Blog #12

This class by far has been well worth the tuition that I have paid. I won’t name the class, but a few semester ago I had a class that all we did was stand around. I learned absolutely nothing. I was mad at the end of the semester, I remember calling home and telling my mother how waste of a time it was for me to take this class. Well we are at the end of the semester and I am proud to say that I survived, there were a couple of weeks that I thought I wasn’t going to make it. I can proudly say that this class has changed my life for the better. I am more educated about the world that I live in. Before this class, like I have said before I have had probably heard the words HIV/AIDS 5 times my whole life and why I even heard that many times I have no idea. But now that I think about it, it’s disturbing. This virus that has taken so many lives and I never knew about it. Well that has changed now, I bother my mother and sister and friends with the new information that I have learned. I know I will be able to inform others of the information that I gained in this class for the future and hopefully make a small difference.

I was in Target the other day, and long behold they had a Starbucks (I live in a county where there is no Starbucks :( ) I was waiting in line looking at everything they had, and did you know Starbucks is a supporter for AIDS? On December 1st (World AIDS day) Starbucks will contribute 5 cents for every drink that they make that day to save lives in Africa. So head to Starbucks!

Did you know…
I know many of us right now are not ready for kids but think in the future… http://www.aidskids.org/ is in the need for adoptive or foster parents. 134,000 children are in need to be adopted.

So we all know the safest way of avoiding HIV is to use protection i.e. condoms. Well to put your mind at ease the U.S. center for disease and control put 20 different brands of condoms to the test. ALL 20 condoms met all national and international standards. Tests include filling condoms with 17-18 liters of air testing to see if they would break (Brownstein, 2009). They all passed. Some brands went through extra testing by filling the condoms up with 25 liters of air, including products from Durex, Lifestyles, and Trojan, they never broke in the 500-600 tries. “All the condoms were also submerged in water to check for leaks” (Brownstein, 2009).
This is just to show that it is the responsibility of the person using the condom, to learn to how to properly use the condom, by knowing how much air should be at the tip, to avoid falling off, opening the package carefully avoiding any tearing, and not using expired condoms.

Brownstein, J. 2009. The Body: The complete HIV/AIDS resource. Consumer Reports Puts 20 Condoms to the Test. Retrieved November 18, 2009. From http://www.thebody.com/content/art54344.html

DID YOU KNOW…
According to http://www.thebody.com/ , HIV/AIDS fact of the days is…
By the end of 2003, there were 12 million children orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa alone.

What I am learning

I just finished up my summary for the M&M simulation, I really did enjoy this project it gave me a real knowledge of what it is like to be HIV positive. All of the assignments/modules that we have done so far I have always enjoyed and besides the work that it included I did like doing them and always learned something from them. However, this assignment I don't think I could ever read or write to really understand what it like to be HIV positive. The routines one has to endure the understanding of what medications could to your body or the foods the may have to be eliminated so that one may avoid side effects. It is something that is never ending. During the simulation I found myself becoming aggravated that I wasn't able to swallow the peanut M&M, and according to the packet that is about half the size of some of the pills one would have to take. The schedule that I had made myself got in the way of my work schedule and at the end of the day realized that if this was a real scenario, the medications would win, not work. I really did learn a lot from this project and wish this class had more of them.


DID YOU KNOW...

A South African version of Sesame Street.
Watch this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eXlNn-C8BY&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnhcZGOvDfM

The South African version of the children's educational programme Sesame Street has introduced an HIV positive character.
The programme, aimed at very young children, wants to show that those living with HIV are no different to others and should be treated as such.

This show made U.S. politicians nervous that this character would appear in the U.S.

week 9

So what I have learned in this class, could never be matched to any other class that I have taken so far, I am not sure if it is just me, but I think about this class at least 6 times a day, this week more than others because of the M&M simulation, but this class and information that we have learned is not comparable to any other class. With the discussion topics I have had more in-depth conversations with my family than I have ever before. As much as think about this class, I can't wait for it to be over with, but like any other class that I have taken once it is over, usually the material that I have learned is gone, for this class, not so much. It is something that I will carry on and refer to for the rest of my life, I feel I have a one up on others, because I know so much more about this topic, than most people do.

For a couple of weeks now I have been selling candy for the HugMe organization. This is is where I have realized people really don't anything about HIV or care to know and there really is a stigma out there regarding HIV/AIDS. It has to the point for me now where I tell people I am selling candy for an organization in Orlando. I sold a couple of candy bars to a women, I believe she is in her mid 50's. After she bought the candy, she asked where the money was going and I told her and the minute I said HIV she just looked at me with a dumbfounded look. The only thing she said back to me was at least the money is staying within the U.S.... If I would have told her what charity it was and what the money was for I really don't think she would have bought anything. Sad :(

DID YOU KNOW...
"HIV develops very rapidly among infants and children, and, without treatment, a third of infected children will die of AIDS before their first birthday, with half dying before they are two. In 2007, there were 270,000 deaths attributed to HIV in under-15s, most of which could have been prevented through early diagnosis and effective treatment. Though the number of children receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased significantly in recent years, at the end of 2008 less than 40% of the 730,000 children needing ART in lower- and middle-income countries were receiving it"(2009, HIV/AIDS treatment).



(2009)Avert.HIV & AIDS Treatment. Received November 4, 2009. From http://www.avert.org/hiv-children.htm

Week 8

Everytime I learn something new in this class, I always pass the information on to my sister, not sure why but I do. She is always shocked with the information I tell her. So we were in the car together drivign somewhere, work probably and I asked her if she wanted to go to the men's panal with me in November, to my surprise she said yes, I was estatic. One the drive to Orlando is about 2 hours for me, its nice to have some company. Two it would be nice to have someone to discuss what was said that night to someone in person rather on the phone. Then she told me that because of everything I have told her, it scares her, that she is constantly thinking about it and that in the future she is not going to careless.

I just can't help but think, all I told my sister was the hard core facts about HIV/AIDS and it literally scares her I know she has learned from me and I know she will pass that informatoin on to her boyfriend who will one day mention it to someone.... I just possibly saved 2 lives, that is kinda cool. I may be way over thinking it but all one has to do is talk and the other will listen.

DID YOU KNOW...

How can transmission of HIV from mother to baby be prevented?
Any baby born to a mother with HIV risks becoming infected during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding. The chance of this happening can be massively reduced by giving HIV infected mothers and their babies anti-HIV drugs and, where appropriate, by feeding the baby using formula rather than breast milk.
These interventions are known as the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission or “PMTCT”. No mother wants to pass HIV to her child, but without PMTCT interventions, around one in three babies born to women with HIV will become infected with HIV themselves.
How many women are receiving PMTCT to protect their babies?
In developed countries, almost all HIV infected women will receive good PMTCT care. With the best treatment and formula feeding, the chance of HIV being transmitted to the baby is less than two percent.
In developing countries it is very different. While a few developing countries have launched effective responses, on average 33% of women receive drugs to prevent their babies being born with HIV. As a result, around 370,000 children are infected with HIV every year.

Why are so many pregnant women not receiving the help they need?
Most often it is because PMTCT services are unavailable or inefficient, or because women are unable to access them. Stigma and fear may also play a role by making a woman unwilling to take an HIV test, or unwilling to take PMTCT drugs.
These problems, though challenging, can be overcome. Some developing countries, such as Botswana and Brazil, are already providing PMTCT services to most of their pregnant women.

Avert.Stops Aids in Children Join the Campaign. Retrived October 27, 2009. From http://www.avert.org/stop-aids-children.php

Oprah has done it again...

Once again Oprah has done it right this time. On today's show the topic was "Sex as a deadly women: 5 victims speak out" was about a man who slept with all of these women and was HIV positive and he knew it. Some of these relationships were years long, others only months. These women were all over the age of 40, mostly fresh out of a previous marriage. Felipe(infected male) can be traced back to having HIV to 1997 with countless women between now and then. Felipe was served a ceased and deceased order saying that he needs to stop having sex, or unprotected sex and that he needs to disclose his status. He was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Felipe is now serving 45 years in prison.

As I watched this show, the only words that came out of my mouth was oh my gosh. The thing that surprises me the most is how he could have been diagnosed 10+ years ago, and he doesn't show any signs of being HIV. Surely I would understand this more if he were taking his medications, but he wasn't.

DID YOU KNOW....

"Children are adversely affected by the impact that HIV and AIDS has on a country’s essential services. One of the most important services that children need is healthcare. In areas heavily affected by AIDS, hospitals are often overwhelmed by the large number of patients that they have to look after. In many cases these hospitals have lost staff to AIDS, making it even more difficult for them to cope. Providing adequate care for sick children is made all the more difficult with a health system heavily burdened by the HIV epidemic"(Berry, 2009).

Berry, S(July 28, 2009). HIV/AIDS and children. In Avert. Retrieved October 20,2009 fromhttp://www.avert.org/children.htm

Well my results came back the other day and I don't know about anyone eles experience with the testing but mine was HORRIBLE. I went to a health clinic in a near by town. Not only did I have to wait 2 hours because they forgot to call me, but I was treated poorly. I was not planning on telling the nurses that I was here for a school project, but I accidentally slipped in mid conversation and when that happened everything changed. My nurse's tone and sympathy for changed completely she became very short with me as if me being there was a waste of time. I received no pre-counseling. So, 2 weeks later I go in a get my results, they didn't forget me this time, a different nurse called me back and as I was walking behind her I see the nurse that I had seen the first time leaning up against the wall next to the door that I was walking into. So I followed my new nurse in had a seat and then my original nurse came in behind me, so the three of us are sitting in the room, my heart started pounding I was thinking this can't be good. Of course, the room was silent they were going through the papers, she finally asked me for my numbers so she could compare to make sure it was me. She said that I was negative, finally my heart slowed down. At this point, she asked if I had any questions. If I didn't they were going to let me walk right out without any post-counseling. I asked her what she would be telling me right now if I wasn't here for a school project they only thing she could tell me was to have safe sex, and that I could come back in 3-6 months to be retested. She acted like she no idea what she was talking about. The whole situation was horrible and I hope they only treated me the way they did because they knew this was a school project.

DID YOU KNOW...
"There are two main things that can be done to help families cope with the burden of HIV. The first is to provide treatment to family-members who are infected. Although antiretroviral drugs are still not widely available in many resource-poor areas, a child’s family-members may be able to reach a clinic or hospital that can provide these drugs. Treatment access is slowly improving in resource-poor countries, but much more money and effort will be needed if the situation is to improve. In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, only around 44% of people in need of treatment are receiving it.
The second thing that can be done is to provide family members who are not infected with HIV with knowledge and resources – such as condoms – that can help them to stay uninfected. HIV prevention campaigns, whether run by the government, local groups, or international organisations, can help to bring these things to families and their communities".

Berry, S(July 28, 2009). HIV/AIDS and children. In Avert. Retrieved October 14,2009 fromhttp://www.avert.org/children.htm

EXTRA...
Canada confidentiality laws

Code of ethics of the Canadian Medical Association requires all physicians to:

"Respect the patient’s right to confidentiality
except when this right conflicts with your
responsibility to the law, or when the maintenance
of confidentiality would result in a significant
risk of substantial harm to others or to the
patient if the patient is incompetent; in such
cases, take all reasonable steps to inform the
patient that confidentiality will be breached" (Canadian HIV/AIDS, 2009).

The "public safety exception" to confidentiality:

"A health-care professional’s duty of confidentiality to apatient is not absolute. In Smith v Jones (1999), theSupreme Court of Canada found that a physician’s duty
of confidentiality is subject to a “public safety exception.”
A physician (or counsellor or other health-careprofessional) may breach a duty of confidentiality
owed to a client or patient where:
1. there exists a clear risk to an identifiable person orgroup of persons;
2. the risk is that serious bodily harm or death mayoccur;
3. the danger is imminent; and
4. the proposed disclosure will minimally impair the
privacy right of the patient" (Canadian HIV/AIDS, 2009).

This website is very informative check it out http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/interfaces/downloadFile.php?ref=187

undefined. (2004). Canadian HIV/AIDS legal network. In Privacy protection and the disclosure of the health information: legal issues for people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada.. Retrieved October 14, 2009, from

http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/interfaces/downloadFile.php?ref=187