could have imagined. Throughout this course I found myself talking to anyone who would listen about the statistics and facts I had learned. I found myself talking to my parents about how more awareness should be fostered with teenagers and middle school students. Whenever I told people I was taking this class, they were shocked that there was actually such a course offered. I wish other colleges had the opportunity that us as UCF students had when taking this class.

Did You Know?
A St.Louis inmate who is HIV positive was denied HIV medication for 17 days. This individual had been treated by his doctor before incarceration. Even though his doctor faxed over his medication and dosage information, the St.Louis inmate was still deprived.

Reference:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_44e09b6a-b7e0-5db2-99e9-b8a882f36059.html

H.I.V Discrimination

In Beijing, a 22 year old man was unable to get a teaching job after he passed all of the necessary tests because he has HIV. He took the local education bureau to court where he lost his case. There is a 4 year old law in China that states "no institution or individual shall discriminate against people living with H.I.V., AIDS patients and their relatives” (Jacobs, 2010). This law was passed in order to protect individuals with HIV from discrimination against them by potential or current employers. Even with this law in order, the judge sided with the education bureau's choice. In China, medicine for HIV and AIDS is accessible but individuals with the disease are shunned and often barred from jobs in universitites, state jobs and private corporations (Jacobs, 2010). It had been reported that the fear of being ostracized kept roughly 740,000 HIV individuals from seeking treatment (Jacobs, 2010). Even with this close minded thinking, apparetnly the Chinese government lifted a ban last year that prevented HIV infected foreigners from entering China (Jacobs, 2010).

This is a horrbile and saddening situation. It is so unethical to keep someone from having a job just because they have HIV. I do not understand how the judge could side with the education bureau when they have a specific law in place against discrimination of people with HIV! Does the law mean nothing at all? What's even more sad is that this man is so youg, he is only 22 and he has no job prospects to pay for his medecine. How can China lift a ban letting foreigners with HIV into their country, but not give their own citizens jobs? I also am shocked at how many people did not receive treatment out of fear. These people would rather let their disease go untreated than face the harsh judgement and stigma that come along with being HIV positive. That is truely sad.

Did You Know?
In Harare, Zimbabwe government officials are finally buckling under pressure to give inmates a sound healthcare delivery system. Program director Dr.Charles Sunday said, "We are currently working towards formulating an HIV and TB policy framework specifically for prisons. We have already set a team of health experts going around prisons to come up with a situational report" (Moyo, 2010). These reports will be used when coming up with a HIV/TB policy (Moyo, 2010). Dr.Sunday also said that due to HIV related illnesses, the mortality rate in prisons are very high (Moyo, 2010).

Reference:

Jacobs, A. (2010, November 12). Chinese law against hiv discrimination fails in court. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/world/asia/13china.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Moyo, Y. (2010, November 14). Hiv/tb policy for inmates. Retrieved from http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35534:hivtb-policy-for-inmates&catid=52&Itemid=32

Fighting HIV through text messages?

I read something today about efforts in Kenya to help those with HIV improve their health. A study done by the University of British Columbia got 538 HIV positive patients between 2007 and 2009 to be in their study (Graber, 2010). Half of the patients would receive weekly text messages and were asked to respond within 48 hours (Graber, 2010). These text messages had nothing to do with reminding them to take their medicine. These messages would simply ask "How are you?". Recipients would respond back that they are doing well or that they are having problems. If there was a problem or no response then a clinician would follow up with the patient. "The ones who received the texts were 12% more likely than the non-recipients to have undetectable levels of the virus a year after being infected" (Graber, 2010). The participants who were text ed said that they felt like someone cared about them which helped them to take better care of themselves. I love that Kenya is using a technology that is so prevalent in today's society. Although I don't know how prevalent cell phones are in Kenya, they are more than a common part of Americans lives. If it worked in Kenya it may be able to work in the U.S. Everyone in the U.S. pretty much has a cell phone and texts, it offers the perfect opportunity to reach out to those with HIV and help them take better care of themselves.

On a side note, since I have been keeping up with it, Vivid Entertainment (a porn production company) will resume filming this week. Vivid, as well as some other production companies stopped filming after an adult star tested positive for HIV. Steve Hirsch the Vivid co-founder stated, "We will, of course, continue to require recent test results for all performers in our movies and will continue to take all necessary precautions to assure their health and safety" (SFVBJ, 2010).

Did You Know?
"Forty-eight states, including the District of Columbia, do not offer pregnant women screening for HIV/AIDS" (Elan, 2010).

References:
Graber, C. (2010, November 10). Text message outreach improves HIV patients outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=text-message-outreach-improves-hiv-10-11-10


SFVBJ.(2010, November 8). Cameras roll again for vivid films. Retrieved from http://www.sfvbj.com/news/2010/nov/08/cameras-roll-again-vivid-films/

Elan, S. (2010). Shackling pregnant women spurs prison reform push. Retrieved from http://www.womensradio.com/articles/Shackling-Pregnant-Women-Spurs-Prison-Reform-Push/7166.html

Zambia's Fighting Effort

I was pretty suprised to find an article about Zambia putting up an effort to fight HIV. I was suprised because of the way they are going about it. Zambia has come up with a 10 year program to fight HIV through male circumcision (VOA News, 2010). Many people there are opposed to this program because they say there is not enough evidence to support that circumcision make a male more suceptible to HIV (VOA News, 2010). Religious groups are unhappy about the program as well. "But scientists around the globe and leading groups fighting the disease say studies show that circumcised men are less likely to become infected. They say it’s likely that cells in a man’s foreskin are vulnerable to the virus and that susceptibility is reduced, but not eliminated, when the foreskin is removed" (VOA News, 2010). Personally I have never heard of this correlation but it is interesting to hear. It is also very uplifting to see Zambia making a conscious effort to fight HIV.

Reference:
VOA News, . (2010, November 3). Zamibia to fight aids by increasing male circumcision. Retrieved from http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/southern/zambia-AIDS-prevention-circumcision-3Nov10-e2a-106633344.html