For me, this class was what I thought it would be, but it helps to have a refresher every now and then. I have learned certain tidbits here and there but nothing contributed to me having a big revelation. Most of this information, I had already learned throughout my life, but I can see just by looking across the classroom at times, that I may have been the only one. At different times throughout the term, people seemed to be shocked about things I thought were completely trivial, and I think that is what surprised me the most about the class. The reaction some people had to different topics is what caught my focus and made me wonder how my upbringing was different from others. To be honest, I just believe its the fact that when it comes to diseases, nothing surprises me anymore, its as though I have seen it all.
With that said, I don't believe I am one to tell you what I would or wouldn't change about the class. On second thought, I believe the ethics portion of the class needs to be presented at the beginning of the course in more of an open-forum discussion that gets everyone in the class involved, or forces them. That way you can single out the narrow-minded people and well, since they are narrow minded, they will be forced to participate as narrow-minded people, as I have learned over the years, do not like to be singled out. Also, an open-forum ethics talk about stigmatizations about STIs should occur at the end so people may voice what they have learned over the term that way as a teacher, you know if the message you were sending was "hitting home" with these individuals.
I do consider this an important university level class, I believe it keeps the minds of individuals open to the world of sexually transmitted infections and the social impacts of having them. It has been a fun class, it has been an interesting class, and as a final goodbye to this last blog, I leave you with a quote:
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." -Aristotle
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Bob Skinner
From Bob Skinner's talk, I have learned that living with AIDS is like living life heavily influenced by the fear tactics taught by STI prevention courses. It seems as though he lives a very cautious life, always uses protection, takes his anti-retrovirals, and maintains peak physical conditions as to avoid a secondary infection. He lives a very different life from others infected with HIV around the world. Many Africans are just struggling to make it through the day, whereas Bob Skinner is focusing years down the road; his only worry, it seems, is the cost of medication.
The route he mentioned in rural regions is the heterosexual route among married individuals. Like most married individuals, the use of protective barriers for preventing STIs is not even looked upon, otherwise, whats the point of being married? This makes life tough if people in rural regions become ailed with HIV/AIDS. In some areas, it takes a long time to drive to areas to be treated because of the lack of resources in these rural areas. Also, in rural areas, it proves difficult because rural areas tend to be more stigmatized when it comes to certain diseases, because of the lack of knowledge in these rural areas, and I am guessing that HIV is a major example. I grew up in a small town, where every one knows everyone's name, so if someone from my hometown was afflicted with AIDS, you can bet that my mom would find out and would tell me so-and-so has AIDS the minute after she herself found out. This would make life tough for individuals AND their family as well, because small communities can be brutal without proper knowledge.
The route he mentioned in rural regions is the heterosexual route among married individuals. Like most married individuals, the use of protective barriers for preventing STIs is not even looked upon, otherwise, whats the point of being married? This makes life tough if people in rural regions become ailed with HIV/AIDS. In some areas, it takes a long time to drive to areas to be treated because of the lack of resources in these rural areas. Also, in rural areas, it proves difficult because rural areas tend to be more stigmatized when it comes to certain diseases, because of the lack of knowledge in these rural areas, and I am guessing that HIV is a major example. I grew up in a small town, where every one knows everyone's name, so if someone from my hometown was afflicted with AIDS, you can bet that my mom would find out and would tell me so-and-so has AIDS the minute after she herself found out. This would make life tough for individuals AND their family as well, because small communities can be brutal without proper knowledge.
Friday, February 13, 2009
My View on HIV/AIDS
I would like to think that I know a lot about Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV. I know how the virus itself enters the T-cell via its CD4 receptor with help from a CXCR4 or CCR5 co-receptor, depending on whether its HIV-1 or HIV-2. I know how the virus replicates inside the cell by reverse transcription and the reason it is so hard to cure HIV is the fact that reverse transcription is so highly error prone and causes mutations. I have learned about how HIV can slowly kill off the CD4 T-cells, enter a latent stage because the immune system is aware of its presence, but then once a person gets another disease which distracts the immune system, that is when the HIV virus replicates once again causing complications in that person which more than likely will lead to death.
I have learned about the different methods of spreading the virus, and I remember hearing a story from a professor about how a student he knows accidentally stuck himself with a needle full of HIV-infected blood while he was working in a clinic in Africa, and the drugs that he had to take after which made him bed-ridden for quite some time. I have also heard that this same student, experienced many horrific incidences in Africa such as holding in the intestines of an HIV-infected woman. The funny thing about this though, is that the student, after coming back from Africa, told the professor that he would gladly go again to Africa so he can help out.
Stories like the one above surprised me, but made me want to go to Africa even more. Another thing that surprised me was the video from Monday in which the people of Namibia refuse to help those infected with HIV get a job just so that they may feed their children. It seems as though once someone contracts HIV in Namibia, the people of Namibia write them off and avoid them at all costs. Seeing that in the video made me quite sad that they were not willing to help out their own citizens in the time of need.
"HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug: Heaven knows they need it. " -Princess Diana
I have learned about the different methods of spreading the virus, and I remember hearing a story from a professor about how a student he knows accidentally stuck himself with a needle full of HIV-infected blood while he was working in a clinic in Africa, and the drugs that he had to take after which made him bed-ridden for quite some time. I have also heard that this same student, experienced many horrific incidences in Africa such as holding in the intestines of an HIV-infected woman. The funny thing about this though, is that the student, after coming back from Africa, told the professor that he would gladly go again to Africa so he can help out.
Stories like the one above surprised me, but made me want to go to Africa even more. Another thing that surprised me was the video from Monday in which the people of Namibia refuse to help those infected with HIV get a job just so that they may feed their children. It seems as though once someone contracts HIV in Namibia, the people of Namibia write them off and avoid them at all costs. Seeing that in the video made me quite sad that they were not willing to help out their own citizens in the time of need.
"HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug: Heaven knows they need it. " -Princess Diana
Lucky Me
The title reflects my view on classism and STIs, and those of you reading this are in the same boat. We were lucky enough to be born into our families that we are in now. Most of us had sex education in middle and/or high school and learned about awful things that can happen to our body if we have unprotected sex. Its weird to think that out of 4.5 billion (around the time of my conception), I made it into the family I have now.
I begin to wonder if most Americans realize how lucky they truly are. I also wonder if they do realize how blessed they are, will they help those less fortunate than themselves? This question got me thinking about another question that I heard on that game show "The Moment of Truth". Do you care about the starving kids in Africa?
Obviously most people would obviously say yes, but is that really the truth? The poor people in Africa were just unlucky to be born into their families and into a poverty stricken world with a lack of contraception and education about the awful diseases they can get. Obviously classism plays a big role in the global disparities of STIs, which got a buddy of mine and myself thinking about something that seems so simple:
"Because of the enormous disease rates in Africa, why not just go into Africa and treat these people so the spread of these diseases will be limited?"
When you think about diseases in Africa, if you treat all of Africa (a place which seems to be the origin of many awful diseases and STIs), then the spread of these diseases around the world and eventually to the United States will... disappear. If we let diseases linger in Africa, then some mutation will cause the next great disease, and most likely it will reach the United States and perhaps cause social stigma to those that contract it when it all could have been avoided in the first place.
For me, I would like to go to Africa and help out, and am currently trying to obtain a scholarship for next year that will send me to Africa to conduct research, and hopefully I get it.
So its time to end this blog and I am going to end it with a quote: "With a small fraction of the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on the Iraq war, the US and Australia could ensure every starving, sunken-eyed child on the planet could be well fed, have clean water and sanitation and a local school to go to." - Bob Brown
I begin to wonder if most Americans realize how lucky they truly are. I also wonder if they do realize how blessed they are, will they help those less fortunate than themselves? This question got me thinking about another question that I heard on that game show "The Moment of Truth". Do you care about the starving kids in Africa?
Obviously most people would obviously say yes, but is that really the truth? The poor people in Africa were just unlucky to be born into their families and into a poverty stricken world with a lack of contraception and education about the awful diseases they can get. Obviously classism plays a big role in the global disparities of STIs, which got a buddy of mine and myself thinking about something that seems so simple:
"Because of the enormous disease rates in Africa, why not just go into Africa and treat these people so the spread of these diseases will be limited?"
When you think about diseases in Africa, if you treat all of Africa (a place which seems to be the origin of many awful diseases and STIs), then the spread of these diseases around the world and eventually to the United States will... disappear. If we let diseases linger in Africa, then some mutation will cause the next great disease, and most likely it will reach the United States and perhaps cause social stigma to those that contract it when it all could have been avoided in the first place.
For me, I would like to go to Africa and help out, and am currently trying to obtain a scholarship for next year that will send me to Africa to conduct research, and hopefully I get it.
So its time to end this blog and I am going to end it with a quote: "With a small fraction of the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on the Iraq war, the US and Australia could ensure every starving, sunken-eyed child on the planet could be well fed, have clean water and sanitation and a local school to go to." - Bob Brown
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Movie Theater Ad
Picture this: You score a date with someone you have been eying for a long time, and you tell yourself if you play your cards right you might have a late night tonight. Everything is going smooth so far and you end up at the movies. You are sitting down in the theater, the lights go dim, the audience grows silent, and the mood is just right. You look at the screen and...
This lovely PSA about chlamydia plays and you happen to make some silly mistake (comment or action) to make your partner hesitate and ruin the rest of your night. Bummer!
I believe this little PSA video is highly effective in capturing the attention of its audience, beings that in the movie theater everyone tends to focus on the big, white screen, especially when the lights are dimmed. The lovely analogy about being in the dark is clever in that chlamydia doesn't necessarily show symptoms for everyone infected by it. A movie theater PSA is definately a step in the right direction in that it is able to target young lovers in the movie theater and perhaps scare them a little bit, or just give them a little wake up call on the dangers of chlamydia. I believe if clever ad placements, such as this one, about STI's were done more often, many people will pay attention and take home its message.
Note: The video shown above can be found here (Just right click link, and choose Save Link As)
This lovely PSA about chlamydia plays and you happen to make some silly mistake (comment or action) to make your partner hesitate and ruin the rest of your night. Bummer!
I believe this little PSA video is highly effective in capturing the attention of its audience, beings that in the movie theater everyone tends to focus on the big, white screen, especially when the lights are dimmed. The lovely analogy about being in the dark is clever in that chlamydia doesn't necessarily show symptoms for everyone infected by it. A movie theater PSA is definately a step in the right direction in that it is able to target young lovers in the movie theater and perhaps scare them a little bit, or just give them a little wake up call on the dangers of chlamydia. I believe if clever ad placements, such as this one, about STI's were done more often, many people will pay attention and take home its message.
Note: The video shown above can be found here (Just right click link, and choose Save Link As)
Tuskegee Apology
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study in Macon County, Alabama is a pretty low point when it comes to breaking the rules of the Nuremberg code. Not only was it unethical in that the participants did not consent to the study and underwent excruciating forms of "free" treatment like a spinal tap when there penicillin around to cure syphilis, but the fact that all parties conducting the study did not think they were doing anything wrong when the study finally was closed in 1972.
I am happy that President Clinton was able to acknowledge that there was wrongdoing and racism in conducting this study and offered an apology on behalf of the federal government, but it is truly sad that such an apology took as long as it did after the study was over. The blindness of the American people of this time to such racism says a lot about the generations past, and now it is easily understandable why people from around the world hate the United States, which I believe to be the greatest country on Earth. I know most of the racism and hatred of other people in the world today is passed down from adults that people look up to such as parents and grandparents. I, myself, have firsthand knowledge of this fact and feel that I have looked through the deceit and lies put upon me as a child and am able to judge people on who they really are, and not by their skin color, religion, lifestyle or personal beliefs.
The one thing I hope that the Clinton apology will change is the trust in medical research studies. It is completely understandable how the Tuskegee study has affected the African American involvement in medical research studies and organ donations, but I really do hope that trust can be established with the medical community once more so that Americans as a whole can wage war against foes such as cancer, diseases, and harmful infections.
I am happy that President Clinton was able to acknowledge that there was wrongdoing and racism in conducting this study and offered an apology on behalf of the federal government, but it is truly sad that such an apology took as long as it did after the study was over. The blindness of the American people of this time to such racism says a lot about the generations past, and now it is easily understandable why people from around the world hate the United States, which I believe to be the greatest country on Earth. I know most of the racism and hatred of other people in the world today is passed down from adults that people look up to such as parents and grandparents. I, myself, have firsthand knowledge of this fact and feel that I have looked through the deceit and lies put upon me as a child and am able to judge people on who they really are, and not by their skin color, religion, lifestyle or personal beliefs.
The one thing I hope that the Clinton apology will change is the trust in medical research studies. It is completely understandable how the Tuskegee study has affected the African American involvement in medical research studies and organ donations, but I really do hope that trust can be established with the medical community once more so that Americans as a whole can wage war against foes such as cancer, diseases, and harmful infections.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The Problem With Drug Resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a continuously evolving problem in modern medicine. One such example I will focus on is that of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, or MDR TB. Tuberculosis back in the early 1900's, according to CDC, was the leading cause of death among US citizens. But with the invent and usage of effective antibiotics (streptomycin in the 1940s, isoniazid in the 1950s, and rifampicin in the 60s) tuberculosis was becoming less and less of a threat to human lives, and thus people stopped their treatment of TB when they felt better, and TB, as people knew it, was all but a thing of the past.
Fast forward to present day and we find ourselves in a situation with TB reemerging and some of these TB cases becoming unaffected by the viable antibiotics of the past, such as rifampicin and isoniazid. The reason for this resistance is because people afflicted by TB in the past cut short their treatment, due to feeling better, causing the resistant subset of TB flora, thought to be dead, to survive within the lungs in a latent state. Later on in life, during the onset of an immune compromising disease, the bacteria become active and flourish once more and the highly infectious MDR TB is free to infect those unfortunately nearby.
I believe we as a people need to be concerned about this because drug resistance in today's modern medicine poses a serious health threat to humans. However, I am pretty certain most people have the mindset that they need not worry about a reemerging disease such as TB, until the unfortunate day arrives when a drug resistant disease, whether it be MRSA, MDR TB, or any other disease caused by drug-resistant bacteria, happens to infect them or a loved one.
I believe that reemerging drug-resistant pathogens in general has affected the way that many patients are being treated these days, and not necessarily those afflicted by MDR TB. Although using a directly observed treatment is obviously the best solution for making sure people complete their antibiotic treatment in its entirety, it is not the most cost effective. I believe if more people were well educated about the rise of drug resistant diseases, they will be more inclined to complete their treatment leading to the end of MDR TB's reign on people.
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." -Charles Darwin
Fast forward to present day and we find ourselves in a situation with TB reemerging and some of these TB cases becoming unaffected by the viable antibiotics of the past, such as rifampicin and isoniazid. The reason for this resistance is because people afflicted by TB in the past cut short their treatment, due to feeling better, causing the resistant subset of TB flora, thought to be dead, to survive within the lungs in a latent state. Later on in life, during the onset of an immune compromising disease, the bacteria become active and flourish once more and the highly infectious MDR TB is free to infect those unfortunately nearby.
I believe we as a people need to be concerned about this because drug resistance in today's modern medicine poses a serious health threat to humans. However, I am pretty certain most people have the mindset that they need not worry about a reemerging disease such as TB, until the unfortunate day arrives when a drug resistant disease, whether it be MRSA, MDR TB, or any other disease caused by drug-resistant bacteria, happens to infect them or a loved one.
I believe that reemerging drug-resistant pathogens in general has affected the way that many patients are being treated these days, and not necessarily those afflicted by MDR TB. Although using a directly observed treatment is obviously the best solution for making sure people complete their antibiotic treatment in its entirety, it is not the most cost effective. I believe if more people were well educated about the rise of drug resistant diseases, they will be more inclined to complete their treatment leading to the end of MDR TB's reign on people.
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." -Charles Darwin
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