Think the AIDS crisis is over? Think again. UNAIDS reported last month that 2.6 million people will have died of AIDS in the year 1999, the largest number ever for a single year. Since 1980, the AIDS pandemic has prematurely ended in excess of 16 million lives. UNAIDS estimates that 50 million persons have been infecte
On both coasts last week, activists marked World AIDS Day (December 1) by protesting U.S. trade policies that limit access to anti-HIV drugs for people in developing countries. In Seattle, some 50,000 demonstrators gathered to protest a meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Surrounded by riot police, National
During last week s protests in Seattle surrounding the World Trade Organization conference we heard much about environmental and labor concerns. A less prominent but equally vital issue has emerged: compulsory licensing and parallel importing. At stake is the ability of developing nations as well as countries with soci
An interesting and unexpected development has come to light recently in advanced AIDS patient care. New phenotypic and genotypic tests which measure HIV viral resistance to all existing AIDS drugs, are turning up an unusual finding; d4T , and sometimes ddI are appearing as drugs that might
Not many guys want to have the foreskin surgically removed from their penis, at least if they are old enough to have anything to say about it. But some public health experts believe the procedure could save their lives. A recent review of 32 studies from eight countries has revealed that men who are uncut (uncircumcise
This Wednesday, December 1 is World AIDS Day. Dedicating one day a year to focusing attention on AIDS may not turn the tide against the disease that is now the fourth leading cause of death in the world. But for people still toiling on the front lines, the day offers an opportunity to fight the complacency so often cit
Wednesday, December 1, is World AIDS Day. As usual there will be several stories covered in the media about a wide range of AIDS issues. But what has become more and more discouraging to people with AIDS every year, are the plethora of World AIDS Day fundraising and self-congratulatory events put on by drug companies a
Sometimes, it s hard enough for anyone to get to all their appointments. If you re homeless, it can be nearly impossible. Life is an unstructured search for food, clothing, and shelter. It s about surviving the day. Earlier this month, Bristol-Myers Squibb , manufacturer of AIDS drugs
One critical issue in the current state of AIDS is the compounding metabolic complications experienced by people with HIV. The metabolic syndrome is multi-dimensional and is being reported as elevations of certain blood fats, known as triglycerides and cholesterol, and resistance to insulin being produced in the body,
Without a doubt, the most dramatic progress in treating HIV during the AIDS epidemic in the United States , Canada and Western Europe has been made with the widespread advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Nevertheless, researchers report as much as a fifty percent failure rate of protease inhibitor c
Probably the most exciting news in the HIV treatment field is the prospect of a new category of antivirals based on HIV s entry into cells. The first therapy of this type in clinical trials is the Trimeris/Roche drug T-20. Like the advent of protease inhibitors, T-20 is ushering in a new way to stop HIV, this time befo
When it comes to AIDS, it s better to be safe than sorry, especially when the messages we re receiving about the epidemic are conflicting. The news seems very bad. The anti-AIDS drugs that appeared commercially three years ago are starting to fail. Up to 40 percent of treated individuals are now developing HIV strains
Project Inform s immune restoration think tank, the Dobson Project, gathered top researchers and scientists together in Chicago earlier this month to try and flush out new ideas for immune-based therapies for AIDS. The event took place at the Summit Executive Center and involved some 40 immunologists, HIV clinicians, a
Of 211 people who tested positive for HIV since October 1998 at one anonymous and one confidential HIV test site in San Francisco, 54 were asked to volunteer the names of their sexual and/or needle-sharing partners as part of an ongoing federally funded pilot project. According to preliminary, unpublished findings, of
It was a typical west Sonoma County affair last Sunday, October 3, when Food for Thought, the Sonoma County AIDS food bank held an open house to dedicate its new building in Forestville. The requisite bottles of donated local wine, mounds of local cheese, and heaping platters of fresh fruits and vegetables were piled o
In the Western world, it is clear that the effects of antiviral medicines for the treatment of HIV have dramatically slowed the epidemic. We know that opportunistic infections associated with HIV have also drastically declined, in some cases by over 80 percent. Overall, science and medicine have made impressive progres
There is a small group of people in the Bay Area who gather unused AIDS medications, pack them up, and send them off to developing countries. In this way, very expensive medications, that would otherwise be thrown away, are saving lives. A drug recycling project must be done diligently to maintain an uninterrupted supp
At the first National HIV Prevention Conference held in Atlanta earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unveiled a new testing strategy that it hopes will give a more complete picture of the HIV epidemic and will allow for better targeting of prevention initiatives to the populations mo
The 1997 Folsom Street Fair marked the debut of Condoms Now!, a community-driven program to insure that free condoms were readily available for gay, bisexual, and curious guys. Since then, 1.7 million condoms have been distributed. The success of Condoms Now! is the result of a lot of hard work from a great many people
Since the first large-scale compassionate use programs of 1995 and 1996 for protease inhibitors and other new AIDS drugs, there has been a dramatic decline in the national death rate. History records that AIDS activists were largely responsible for changing drug approval policy in the U.S. -- pushing new therapies thro
The decline in the number of deaths due to AIDS is no longer as steep as it has been in recent years, according to research presented at the National HIV Prevention Conference held August 29-September 1 in Atlanta. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the number of AIDS de
Dr. Donald Abrams assumed the presidency of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) on August 28 at the national organization s 17th annual symposium in San Diego. Abrams, 49, was elected to lead the 2,000-member GLMA for a one-year term. A charter member of the local affiliate of GLMA, the Bay Area Physicians f
PMPA, a new antiretroviral drug, which targets the reverse transcriptase enzyme in the HIV life-cycle in a new and different way than previous therapies, is reaching an important stage of development. Clinical trials are proving the drug to be worthy of entering into wider access for people who have few options. After
As about 15 sign-carrying protesters made their way down Castro Street on their way to a public forum last Thursday, August 26, they got people s attention. Well, at least they have a cause, commented one passerby. The forum at the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy entitled Heads Up: The Lowdown on Oral Sex was attended
A recent alert by the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) regarding what the department calls an outbreak of syphilis cases among gay men who frequent an online chat room has touched off a flurry of debate over the accuracy of epidemiology, the demonization of gay male sex, and concerns about Internet priva
Last week researchers from the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) reported results indicating that rates of unprotected anal sex appear to be increasing dramatically among young gay men. The study was conducted by Dr. Maria Ekstrand and colleagues of UCSF s Center for AIDS Prevention Studies; the results
With 1,000 AIDS deaths recorded in Sonoma County as of this month, the community will commemorate the milestone at two special ceremonies this weekend. Scheduled for Friday, August 27, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Julliard Park in Santa Rosa and Saturday, August 28, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Armstrong Redwoods Amphitheater
On Tuesday, August 24, the California Senate sent AB 518 to the desk of Governor Gray Davis, where it faces a possible veto. The bill, which passed on a largely party line vote of 21-18, would provide local governments the legal authority to establish needle exchange programs. At present, programs operate quasi-illegal
Alan Hext, an HIV-positive man who received a liver transplant in December 1998 in Pennsylvania, continues to thrive. Hext, a California native, was forced to fly to Pittsburgh for a liver transplant because MediCal refused to pay for the procedure in California. Hext was able to obtain Medicare reimbursement for a Pit
Members of ACT UP/San Francisco had a busy couple of weeks last month, first going to Atlanta, where they held a demonstration to protest the AIDS vaccine research, then they went to Washington D.C., where they protested at a conference. On July 23, ACT UP/San Francisco members were among some 30 activists who demonstr
The California Senate and Governor Gray Davis have an opportunity to dramatically help people at high risk for HIV/AIDS and to reduce transmission of the disease in Assembly Bill 518, which is scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor around August 26. AB 518, authored by Assemblywoman Kerry Mazzoni (D-San Rafael) and c
In 1729, Jonathan Swift wrote A Modest Proposal, his plan for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public. Now, 270 years later, there s a bill in Congress, another, more realistic proposal with the potential to generate
AIDS activists from ACT UP/Golden Gate, Project Inform, and other groups presented Assemblywoman Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) with a beautiful bouquet of flowers last Wednesday, July 21 at a reception to thank her for securing $1 million in state funds to pay for organ transplants for people with HIV disease. We tha
We received an interesting letter from the communications director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) last week regarding the changing of the guard, so to speak, in our news department. After congratulating the new news editor, Gustavo Suárez went on to write, I look forward to working with you and to seeing w
While many in the AIDS dissident community agree that HIV is not the sole and sufficient cause of AIDS, others are debating whether the virus -- and retroviruses in general -- even exist. An ongoing debate began last December when Michael Nitsche of Berlin challenged Dr. Peter Duesberg, the best known proponent of the
Midway through 1999, the rate of newly-diagnosed AIDS cases in San Francisco continues to be less than in previous years, according to a Department of Public Health (DPH) quarterly AIDS surveillance report covering January 1 to June 30. The number of reported AIDS cases among all transmission categories for those six m
Most Americans feel confidant that the threat posed by AIDS is diminishing, thanks to medical research that has identified the causative virus and improved therapies to seek it out and limit its replication. But not everyone is convinced, as is obvious from the actions of AIDS dissidents who post flyers, spray-paint Ca
Last Sunday s 13th AIDS Walk San Francisco raised a record $3.7 million for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) and 37 other organizations in five Bay Area counties. The July 18 event drew 27,000 participants to Sharon Meadow in Golden Gate Park. This year s AIDS Walk achieved a record for amount raised, said Crai
People who are HIV-positive who have stress or other psycho-social co-factors may want to check out a new program starting next month at Shanti. The program -- Learning Immune Function Enhancement, or L.I.F.E. -- was developed in San Francisco in the late 1980s and implemented in San Diego at the Lesbian and Gay Men s
About a year ago the VaxGen Corporation began enrollment of the first phase 3 efficacy trial of a preventive HIV vaccine candidate, called AIDSVAX. Time for an update. There are two parallel trials -- one mostly in the U.S., but also Canada and Europe -- of 5,000 men who have sex with men and 400 women at sexual risk.
An ambitious HIV client needs assessment survey has found that housing is the overwhelming unmet need for people living with AIDS (PWAs) in San Francisco, but when PWAs are directly asked what they need, their most common answer is improved dental care. The study findings, presented to the HIV Health Services Planning
In an effort to marshal additional support for the public health emergency on AIDS in Oakland and Alameda County s African-American community, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) hosted a visit last Wednesday, July 7, for Dr. Eric Goosby and Dr. Marsha Martin, representatives from the office of the secretary of the U
Four senators from the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing at San Francisco City Hall last Friday, July 9 on the subject of federal AIDS funding. Although it was a well-produced, carefully managed affair -- with select s
A gay man living with AIDS spoke at the HIV Health Services Planning Council Monday, July 12 and denounced the way federal Ryan White CARE Act funds – money for AIDS case management – are allocated in San Francisco. Tony Leone, a longtime AIDS activist who is himself a member of the council, emotionally recounted a lis
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), some current home tests for HIV can give users false information about their HIV status. The announcement came Thursday, July 1, after the FTC completed a series of tests on HIV home test kits, advertised and sold on the Internet for self-diagnosis. FTC claims that in ev
An ambitious HIV client needs assessment survey has found that housing is the overwhelming unmet need for people living with AIDS (PWAs) in San Francisco, but when PWAs are directly asked what they need, their most common answer is improved dental care. The study findings, presented to the HIV Health Services Planning
Condom failure is, for many gay men, both an unthinkable nightmare and a recurrent reality: discovering, after making the effort to follow established safer sex guidelines, that something went wrong and sex partners have been put at risk of HIV transmission. Perhaps the condom fell off, or tore, or a chemical reaction
San Francisco s well-known housing shortage continues to make life challenging for people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs), particularly those who also suffer from physical disabilities, substance abuse, and mental health issues. PWAs with multiple diagnoses know how difficult it is to find a place to live that isn t a home
People with HIV who take huge numbers of pills each day often have little information about how the drugs interact with each other. There are now 16 available antiviral agents that must be used in combinations to be effective, all commonly prescribed with other medications that prevent opportunistic infections. They ma
President Bill Clinton traveled to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus in Bethesda, Maryland Wednesday, June 9 to dedicate the cornerstone of the Dale and Betty Bumpers building. When completed, it will house the Vaccine Research Center (VRC), whose first priority is to develop a vaccine to prevent HIV infec
HIV Prevention Planning Council (HPPC) members learned at their Thursday, June 10 meeting that a procedural error had invalidated their June 3 vote to recommend the Department of Public Health (DPH) lift its restrictions on private places in commercial sex establishments. A second vote on the matter was taken at the me
Training will begin this Wednesday, June 16 for volunteers who want to work on the national HIV/AIDS treatment hotline run by Project Inform (PI), with two additional sessions planned for Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20. Hotline training takes place three times a year in San Francisco, said Mark Owens, PI s volunte
San Francisco s HIV Prevention Planning Council (HPPC) voted 9-1 last Thursday, June 3 to recommend the city rescind its current ban on private spaces in sex clubs and bathhouses. The HPPC is an advisory group made up of representatives of communities affected by HIV/AIDS. While the HPPC can make recommendations, the H
Last Friday, May 21, the federal government announced that it would make government-grown marijuana easier to obtain by academic researchers seeking to study the medicinal use of the drug. Government-produced cannabis, grown on a heavily guarded farm at the University of Mississippi, is currently the only legally appro
No one was arrested or escorted out of the conference room at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation s (SFAF) board meeting last Thursday, May 27, and after a couple of activists voiced their displeasure at Executive Director Pat Christen, the meeting settled down and board members and guests heard thorough presentations by
Recently, Mayor Willie Brown announced a $2 million HIV Prevention Initiative, seeded with $1 million from DuPont Pharmaceuticals with the city of San Francisco matching that amount. The mayor stated that the city will match DuPont Pharmaceuticals grant in an effort to inspire other companies to follow their lead. The
Robert Kim, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California; Jennifer Pittman, Policy & Program Associate, Gay and Lesbian Medical Association; Leland Traiman, R.N./F.N.P., Executive Director, Rainbow Flag Health Services & Sperm Bank; Kate Kendell, Esq., Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights; and Maura Riodon, Executive Director, Sperm Bank of California
The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) is trying to prevent gay men from having children. At its Human Issue Seminar on April 8, 1999, the FDA announced proposed regulations that would make it illegal for gay men to be sperm donors, block medical assistance for infertility, and almost eliminate the possibility of hav
One man is in a North Beach restaurant bathroom when he suddenly becomes disoriented. He finds his way to the table where his partner sits, and the disorientation persists for another hour. He feels like he is on a bad acid trip. Another man is stumbling down the block and is stopped by the police. They almost arrest h
AIDS agencies and supporters are elated that Governor Gray Davis s revised budget proposal of May 14 will allow significant implementation of services to HIV and AIDS patients. That elation is a far cry from the shock waves felt in January when the AIDS community got a look at the governor s first budget proposal: alth
The participation of people with AIDS (PWA) cycling in the AIDS Rides, particularly the California AIDS Ride 6, which commences June 6 in San Francisco, includes members of the group of cyclers called Positive Pedalers, people at a turning point, re-entering the work force and defying previous perceptions of PWAs as in
Community residents who attended a Monday, May 17 meeting about the HIV Health Services Planning Council were encouraged to contact Mayor Willie Brown to let him know they don t appreciate heavy-handed interference in membership issues surrounding the 40-member body. The planning council will meet this Monday, May 24 a
The city s leading medical group came under fire for denying membership to seven gay doctors with large HIV/AIDS caseloads, but denied engaging in the practice of AIDS redlining, during an appearance before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Public Health and Environment Committee last Thursday, May 13. The seven g
Local merchants in the Lower Haight/Duboce Triangle area will hold a block party fundraiser to support Bay Area Young Positives (BAY Positives) this Sunday, May 23 at 7 p.m. BAY Positives has been in the area for five years supporting over 400 young people ages 26 and younger living with HIV/AIDS through peer-based ser
This Tuesday, May 25, Dr. Donald Abrams will give a talk entitled Medical Marijuana: Tribulations and Trials for interested members of the public who call ahead for reservations. Abrams, a prominent AIDS researcher, is currently conducting the first and only federally-funded trial of the use of medicinal cannabis by pe
When we talk about children we talk about our future, said Grace Mnguni, a HIV/AIDS community organizer in South Africa . She spoke of working with children who have never had a chance to play or go to school. The greatest thing that one can bring is hope. We cannot allow AIDS to wipe out our hope for tomorrow. M
An adorable preschooler stood on a stool to one side of Cornelius Baker, the executive director of the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), peering over the lectern as Baker said, I brought a friend with me today. The toddler beamed and waived precociously to the grassroots advocates gathered for AIDSWatch
Activists and others interested in San Francisco s HIV health services are encouraged to attend a community meeting this Monday, May 17 at Metropolitan Community Church-San Francisco. ACT UP Golden/Gate and the Harvey Milk Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club called the meeting in the wake of last month
The AIDS pandemic has taken the lives of nearly 18,000 San Franciscans, the highest per-capita AIDS death rate of any city in the world. This Sunday, May 16 at 8 p.m. starting at the corner of Market and Castro streets, the annual AIDS Candlelight Vigil will bring together thousands to honor those lost to AIDS, the 25,
Early in the morning of Saturday, May 8, two members of the newly-formed group Health Watch met with San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown to discuss the city s policy on sex clubs and bathhouses. The meeting was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. as part of Brown s monthly constituent open houses. Department of Public Health (DPH) Di
Gay men were among the first to recognize a burgeoning epidemic in their midst 20 years ago, even before most of their doctors caught on, when they became aware their friends were starting to die at an accelerating rate. Now some AIDS activists hope they see the beginning of the end of the epidemic as the opposite tren
A major component of the California AIDS Ride, which begins in San Francisco June 6 at Fort Mason Center, is the corporate support. Sponsors donate food, services, and volunteer time to coordinate the large-scale annual events. But even some sponsors have come under fire for their role in what many call the largest AID
Southern California AIDS activists were both shocked and relieved Thursday, April 29 when Los Angeles City Controller Rick Tuttle released a report documenting what they call widespread mismanagement of the HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS) program, which is funded by the federal Department of Housing
Mayor Willie Brown announced a new, five-year HIV prevention effort for San Francisco Tuesday, May 4, partially funded by a $1 million contribution from DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company. The money will be channeled to a new coalition over five years, and the city will match DuPont s grant, Brown said during the announcem
Mayor Willie Brown will honor mothers who have lost loved ones to HIV/AIDS this Sunday, May 9, in the rotunda at City Hall at 1 p.m. Panels from the Names Project Quilt will be displayed. Two support groups for moms, Mothers Organizing Mothers (MOMS), and Mothers Voices will join members of the Board of Supervisors and
The biggest breakthrough against HIV was announced only a few months ago, comparatively speaking, but just about everyone has noticed the change since doctors starting prescribing combination therapy for people with AIDS. This week, for instance, we have half a dozen obituaries, which is more than the usual weekly tall
Three influential members of Congress have asked the General Accounting Office (GAO) to conduct a performance audit and evaluation of all federal AIDS/HIV programs and services. Such a review is not unusual when a program is up for renewal. Ryan White AIDS services programs will be up for a five-year reauthorization in
Starting in May, a new legal clinic co-sponsored by AIDS Benefits Counselors (ABC) Positive Resource Center and the AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP) will provide assistance to people with HIV and AIDS who are thinking about working but face credit or housing barriers. On the first and third Wednesday of each month ABC
A spirited discussion erupted at the HIV Health Services Planning Council meeting Monday, April 26, after some members questioned the status of two outspoken members. Mayor Willie Brown, who has refused to reappoint one of the men, left the status of council Co-chair Tom Calvanese in limbo. In a related matter, the cou
A panel of community experts will discuss disability rights for people living with HIV/AIDS, mental illness, or other disabilities this Saturday, May 1 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco New Main Library. The panel will focus on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), says Betsy Johns
In their first observance of Arbor Day, the National AIDS Memorial Grove and Friends of the Urban Forest will dedicate the grove s new Arbor Day Knoll this Friday, April 30 starting at 11:30 a.m. Interested community members are welcome to attend the ceremony in the seven-acre grove within San Francisco s Golden Gate P
They are described as heroes, athletes making a difference, going the long haul, testing their endurance, and all for a cause. The brochure displays a picture-perfect array of diversity -- gay men, African-American grandmothers, straight Latinas, even a handicapped wheelchair rider. It is, of course, the AIDS Ride, or
Controversy and anxiety surrounds the recent reports of the rise in unprotected anal sex among San Francisco gay and bisexual men, and the city s Stop AIDS Project will hold a forum entitled HIV 99 Current Trends addressing these issues this Saturday, April 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Metropolitan Community Church-San Franc
The HIV in Prison Committee of California will attend the Alameda County Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, April 28 to demand board members immediately address the treatment of HIV-positive prisoners at the Alameda County jail. The group will also call for a resolution that will ask for the resignation of Alameda
Newly-announced 1999 income eligibility levels can mean an extra $45.50 monthly in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) checks and extra medical benefits for people with AIDS (PWAs) who have survived the two-year wait for Medicare. PWAs with SSDI and other income under $947 monthly will see a $45.50 Medicare Par
Security guards removed two protesters from the a meeting of the San Francisco Health Commission Tuesday, April 6 after Health Director Dr. Mitchell Katz orally delivered his director s report to commissioners. The protesters, David Pasquarelli and Michael Bellefountaine of ACT UP/San Francisco, loudly complained that
At least 12 complaints of alleged employment discrimination by current and former workers at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) have been filed with federal, state, and local agencies, alleging a pattern of lower pay for Latino/a employees as well as hardball tactics by top administrators in dealing with the work
Pranksterism is alive and well in the Bay Area s AIDS activist community. Perhaps prompted by April Fool s Day, an unknown person or group sent out a letter earlier this month that looked like a communication from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF), but was actually a hoax. Addressed Dear friend, and purportedly
Responding to recent public health reports indicating that sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) lead to increased risk of HIV infection, Supervisor Leslie Katz introduced a resolution at the a meeting of the Board of Supervisors Monday, April 5 declaring April STD Awareness Month for the City and County of San Francisc
California Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush filed an amicus brief with the California Supreme Court Monday, March 29, in support of an insurance policyholder with AIDS. The policyholder, Mark Galanty, was denied disability benefits by Paul Revere Insurance Company because his illness had manifested itself befor
The Internet has proven to be a great democratizing force when it comes to HIV information. Since the earliest days of the AIDS crisis, people with HIV have struggled to get as much information as they could, often winding up knowing as much as their doctor (if not, occasionally, more). Unfortunately, the definitive fi
New anti-HIV drugs can bring HIV levels in blood to below detectable levels, leading some HIV-positive people on therapy to wonder if they can now have unprotected sex without infecting their HIV-negative partners. Studies have long shown that people with higher virus levels are more infectious. More recent studies hav
Fusion inhibitors, the newest class of antiretroviral drugs, are gaining attention as a new target for slowing and stopping HIV replication. At the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Chicago, new data was brought to light on the first fusion inhibitor in development, T-20, which was the f
Jeff Klausner and Larry Hanbrook, ACT UP/Golden Gate Writers Pool
Although we know HIV attacks the immune system, exactly how it attacks and damages the immune system is controversial. Some researchers believe HIV leads to AIDS because it kills CD4 cells (an immune cell) directly, while others believe HIV overstimulates the immune system. They believe this overstimulation causes immu
You may be able to take a physician-sanctioned break from your Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy, (also known as HAART). One of the major problems with combination drug therapy is toxicity. Nausea, painful stomach cramps, diarrhea, and a myriad of other side effects make drug therapy difficult to endure for the maj
Maybe someday mankind will grow up, stop acting silly about sex, and stop using acronyms. In the meantime, the AIDS world is an alphabet-soup of organizations - AUGG, TAG, SFAF, GMHC, PI, ATN. When someone starts a new one, they have to rearrange the same basic noodles: A is for AIDS, V is for Vaccine, T is for Treatme
AIDS activists have made possible the successes against the epidemic we are beginning to experience, and not only by working through non-violent direct action to focus attention on the issue of drug development. Some people do not realize the impact they have had behind the scenes: for example, at last year s World AID
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.