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
Friday, February 13, 2009
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
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