Take the Test

Today is World Aids Day.  

My general focus is on non communicable chronic diseases, which AIDS is not. However, as a public health educator, I have had opportunity to promote safer sex practices and screening for sexually transmitted infections.

The infection that can lead to AIDS is human immunodeficiency virus or HIV.  HIV weakens the body and can lead to the diagnosis of a group of infections and other symptoms that are considered AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

The most common way that HIV is transmitted is through unprotected sex.  The highest risk is having UAS or unprotected anal sex, followed by UVS or unprotected vaginal sex, however, oral sex can lead to HIV as well.  Other transmission sources are blood and body fluids.  A mother can transmit the virus to her child in child birth (this is preventable).

Anyone can get HIV. Man, woman, gay or straight, ANY age.

I have two links to share with you today.  The first is a Vital Signs report from the CDC and the other is a link to a page about testing.  The second website is sponsored by the CDC.  HIV tests come in several forms, including blood draw, saliva and urine.  The website can answer your questions and you can search for a testing center in your area.

I am not going to say more because it is not my area of expertise and the linked pages are quite informative.

Unexpected Outcomes

Back to being busy with studies so just a note:

A peer gave a presentation on his dissertation topic this week. He is studying the HIV testing behavior in black men who have sex with men. MSM is the term that is used by the CDC and in research to describe men that have sex with men, this can include men who do not consider themselves to be or identify with homosexuals.

Any way - the CDC encourages HIV testing based on the theory that testing will reduce incidence of new disease. Others in public health support testing, but do not emphasize it more than behavior change - i.e. condom use, monogamy, etc.

Here is one reason why testing is not enough or perhaps not THE best message. A certain percent of people (I didn't write the number) who test positive for HIV WILL in fact change their behavior and use condoms or practice abstinence. However, NOT 100% will change so the disease can still be spread. A larger percent of people who test negative will NOT change their behavior and can then become infected and infect others.

In other words, testing can give some persons a false sense of security. It doesn't matter who you have sex with - safe sex is smart sex.

AIDS progress and insight

This is not the post I had planned for today, but as this issue has been staying in the news I could not resist.

What I have been hearing and reading is that the funding for treating AIDS is really taking a hit as countries around the world are having financial difficulties. Though a good deal of funding for AIDS treatment and research does come from independent sources, specifically Bill and Melinda Gates, many AIDS activists (for lack of a better term) are sounding alarms.

IN the last two days I have become more aware of a push for prevention. This was pronounced again in a WSJ article describing a promising research study. In that smallish, but well controlled study, women using a medicinal, vaginal gel, significantly reduced their risk for contracting HIV through intercourse. The particular study involved South African women. Many countries in Africa also have high rates of HIV and AIDS, including in pregnant women and children.


This study, which must be replicated and was not a clinical trial with regard to drug approval, is still important. However, in the WSJ article an AIDS researcher was quoted as saying something to the effect of how costly the treatment of AIDS has become and that the real effort should be in preventing it in the first place. YOU THINK? Do you think maybe we should spend time, talent and dollars on PREVENTION - oh my gosh, the guy is a genius!

Maybe I should go back to school to see if I can help with this prevention idea, maybe even, I know this will sound CRAZY, but maybe we could save money also if we worked to prevent OBESITY.

(after note: You might wonder about the human subject disclaimer and consent waiver in the AIDS/HIV research. I do too. I did not read the study protocol for the research I referenced though I have read others. IN some instances, the researchers educate the participants on how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases by abstinence and condom use. They might then ask them to use their "medicine/gel" if they choose to have unprotected sex and to keep a record of the times that they do. In other words, the research outcomes will have to be considered in this context.)