Tag Archive | "HIV"

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Donate Blood

Posted on 29 February 2012 by Tea Server

World’s largest blood drop made in
Pyeongchan, South Korea

According to World Health Organization (WHO), voluntary and non-remunerated blood donors are the lifeline of a community and the safest source of blood and blood products for patients (p.2). To celebrate the gift by such donors World Blood Donars Day has been established. Hence June 14 (the birth of Karl Landsteiner, the Nobel Prize winner who discovered the ABO blood group system) each year is celebrated to honor the gift by donars for saving human life.

When I was still in middle school (in 1980s), Fatimd Foundation (an NGO) in Pakistan, vibrantly worked in blood collection and blood related field. They used to sponsor many programs on TV when there was not the madness of hundreds of channels. In 1990s, they faded somehow in their public/media campaigns and now, I have no idea where do they stand in this noble yet forgotten cause?

My 2011 trip to Pakistan made me see parents and old people begging for blood donations when Dengue virus assault was on the rise in Lahore and elsewhere in Pakistan. This reminds me of where we stand in terms of ‘blood donations’ and blood banks in Pakistan? Simply put: blame the government since health-care and education are the last things in their mind and why wouldn’t it be when the masses have no clue about the importance of education or cleanliness which may cut down the health problems to half if people know the basics. Nonetheless, we are a country that considers military power, arms and ammunition and atomic bomb and nuclear weapons as their asset and not its people.

Whart needs to be done?
One thing must be awareness.
Two: A partnership between the civil society, local, national and international governments is another important aspect.
Three: National campaigns with a goal in which public can trust and confide.
Four: Demand of blood is increasing at a fast pace particularly in developing countries but the supply of quality blood is very sloppy. This has to change by bringing blood donations campaigns to educational institutes at the national level. I have complete faith that the youth of Pakistan will realize our goal of self-sufficiency in blood donations in these times and age.

Possible Fears
WHO in its report said that transfusion of unsafe blood puts lives at risk because HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, Chagas’ disease, malaria and other infections can be transmitted to the recipients through transfusion. Blood which tests positive for any of these infections cannot be transfused and is discarded, resulting in additional financial costs. These issues are of particular concern in countries facing blood shortages.

* Globally, up to 4 million people have been infected with HIV by the transfusion of unsafe blood
* The prevalence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis in donated blood is still unacceptably high in many developing countries; the prevalence of Chagas’ disease in donated blood is a major problem in some South and Central American countries
* Many countries lack policies, procedures or resources for ensuring the safety of blood, including South Asia which are facing the HIV/AIDS pandemic
* As some infections, such as HIV, cannot be detected in a person’s blood during the “window period”, laboratory testing of donated blood – no matter how sophisticated – is,alone, not enough to ensure a safe blood supply. The safest blood comes from the safest blood donors.

We must understand that only about 40 per cent of the blood collected each year is donated in developing countries, which are home to over 80 per cent of the world’s population and the goal to collect the amount need is still far-fetched. The average number of blood donations per 1,000 population is 12 times higher in high-income countries than in low-income countries.

According to the WHO report, an overwhelming 99 per cent of the 500,000 women who die each year during pregnancy and childbirth live in developing countries, with hemorrhage – which invariably requires blood transfusion – the most common cause of maternal deaths.

To overcome blood shortage, both public and private organizations must work hand in hand. Medical staff and hospitals can also be the key drivers to convince people to donate blood.

Nationals campaigns must be rigorous and collaboration with media can play a very important role. Schools, colleges and universities are a good source to convey message of blood donation. I don’t think that we need earthquakes and floods to awake the spirit of nationalism in Pakistan. It is too heavy a price to show nationalism and patriotism. Youth of Pakistan can be brought in the sphere of working for Pakistan. Nevertheless commitment is a necessary tool and must NOT let go.

At a national level blood service delivery must be an integral part of the health strategy of any country. I fail to understand why people are begging for blood at the last level and how come our hospitals and health services have been failing to help people in need of blood.

Source:
WHO Report and WHO Intl.

Syndicated from: sarahinsouthkorea

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Kinnaird, a personal Narnia

Posted on 08 January 2012 by Tea Server



I heard somewhere that the reason we love to meet our childhood friends is because they remind us of who we were when we were children. Kinnaird has the same effect on me. A trip to Lahore is incomplete without a slow and deliberate drive past that building, I hardly spent two years in. As I linger a little longer than needed at the traffic signal opposite the narnia from my past, I am reminded of a time, and a ‘me’ to re-align the axis and orbit of all my constellations.

How a light-hearted dalliance turned into a life-long love affair, I will never know. For some time, I thought it was the fact that coming from a co-education school, being one of the only three girls in my class, I was starved for female bonding. But I now know that is not the case. It was something far deeper…

Today, eighteen years later, my memories of Kinnaird are as vivid as they are fond. The dark brick buildings scattered behind the tall green gates, softened in character by the splash of carefree colours all over, sometimes autographed by the place’s more unhinged dwellers with tiny white signatures – referred to in good spirit as ‘Kinnaird’s souvenirs’. The endless corridors with countless notice-boards, making sure you really got to pick your poison…

An outsider would almost immediately place the population in three distinct categories: the temporary dwellers such as myself; the kachi kinnairdi’s, who didn’t have the benefit of the extended Kinnaird experience; and the pakki kinnairdi’s who had the previlege of living at the hostel in the college and would have fascinating stories of midnight pool parties and broken curfews to share…

That there was no ‘uniform’ was a concession constantly challenged by certain ‘others’, and apparently the district administration. To the temporary dwellers amongst us, absence of a uniform meant shorter bed-to-desk time, what with the tuitions and the academies and the science labs. But we were the odd lot. There would be visits by officials to make sure the girls were not going over-board. The college intelligence, as unclaimed as the modern day ISI, would almost always ring the proverbial bell, so the girls could unite in silent defense against an unsuspecting enemy with text book white crisp shalwars and duppattas and coloured shirts on the day of such inspection. And so, the tradition lived on …

There were two canteens: the traditional, bench-and-stone, and the ‘mobile’. The latter, true to its name, would often leave before you found it. The former was one of the busiest and loudest places on the campus, the girls and cats in equal proportions. There was a certain ‘Chaudhry Sahab” who acted true to his title for most part, and a certain canteen boy who we knew what you wanted before you knew it yourself. On rare occasions, I heard the girls would break into food-fights and water-fights, and the cats would have a field day. Such incidents would normally result in a mild slap on the wrist before the next ‘tutorial session’.

Tutorials were a class of their own. Distinguished speakers would be invited to speak on a variety of subjects, and the funniest of things would happen. I believe in hindsight, it was just as learning an experience for the speakers as for the audience…

Once, there was a speaker on HIV awareness. She delivered her lecture and opened the floor for questions. The silence was so complete you could hear your heart beat. Then she realized the error of her ways and distributed small white chits for the girls to write their questions on. If she was looking for response, she certainly got a tsunami.

She answered patiently, something to do with bucket loads of saliva that my memory is conveniently vague about, and referred back to that response some forty odd times.

At another time, there was a maulvi sahib at the altar. He delivered a lecture on Islam and on being a maulvi and was literally butchered for a comment he made about female stereotypes. He was tactful enough to pacify his sprightly audience with lighter humour, generously reciprocated, though I often wonder how the experience changed him as a person.

The college had its signature magazine, but it was the student newsletter titled “The Itch!” where the real stories made home. The library was rich, but it ‘itched’ that the cupboards would be locked.

Elections were serious business. A promise to hold mixed events was sure to win a vote. Girls would come up with pneumonics to help remember their name. “Remember PT, I like sports, my initials are TP”, and so forth. Short, straight, hard to miss. However, unlike the real world, here the contestants would be held to their word, the consequences of a broken promise being the loss of popularity, at that time, worse than death.

But perhaps the most revered event of the year would be the annual debate competition, housed in the campus, a mixed event, with debaters from other colleges including Aitchisons, Government College and Lahore College competing. You had to look your best that day. If you had been good to your elders, you could even be in the organizing committee and get to ‘escort’ the debaters around the campus. Small mercies.

The KC spirit was shy and reclusive, but it would make its appearance in the most touching of ways. My memory of the encounter is when after an event with guests speakers, the equipment playing the national anthem broke, and the girls took over with hardly a second’s adjustment. Very hollywood, I would agree, but being witness to a couple of such incidents, I would vouch for the KC spirit any way asked.

The fondest of memories would of course have names and become part of my life for the rest of my days. Whether it is a coffee-shop in London, an Afghani restaurant in Boston, or a chance encounter in the cyber-space, meeting a KC’ite from a lifetime ago is like an emotional botox. It purges and cleanses with a medicinal exactness.

Light, courage, love – and bucket-loads of memories! It is good to have a place you can never be too old for in life…

narnia

Syndicated from: Borderline Green

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studying development

Posted on 06 January 2012 by Tea Server

Militarization always inhibits development. This is onelesson that should have been learned from the last century. Japan and Germany,with their bleeding economies in the wake of World War 2, only managed torecover by investing lesser and lesser in their military and more in othersectors. German defense spending makes up about 1.4% of the GDP. And it isastounding to note that some of the world’s most successful economies have beenspending less and less on military budgets. Japan military expenditure makes upabout 1% of the GDP. In fact, if one takes a look at the list StockholmInternational Peace Research Institute drew up of military expenditures of allthe countries in the world, most developed economies, besides the UnitedStates, spend around 2-2.5% of their GDP on their military budgets. It is alesson for United States as well, because its Gini Index (a tool economists useto measure economic inequality in a country) is about 0.4, very close toIndia’s 0.5 – and India is still a developing nation. Norway, in my opinion, isperhaps the most developed economy in the world, and its government spendsabout 1.6% of its GDP on its military.
One might argue that even these small figures translate tobillions of dollars because these economies are so rich and advanced, and thatPakistan has a looming threat of India and the Taliban from Afghanistan andinsurgencies that spring up randomly in the country. But Pakistan also has beensuffering from severe flooding every summer for the last 2 years, and is beinghit by earthquakes, however small their scale, dengue epidemics, an HIV problemthat is not being dealt with and the list goes on. For example, Pakistan by nomeans has proper disaster management systems. It is only AFTER the disasterthat government spring to action, and come up with relief plans, but there isstill nothing being done for any warning or risk assessments for any futuredisasters. There is no training for civilians or policemen, guards or medics tocope with emergencies as they occur. Schools do not have fire drills, let aloneearthquake drills.
It is all very moving when politicians talk about tsunamisthat would move the country, it sounds very romantic when they talk aboutrevolutions and the change and how the nation’s sovereignty is being destroyed,but how many politicians talk something concrete about disaster management, andactually do something about it? And why is it that everyone convenientlyforgets to question the military budget in all of this and how that directlyaffects development in other sectors? What is the trade off that we are making?What is the opportunity cost of allocating 2.8% of our measly GDP to themilitary?  How much of the tax payer’smoney is actually going into building the very military that we may never need,and that may among the many things hindering our development? How much am Ipaying to purchase a weapon that may or may not be smuggled for the use ofextremists?
The standard measurements of development today are thequantifiable statistics. GDP, national income, income per capita, purchasingpower parity – you know the drill. But how much of that points to any realdevelopment? In the case of Pakistan, I am taking an approach quite differentfrom the neoclassical approach to development theory. It is much more sensible,to me at least, to study development in Pakistan based on three importantelements of a society: poverty, unemployment and economic inequality. Thesemight contrast with existing national income statistics, but the above threementioned elements are by no means unquantifiable and paint a much morerealistic picture of how Pakistan stands today as a developing economy.
Poverty is a cause for major concern in Pakistan. Pakistanis a small country – not comparable, in size, to China or India, where a vastmajority of population suffers from poverty as well. But given that Pakistan isa small country, 17.2% of the Pakistani population living below the povertyline is staggering statistic. It is believed that this number is the lowest recordednumber in Pakistan’s history. Before we consider this to be a small victory, itmust be remembered that Human Development Index found that 60.3% of thePakistani population lives on less than 2 dollars a day, not far from India orBangladesh – even though their statistics are worse. 30 million of these peoplelive in rural areas. The North West Frontier Province remains one of the mosteconomically backward regions in the country, despite the small investment ineducation and infrastructure. The occupation of Afghanistan and the consequentmilitary action in this area has not helped.
Unemployment in Pakistan is also rising. Unemployment ratesin Pakistan have risen quite alarmingly since the last consensus, both in urbanand rural areas, and as more and more university graduate find themselvesjobless, the greater it is to be a cause for worry.
And the economic inequality is deplorable in Pakistan. Whilethere has been an increase in middle income families in Pakistan, it isbelieved that during the Musharraf era, inequality worsened to the point whereit is considered the worst period in Pakistan’s history in terms of inequality.I need not remind you that Musharraf was a military man. Pakistan’s GINI indexis an astounding 0.6. That is worse than India, and India is a bigger and moreheavily populated country than Pakistan.
When I talk about development, I do not just mean short termdevelopment schemes that lose their steam once the politician in chargeannounces them. I talk about sustainable development; a steady rate of growthand development that is not just maintained, but perhaps increased over time.And while scholars worldwide debate about the trade-off between militaryexpenditures and public welfare, Pakistan’s statistics do not lie. Some ofPakistan’s biggest hospitals are in shambles. I’d rather have a hospital bedand properly staffed nursing station and a continuous electricity and heatingin a hospital. We are paying more for less and less electricity and gas in thiscold winter, and it makes me bitter thinking about the budget allocation of2011-2012, where military spending was increased by 12% ( and funnily enough,the army was demanding an increase by 18%). That makes it Rs 495.2 billion. Andthis allocation came AFTER Osama bin Laden was caught and killed by an othercountry’s elite squad in our turf and our military did not even know it. THATmakes me question the use of the money that we have been spending on themilitary, and the 13 billion dollars that US has provided to Pakistan’smilitary over the last 10 years.
So while our politicians are busy campaigning, and switchingloyalties from one party to another, one needs to remind them to talk aboutthese real concerns. Because while there are those who are satisfied with thebillions of dollars that is being sucked into a black hole, there are alsothose who wonder where instead this money could be used.
HIV in DG Khan is a growing problem. There has been no safesex initiative since Benazir’s first government. There has been another pricehike, there is no gas or electricity – can we really afford 495.2 billionrupees on defense spending when that is the least of our concerns?
Syndicated from: The R blog

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Green Tea

Posted on 25 December 2011 by Tea Server

 

 

 ImageGreen Tea

Reasons Why every one Should Drink 

Green Tea

Green tea is a very popular drink worldwide because of its immeasurably powerful health benefits. 
Here Are The 25 Reasons Why You Should Start Drinking Green Tea Right Now:

Green Tea and Cancer

Green tea helps reduce the risk of cancer. 
The antioxidant in green tea is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E. 

 Green Tea and Heart Disease

Green tea helps prevent heart disease and stroke by lowering the level of cholesterol. 

 Green Tea and Anti-Aging

Green tea helps you fight against aging and promotes longevity.

 Green Tea and Weight Loss

Green tea helps with your body weight loss. 

 It can help you burn up to 70 calories in just one day. 
That translates to 7 pounds in one year.

Green Tea and Skin 

Green tea also helps fight against skin cancer. 

 Green Tea and Arthritis

Green tea can help prevent and reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. 

Green Tea and Bones 

If you drink green tea every day, this will help you preserve your bone density. 

 Green Tea and Cholesterol

Green tea can help lower cholesterol level. 

 Green Tea and Diabetes

Green tea improves lipid and glucose metabolisms, prevents sharp increases in blood sugar level, and balances your metabolism rate. 

Green Tea and Parkinson’s

Green tea helps boost your memory. 

Antioxidants in green tea helps prevent against cell damage in the brain, which could cause Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

 

Green Tea and Liver Disease

Green tea destroys harmful free radicals in fatty livers. 

 Green Tea and High Blood Pressure

Green tea helps prevent high blood pressure. 

 Green Tea and Food Poisoning

Catechin found in green tea can kill bacteria which causing food poisoning and kills the toxins produced by those bacteria. 

 Green Tea and Blood Sugar

 Green tea helps lower your blood sugar level. 

Green Tea and Immunity

 Green tea help boost your immune system, making your health stronger in fighting against infections. 

 Green Tea and Cold and Flu

Green tea prevents you from getting a cold or flu. 
Vitamin C in green tea helps you treat the flu and the common cold. 

Green Tea and Asthma

 Green tea relaxes the muscles which support the bronchial tubes, reducing the  severity of asthma. 

Green Tea and Ear Infection

Green tea helps with ear infection problem. 
For natural ear cleaning, soak a cotton ball in green tea and clean the infected ear. 

Green Tea and Tooth Decay

Green tea destroys bacteria and viruses that cause many dental diseases. 
It also slows the growth of bacteria which leads to bad breath.

 Green Tea and Stress

Green tea helps relieve stress and anxiety. 

 Green Tea and Allergies

EGCG found in green tea relieves allergies. 

Green Tea and HIV

Scientists in Japan have found that EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) ingreen tea can stop HIV from binding to healthy immune cells. 
What this means is that green tea can help stop the HIV virus from 

Syndicated from: Just Bliss

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Mothers with HIV Confused by WHO Guidelines for Feeding Infants

Posted on 16 December 2011 by Tea Server

The issue of exclusive breast-feeding for the first year has been an area of confusion for many mothers in developing nations, especially following the marketing practices of many formula companies to push products in a misleading manner, an issue about which I have previously written.

However, for mothers who are HIV-positive, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, exclusive breastfeeding is the most practical option.  According to a large African study Kesho Bora, placing HIV-positive mothers on a combination of three antiretroviral (ARV) treatments during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding cuts HIV infections in infants by 43 percent by the age of 12 months, and reduces transmissions during breastfeeding by 54 percent.  The African study and practice comes into direct conflict with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2006 recommendations, which advises that ARV drugs be given to mothers only through the time of delivery.

Yet the WHO 2010 guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding with an ARV treatment intervention for the first six months of a child’s life to reduce transmission, and continued breastfeeding, with formula or other foods, until the child is at least a year old.  Alternatively – where it is acceptable, feasible, affordable, sustainable and safe – WHO recommends complete avoidance of breastfeeding.  The biggest problem has been that the latest guidelines on infant-feeding options for HIV-positive mothers in Africa have not been disseminated in many countries, leaving women confused about the best nutritional path to protect their children from contracting the virus, and therefore leaving infants at greater risk.

 ”The six months of exclusive breastfeeding is what is crucial for mothers to understand – that not doing it is what raises the child’s HIV risk; but we are finding that while many countries have officially adopted the WHO guidelines, they have not trickled down, and health centres, policy-makers and communities are still unclear on what advice to give mothers,” said Aditi Sharma, of the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), and coordinator of  the report The Long Walk: Ensuring comprehensive care for women and families to end vertical transmission.

Another view can be found in a new report by community health workers from Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and Nigeria, that was launched at the 16th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Research found that prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs were focused too narrowly on the provision of ARVs to HIV-positive pregnant women, rather than more comprehensive approaches that involved family planning, maternal healthcare and exclusive breastfeeding.

It is clear that a clear and concise plan must not only be established but promoted on a global scale by all development agencies to ensure that mothers and children are safeguarded and a sustainable effort to lower HIV transmissions is in our future.   According to the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), more in-depth delivery prevention of mother-to-child services in Africa are greatly needed.

“Countries must ensure that policy filters down to the women in all aspects of PMTCT – from HIV prevention for women to family planning, to the best ARV prophylaxis option to proper infant feeding to proper healthcare for the mother, child and family,” Aditi Sharma, Co-Coordinator of the Treatment Monitoring and Advocacy Project (TMAP) said. “It is the only way we can achieve the 2015 targets of reducing vertical transmission by 90 percent (IRIN).”

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You don’t need to be a doctor to save a life

Posted on 10 December 2011 by Tea Server

“You don’t need to be a doctor to save a life“. This morning out of nowhere I read this line and that instantly reminded me the part of the verse number 32 of chapter 5 (Surat Al-Mai’dah) that says, “And if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity”. It makes serving others and saving in order to save lives of the others a divine duty of us all. During the days of busyness with my dissertation and all I collected a great pile of unread emails, last night I came across to an email that was introduction of save life project. Since morning, I am trying to gain more information on this project.

Save Life project is all about saving lives of the other and with the planning, developing, and organizing it is now accessible at SaveLife.pk an idea that was initially started with the blood donation organizing during Dengue Attack. Save Life, simply provide a collaboration point for the blood organizing bodies, all the organizations can register with it and share their database of donors. That will make donor arrangement easy with the availability of larger data.  This is a multipurpose service i.e. natural disaster assistance, hepatitis, cencer, thalessmia, and HIV awareness.

One can get registered by sending an SMS to their code number with a defined pattern “Blood Signup gender, full name, city” (e.g. blood signup male, Rai Azlan, Lahore) and send this SMS  to their code number. In addition, one can request blood by sending an SMS to their code number stating, “I need to get [blood group] blood in [city] near [some area]” (e.g. I need to get B+ blood in Lahore near Cantt).

This is indeed a good idea to me in order to build database and arranging blood when required. However, being a start-up this need a lot of support and especially need many registered donors to show how effective it is. All those who are not willing to donate blood for some reason can still help and show support by become Social Media volunteers. These volunteers will require to set facebook status or share tweets regarding the blood requirement to spread the word. (E.g. Urgently required B+ve blood in CMH Hospital Lahore Pakistan. Contact 0300-1234567). This does not mean promoting save life as getting popularity is not the motive; the motive is to save life.

SaveLife.pk has also developed Facebook and Twitter App. The apps for smart phones are available. The mobile apps are location-based service and helps in finding blood near to the location it is actually required.

While my information search I came across to some of the success stories regarding Save Life project. As I am follower of no idea is bad idea concept I highly regard it as a very good idea and wish all the best to men behind this concept Talal Masood and Ahsen Masood. In case more information required regarding this service you can drop an email at help@savelife.pk.

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Syndicated from: My Land Pakistan

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World AIDS Day Round-Up

Posted on 04 December 2011 by Tea Server

Thursday, December 1, was World AIDS Day.  Each year, people gather worldwide to remember those lost to or affected by HIV/AIDS and to raise awareness.  It’s also a time to reflect on what’s been accomplished and what remains to be done, and the day serves as a time for politicians, celebrities, implementers, and activists to speak out.  This year, thirty years from the official beginning of the epidemic, proved similar. As always, discussions about increasing financial support of HIV/AIDS programs were at the forefront of most speeches, articles, and press releases.  For World AIDS Day, the UN released an ambitious set of goals to reach by 2015, which they acknowledge are “aspirational.”  In this uncertain funding environment, fears of budget shortfalls, program closures, and stock-outs of vital anti-retroviral drugs are very real.  AIDS-related deaths and new infections are on the decline, something that felt almost unimaginable just a decade or so ago.  We are close to radically altering the course of the epidemic, but the global economic recession is putting progress at jeopardy.

The Atlantic put together a series of articles for World AIDS Day.  Dr. Mitch Besser of mothers2mothers (disclosure: I used to work at m2m) focuses on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) efforts, highlighting UNAIDS’s Global Plan for elimination of MTCT by 2015 and the importance of US foreign aid programs.  Other highlights at The Atlantic include discussions on new scientific developments, a snapshot of the HIV epidemic in the United States, and what it will take to achieve an HIV-free generation.

As per usual, Bono had a thing or two to say.  Although his opinion piece for The New York Times  was a bit slick (and tripped in the end on an image of flag planting, which was meant to parallel the moon landing but inadvertently and unfortunately evokes colonialist imagery) , there’s no denying what he has done to shape the fight against the epidemic.  The piece recalls the frustration of the early years of ART, when drugs were available in high-income countries but not elsewhere.  Bono also acknowledges the vital role the US played in funding efforts to curb the epidemic, listing the names of the politicians and other figures from both sides of the aisle who contributed to the government’s legacy on HIV/AIDS.  He concludes with a shrewd argument about “smart power”–that the effects of US foreign aid efforts contribute to national security and global diplomacy.

US President Barack Obama spoke on Thursday and reiterated and expanded his commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS domestically and around the world.

He pointed to the declining rates of new infections and deaths around the world and the paradoxical steady rate of new infections in the US and the toll of the epidemic on minority populations in particular.  President Obama, perhaps to counter activists’ claims that he has not done enough to address HIV/AIDS, pointed out his administration’s increased financial commitment to HIV/AIDS programs and the lifting of the travel ban against people living with HIV, which will allow the next International AIDS Conference to be held in the US for the first time ever.  He underlined the need to implement the new US national HIV/AIDS strategy and pledged $15 million in additional funding for the Ryan White Program (which supports HIV clinics in the US) and $35 million extra for state ARV assistance programs.  He also called on countries to fulfill their pledges to the ailing Global Fund and for countries who were once recipients of aid but are now able to create foreign assistance programs, such as China, to make pledges of their own.  President Obama also announced two goals: to provide ARVs for 1.5 million pregnant women over the next two years for PMTCT and to get 6 million people on ART by 2013, which was greeted with hoots and wild applause.  He ended with a request that Congress continue to work together, saying that the gains made under the last three presidencies show “that we can do big things when Republicans and Democrats put common humanity before politics.  We need to carry that spirit forward.”  President Obama’s remarks are heartening, and it’s good to see his administration re-focus on HIV/AIDS efforts.  Julie Pace of the Associated Press reports, however, that PEPFAR will not see an increase in funding and that decreasing the cost of treatment and making current programs more efficient will be required steps to fund the the ambitious goals set out on Thursday.

I’d like to end with Susan Sontag’s definitive piece from 1986 called “The Way We Live Now,” which The New Yorker re-released this week.  It’s a heartbreaking reminder of the earliest days of the epidemic and of how far we have come in the twenty-five years since it was published.  Here’s to making even more progress, expanding commitments, and “getting to zero.”

 

 

Photo, via Wikimedia Commons, depicts activists from South Africa’s Treatment Action Campaign in Cape Town in 2003.  The photo is from the TAC.

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