God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

01/14/2012 • 5:19 pm Comments Off on 3. Hamburger HIV – Strategic Forum

3. Hamburger HIV – Strategic Forum

Being part of a purely medical symposium is new to me – but it was an interesting one in Hamburg, which ended this afternoon.  Besides my opening talk about the African way in the jungle of Westernized prevention and treatment strategies there were a range of exciting topics  and so much to learn. G Stich from Wuerzburg shared his impression of the treatment work on the continent Africa while K Ochel reported from his experience in working in the fields of E-learning in China. A real eye opener and a complete change of attitude is happening in this huge country, from prevention work via methadone substitute for IV drug-users to treatment options. I realized that maybe we have to review our predictions and thinking regarding China in the fields of HIV and AIDS.
Church, politics and health systems: Is the pandemic under control was the question of a panel discussion I participated then and again: different views how far we have come, but there was nobody seriously thinking we have already reached the Rubicon.

Exciting news from research in the USA: D Ando reported on exciting studies to block the CCR5 receptor and D Margolis from trials to trigger the HIV reservoirs  through HDAC Inhibition. And we learned in the context that there are some interesting developments regarding the Berlin patient. Is functional healing a vision was the overall question of this part of the forum.

The next chapter looked after side effects: Are they really as serious as they sometimes reported? Is there any difference between aging people living with or without HIV or another chronic disease? It seems not according to what I have heard… But I learned that a study about elderly female in Iowa showed that taking too much vitamin supplements actually triggers higher mortality – specially iron. Calcium seems to decrease the mortality rate. Interesting…

Role play about doctor – patient interactions and treatment strategies formed the final part of the forum and I have to admit that the atmosphere, the discussions, the way of giving information, the variety of topics made this strategic forum worth travelling all the way from Cape Town to Hamburg. Thanks also to MSD and the local organisers for making it possible for me to participate, to share my knowledge and to learn so much more.

And good to know that researchers and medics are interested in seeing the holistic picture and eyeing beyond the their own medical portfolio.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Medical and Research, Networking, Politics and Society, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

01/07/2012 • 8:07 pm 1

Preparation for Hamburg…

“The African way? Looking after traces in the jungle of Westernized strategies of prevention and treatment”.
This is the title of the opening talk I have to deliver coming Friday in Hamburg for the 3rd Hamburg Strategic Forum  on HIV. And it is a tough one for me, then except me the participants are all connected to the medical field, be it as doctors, researchers or in the pharmaceutical field. What do they expect from me as a priest? O Lord, such a challenge can make one nervous, makes me nervous. On the other hand I love to be challenged and I am looking forward to meet new people and learn new information about the pandemic and the challenges in Germany.

So I am still contemplating and fine tuning the talk while there is enough time to do so. Thursday the plane will bring me via Istanbul to Hamburg for the two days of the gathering. I am awaiting this Forum with quite some anticipation and hope, the traces of African ways, I have found and tracked down in the last days might help to understand the African situation and further the cooperation between Germany and South Africa.

The gathering also includes a discussion about church, politics and the health systems in certain countries – I find it remarkable and exciting to include those questions and to make clear, that turning around the tide of HIV and AIDS requires all quarters of society – it is much more than a medical problem.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Medical and Research, Networking, Reflection, , , , , , , , , ,

01/02/2012 • 4:45 am Comments Off on New year…

New year…

A new year has begun and  most of the new resolutions will take their usual way of being forgotten within weeks.
I have been asked since a long time whether it would be possible to read the book “Gott-AIDS-Afrika” in the English language.I have read out of the book in many places, among others churches, bibliotheque’s, the German Parliament, the Bavarian Parliament, the representation of Rhineland-Palatinate in Berlin and bookshops in Germany and Austria – and there was a period of time where I was not able to do so…  Two exemplars of the book went to Rome, one was sent to Pope Benedikt XVI ( and yes, we got a receipt) and the other I handed to a Polish Prelate while in Rome with the promise to pass it on…. But as I live in South Africa, there was also quiet an interest into the contents of the book.
I always promised to make an English copy available but never had the time to think of how I want to do it. After being translated into English, the manuscript was laying on my desk for almost a year. There was always something more important to do. But now I have decided to publish most of the book in an English translation here on the blog: “God – AIDS – Africa”  – you can read chapters of the book from the 1.February 2012 – every second days a new chapter will be published. I decided against publishing it as an E-book – there is no need to earn money on it, the purpose of the book was always to stimulate a discussion within the church about the moral teaching of my church and the challenges HIV and AIDS poses to this teaching. The book tells stories I have encountered, questions I have asked myself and those who are in charge of our teaching.
B.Grill, my co-author has added his voice and experience as well. I am looking forward to responses and dialogue – this is what the book intended to stipulate. And once again just for the records: I am happy within my church, which is and remains a community of saints and sinners. But we will only develop our theology and we will only be able to give the right answers to the questions of today when we ask the right questions ourself, when we debate, when we compare the teaching with our daily experience and check on it. For institutions which proclaim they have parts of the truth already within their teaching, it can be hard to allow such questions. But I am sure that God and his reality is so much more than what we know so far and all critical questions are part of learning more of this reality.
Well, with that, one resolution of the old year 2010 will come into practice in 2012. Better late then never. 🙂 And who wants to read it in the original German version – amazon.de or amazon.com should have the hardcover as well as the paperback still on offer.

Filed under: General, HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

12/30/2011 • 7:31 am 1

At the end of the year…

there is only one thing to say: Thank you very much all supporters and sponsors of HOPE Cape Town, but also thank you to the great staff of HOPE Cape Town, dedicated working day-to-day in the townships in and around Cape Town. It is indeed a privilege to be connected to so many dedicated people in Cape Town, South Africa and around the world, who want to change the lives of those affected and effected by HIV and AIDS. Gratefully looking back on 2011 I hope and wish that with your help, 2012 will be anew a year full of blessings for our work.

Stefan Hippler

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Trust, Medical and Research, Politics and Society, Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

12/21/2011 • 7:28 am Comments Off on POZ Magazine: An HIV Drug Delivery Patch in the Pipeline

POZ Magazine: An HIV Drug Delivery Patch in the Pipeline

ImQuest Biosciences, based in Frederick, Maryland, is developing a skin patch to deliver antiretroviral medications, according to a presentation at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition being held October 23 through 27 in Washington, DC. Though the patch is in very early stages of development—it has not yet been studied in animals, let alone humans—it holds great promise for people living with HIV, the researchers suggest. According to lead presenter Anthony Ham, PhD, of ImQuest, a single transdermal patch can be used to deliver seven days of medication into the bloodstream. “As we enter the fourth decade of HIV/AIDS, this new delivery method will hopefully reduce the numerous pills most HIV patients have to take daily,” said Ham in an AAPS press announcement. “Taking medicines regularly reduces symptoms in HIV patients and extends lives. The transdermal patch offers an easier option for patients to comply with their medication regimes as compared to current treatments.” This non-invasive patch also shows a potential economic advantage in terms of shipping costs as compared to pills or needles. With an estimated 15 million people living with HIV in developing countries and only 5.3 million people with access to treatment, Ham and his colleagues suggest the patch offers a more affordable and accessible way to address this unmet medical need.

Source:   http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/hiv_transdermal_patch_1667_21359.shtml

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, , , , , , ,

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