God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

01/30/2013 • 7:45 am Comments Off on

Interesting read…

sbarns's avatarTuko Pamoja Mkyashi

the-wisdom-of-whores-bureaucrats-brothels-and-the-business-of-aids

Don’t be turned off by the name of this book. It’s meant to catch your attention, and it is clear in reading the book that Pisani has the utmost respect for the people she has spent her life working with. If she has any contempt, it is for the people who continue to propagate myths about AIDS based on personal beliefs and agendas.

The Wisdom of Whores is one of the most interesting and fast-reading nonfiction books I’ve ever read. It is very issue specific – talking solely about HIV/AIDS as opposed to “development” more generally – but the lessons it teaches more generally about how money flows in the development community relate to all major issues. Some of those lessons learned include:

–  When an issue becomes “hot” organizations will flock to it and compete for cash.

–  Aid workers often feel pressure to keep their issue “hot” and…

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Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , ,

01/20/2013 • 6:11 am Comments Off on Interesting topics from around the world..

Interesting topics from around the world..

Man and woman having anal sex. Ceramic, Moche ...

Man and woman having anal sex. Ceramic, Moche Culture. 300 C.E. Larco Museum Collection (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The internet is a source for lots of information, but sometimes it is difficult to find the ones one is interested in or looking for. Here a choice of topics which crossed my virtual desk this week:

Rectal issues are normally not on top of the reading material, but the write-up about HPV (human papilloma virus) is not only interesting but also important for those engaging in anal sex: Read more in clicking the following link .

Staying with anal intercourse, which is by the way also surprisingly common in heterosexual relationships (to avoid pregnancy) I saw an article dealing with cleanness and another has the headline:    Insert Discourse: Rectal Douching Among Young HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Men Who Have Sex with Men in Vancouver, Canada

Remains on this unusual topic to mention the website of IRMA (International Rectal Microbicide Advocates) which you can access here.

In the fields of research there is an interesting read about HIV fighting itself.  Groundbreaking vaccine research reveals more clues about HIV is going into the same direction.

Great Britain is warned about the rise of faked condoms and on another note Paul Kawata (Executive Director, National Minority AIDS Council USA) reflects on Martin Luther King and his impact on the struggle to beat HIV.

And I end of with an article full of hope: PrEPing for the end of the HIV/AIDS epidemic by Phill Wilson. He is the president and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, the only National HIV/AIDS think tank in the United States focused exclusively on Black people. I had the pleasure listening to one of talks at the World AIDS Conference in Washington – an indeed inspiring man.

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Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, Networking, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , ,

01/08/2013 • 1:14 pm Comments Off on In the press…

In the press…

There are two new articles of interest, one describing advances in a therapeutic vaccine, the other reports an interesting observation which could lead to a new approach regarding functional cure.

Cure: Curious Cohort on early treatment – read here
New HIV Vaccine is safe – read here

Another piece I found is the letter of a HIV positive mother, writing to her healthy future grown up son confessing her infection. A letter full of emotions and truth – read here

Enjoy reading!

Filed under: General, HIV and AIDS, HIV Treatment, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

01/05/2013 • 8:42 am Comments Off on How long do I live when HIV positive?

How long do I live when HIV positive?

Life Expectancy

Life Expectancy (Photo credit: Greatist)

A good question and first the good news: People with HIV may enjoy life spans close to normal if they are on antiretroviral therapy, maintain low viral loads and CD4 counts above 350, are not co infected with viral hepatitis, and are not injection drug users, according to a new study from the United Kingdom, aidsmap reports. It is an interesting report giving hope to those thinking, that HIV might cut their life too short to live it to the fullest. A good starting point to read it at the beginning of the year. Click here

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Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

12/27/2012 • 5:36 pm Comments Off on Different worlds

Different worlds

Being on a cruise liner as a chaplain means also to be exposed to many different people and talking about God, the world, HOPE Cape Town and obviously HIV and AIDS. And suddenly one realizes again how different the worlds are we are living in. Standing casually last night watching the evening show I was chatting with the medical doctor on board. Naturally we are in close contact as our work portfolios touch each other and this time, we spend even more time together chatting and befriending each other besides the work. Speaking about my experience of HIV and AIDS in South Africa and my question, whether there are HIV rapid test on board the good doctor is not sure whether there are. In the ongoing conversation he admits never having treated a case of HIV and as the discussion goes along, he mentioned that in the case he would encounter such a case on board, he would advice the person to leave the ship. I was stunned. Not that he had any reservations or discriminatory thoughts about people living with HIV. It was simple, that for him, HIV was an unknown syndrome, not present while he was studying and never present to his knowledge in his rooms.

Knowing how he cares about patients I wondered till I was falling asleep that for me HIV was such a “normal” factor of life while for him it was something unknown in practice and even far away in theory. Indeed different worlds and a reminder, that often we think, our environment, our knowledge, our expertise is normal to all others – and it is not. I hope that my talk tomorrow about the work we are doing with HOPE Cape Town in South Africa will open up some minds and hearts and contribute to a better dealing with HIV and AIDS in an European environment.

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Filed under: General, HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

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