Will there ever be an AIDS vaccine? Or are we chasing a ghost?

It is now years later! About 33 million people in the world are infected with HIV and some 26 million have died of AIDS since the pandemic began. Is there ever going to be an AIDS vaccine? Or is HAART a better solution? With HAART, you can recover from HIV/AIDS and live with HIV for a very long time. Putting funding and belief toward HAART may be saving lives rather than the waiting and false hope of a vaccine. A substantial minority of scientists admit that an HIV vaccine may never be developed. Some say it will take another 20 years of research before one is discovered. Others believe that a vaccine against HIV is further away than ever and admit that effective immunization against the virus may never be possible. A mood of deep pessimism has spread among the international community of AIDS scientists after the failure of a trial of a promising vaccine at the end of last year. It just was the latest in a series of setbacks in the 25-year struggle to develop an HIV vaccine. However, we do know HAART is an effective way to control the HIV spread and allow people infected to live longer and healthier. Should all efforts be put into prevention? What are you thoughts?

MRSA. What is it? Does having HIV affect MRSA risk?

The HIV community is watching carefully as MRSA breaks out among ‘men having sex with men’ and ‘injection drug use’. What is MRSA? MRSA , "methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus", is a bacteria commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. If the skin is cut or broken, the bacteria are given the opportunity to infect. MRSA looks similar to a large pimple or boil. MRSA can cause a wide variety of infections ranging from mild skin infections to serious infections such as pneumonia or sepsis. People with a weakened immune system should follow the same preventive measures to prevent being infected, including washing their hands frequently, covering wounds with bandages, and refraining from sharing personal hygiene items. Treatment is by incision and drainage of the wound. Then antibiotics may be used for up to ten days. Have you known about MRSA? Is it the next health problem for people living with HIV?

Can you talk to your doctor? Does he provide the care you need?

Do you have a doctor who does not listen to you? Do you feel you are caught in the middle of a medical world not interested in your needs? Finding the right doctor is of great concern to people living with HIV. It is a matter of expecting the right care and knowing your doctor will provide it. Empowered communication with your doctor is personal and important. Perhaps you have encountered problems and need information pertaining to the things ‘your’ care should involve. A community forum called “Doctor Visits: Are yours what they should be?” is being presented by the BCPWA Society in the Best Western Chateau Granville (corner of Granville & Helmcken) at 6pm on Tuesday, April 22. Open to persons living with HIV & other interested participants. Free dinner included. If you wish to attend this you need to rsvp to paulk@bcpwa.org by april 17th. If you have any comments or share experiences, please do so on this blog.

Could HAART treatment strategy reduce HIV?

A new strategy to battle HIV might reduce the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. Dr. Julio Montaner, of the B.C. Centre for Excellence, suggests using HAART as treatment for HIV could lower the number of cases around the world. HAART reduces viral loads of HIV in the patient's blood until it is undetectable, and as a result they become less infectious. A patient going on HAART soon after testing positive to HIV lessens the transmission of the virus. Montaner adds, "It's time that we start talking about it, and the Center would like to lead that discussion because if that is the case between better prevention and strengthening of our treatment programs we may be able to, at least in the short term, control the spread of HIV." Convincing people who have already tested positive to HIV is a very heavy task. Why would you want to take medications when you are not sick? Is this one more way of prevention? Or is it suggesting something else?

Swiss study states: no virus? = no infection?

Professor Bernard Hirschel, MD, of the University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland, declares that HIV-positive people with undetectable viral loads cannot transmit HIV. Stated at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston, MA, and based on an analysis of several studies over a long period of time, Hirschel’s bold statement has rocked the HIV community. There’s a lot of discussion on both sides of the debate. Hirschel, along with two other co-author’s, has disclosed the findings for several reasons including a series of court trials in Switzerland where HIV positive people have been accused of endangering others, who are HIV negative, through sexual relations. Hirschel argues that an HIV infected person on HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy), with an undetectable viral load is not technically infectious. Others say that the absence of a risk can never really be proven. Does Hirschel’s study send the wrong message? Does it give hope? How do you feel about this statement?

HIV/AIDS and working life

Are you living with HIV and working? In the cover story of the current issue of living+ magazine, there is a feature entitled Back to Work: living and working with HIV. We have noticed a trend these days that as more people are becoming healthier, they are also returning to work. Stable antiretroviral drug regimens may be contributing to people’s health however there are still challenges in living with HIV. One person states that having HIV and working are accompanied by unique concerns not faced by the average worker. What are your experiences? If you have gone back to work recently, how have you managed? Share your experiences with others.

Facial Wasting and HIV/AIDS

Facial wasting/lipoatrophy is a serious medical condition that plagues many people living with HIV/AIDS. It can cause disfigurement and make people feel stigmatized. There are treatments for it, however, people with HIV have to pay out of their own pocket if they wish to have the necessary treatment procedures – which we say just isn’t right!
The BCPWA Society has been actively advocating to get medical services coverage for treatments used to correct facial lipoatrophy for people living with HIV/AIDS. We are now in discussions with the Ministry about this issue and awaiting an answer. In the meantime, we have organized a community forum on facial lipoatrophy. It will take place on Wednesday, March 26th at 6 pm at the Best Western Chateau Granville (corner of Granville and Helmcken). If you wish to attend this you need to rsvp to zorans@bcpwa.org If you have any comments or share experiences, please do so on this blog