Does your knowledge about HIV/AIDS hold up?

By Esha Gupta
From KPC Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata
Posted Sep 7th 2012 10:00AM

Does your knowledge about HIV/AIDS hold up? – Part 1

Several inaccurate myths about HIV and AIDS are still widely believed.

Officially reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 1981, AIDS has become a global healthcare problem, with cases being identified in over 190 countries. From 1981 until 2006, AIDS has lead to the death of over 25 million people and orphaning 16.6 million children worldwide.

Misunderstandings of the disease have been fueled by fear, denial and ignorance and culminated in these widespread myths that not only placed people at risk, but have caused undue ostracism to many of those living with HIV or AIDS.

1. The full form of HIV is Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
   TRUE. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a retrovirus that attacks the immune cells of the body. When it infects a person, HIV attacks cells of the immune system leading to a decreased immune response. However, the effects of the disease may not be seen for many years.
2. The full form of AIDS is Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.
   TRUE. The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome occurs when the immune cells of the body have been reduced to a critical level. The ravaged immune system is no longer able to cope with the various stresses on the body. When this occurs, a person with AIDS becomes susceptible to a number of diseases which would not normally harm a healthy person..
3. HIV/AIDS can spread by touching, hugging, kissing, sharing meals or even sharing the same utensils.
   FALSE. Numerous studies have shown that HIV cannot be spread by casual contact with a individual afflicted with the disease. The virus may be transmitted through exposure to seminal fluids, blood and breast milk between individuals, but is not transferred in saliva. These fluids can come from, or enter through genital, oral and anal routes as well as open wounds and needle injections.
4. HIV/AIDS spreads by the use of common needles (intravenous drug abuse).
   TRUE. Drug abuse is one of the leading causes of the spread of HIV among all population groups around the world. The practice of sharing needles among drug abusers has lead to rampant spread in many parts of the world, including India. Some governments have proposed programs to provide clean, sterile needles to prevent transmission among those using injected drugs.
5. Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs), spermicides, diaphragms, and sponges prevent HIV infection.
   FALSE. While the use of oral contraceptive pills, spermicides, diaphragms and sponges provide protection against pregnancy, they offer little protection against infection by HIV. Studies have shown even diaphragms to be ineffective at preventing HIV as they cannot cover the all of the lining of the vagina through which the virus may enter. Currently the best method of prevention is abstinence or proper use of a male condom during intercourse.

Does your knowledge about HIV/AIDS hold up? – part 2

1. The proper use of condoms during intercourse prevents the spread of HIV infections.
   TRUE. Numerous studies have shown that the proper use of the male condom significantly lowers the risk of transmission of HIV between sexual partners. In addition, the female condom has shown promising effectiveness in preventing HIV transmission.
2. HIV/AIDS is a curable disease.
   FALSE. Currently there is no effective cure for HIV or AIDS. However, there are many drugs available that are shown to help slow the progress of the disease and dramatically increase quality of life and life expectancy for those living with the disease. Continued research on new medicines and other medical techniques show promise for the treatment of those infected, but the best cure is prevention by taking the proper precautions.
3. A person can spread HIV/AIDS, even if being treated for it.
   TRUE. Even if a person is being treated for HIV or AIDS, it is still possible to spread the disease to their partner. Most treatments aim at preventing the virus from copying itself within the body, but are unable to remove it once it is present. The viral particles permeate into many of the body excretions and still pose a risk. It is still important to observe safe sex practices even while being treated.
4. HIV can be transmitted by mosquito bite.
   FALSE. There is no evidence to suggest that HIV can be spread through mosquito bites. A mosquito may feed on the blood of an infected individual, however that blood remains within the stomach of the mosquito and does not come into contact with any subsequent person that the mosquito feeds on.
   If a mosquito is killed against the skin, it may expose a person to the virus as the blood within the mosquito's stomach can be smeared into an open wound. However, the possibility of transmittance in this way is very remote.
5. You can tell if a person is HIV positive, just by the way they look.
   FALSE. It is a common misconception that a person infected with HIV will appear to be sick. This belief is often used as an excuse not to practice safe sex. However, the affects of HIV may remain unapparent for several years to even a decade. The appearance of open wounds which many people are familiar with are usually only seen in late stage infection by HIV, at the onset of AIDS.

Part 1 Source

Part 2 Source

(RED)RUSH TO ZERO Campaign To Engage Gamers, Music Fans, Consumers And Celebrities In The Push For An AIDS Free Generation By 2015

PRESS RELEASE

May 24, 2012, 12:01 p.m. EDT

NEW YORK, May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- (RED) today announced the first-ever (RED)RUSH TO ZERO campaign, taking place June 1-10, 2012, to raise funding and awareness to help deliver an AIDS Free Generation by 2015, a critical milestone in the fight against AIDS. The virtual elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV is part of the eight Millennium Development Goals, which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS by the target date of 2015.

(RED)RUSH TO ZERO, held in June, which is the 31st anniversary of the discovery of HIV, consists of a series of in-person and digital events and experiences involving brands, celebrities, gamers, music fans and consumers around the world. Since launching in 2006, (RED) has raised more than $190 million to fight AIDS. The recipient of these funds is the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. (RED) helps finance Global Fund HIV/AIDS grants that have impacted the lives of more than 14 million people affected by AIDS in Africa.

(RED)RUSH TO ZERO will feature three major components: the (RED)RUSH Games, a global video game tournament; the (RED)Music program, allowing fans to buy (RED) tickets from major artists and iconic venues to turn their shows (RED); and the Cash & Rocket (RED)Tour, a fundraising road trip across Europe. "The world is at a historic moment in the fight against HIV/AIDS, with the opportunity to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV and take a critical step toward defeating this global pandemic," said Deborah Dugan, CEO of (RED). "We will only get over the finish line if we create new funding opportunities and new ways to keep people engaged and energized- (RED) will do its part by bringing business, culture, sport, and empowered women together to help empower other women and their children by ensuring that the next generation is born HIV free. (RED)RUSH is a unique effort to build momentum and ensure that the incredible progress that has been made over the last decade continues. We are, as always, grateful to our corporate partners for stepping up and creating exciting, new opportunities for engaging consumers and generating vital funding for the Global Fund."

"We've made so much progress in the fight against AIDS over the last decade. Now would be the worst time to slow down," said Gabriel Jaramillo, General Manager, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. "As the global economy threatens public sector funding, more than ever we need innovative fundraising models like (RED), which has done so much to align the private sector to our goals. We're excited about (RED)RUSH and its ability to tap into popular culture to help deliver a key milestone on our path to ending AIDS. We're very grateful for (RED)'s bold ideas to help us reach our goals."

The (RED)RUSH Games(RED)RUSH Games, which is being powered by STiKS GAMING, will launch on June 1st, and will partner with the world's largest gaming Conference, E3, in LA. Gamers will have the chance to compete globally against each other and their favorite celebrities on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 - for prizes and prestige - in video games including EA's FIFA 12, NHL 12, 2K Sports' NBA2K12, KINECT Sports Season 2 and Forza Motorsport 4. Gamers will donate-to-play, and proceeds will benefit the Global Fund. Each gamer's profile page will allow them to keep track of their scores, overall tournament results and, most importantly, see the impact of their donation.

Celebrities and brands signed up include Kate Upton, Converse, Michelle Rodriguez, Funny or Die, Samantha Ronson, Bugaboo, Michael B Jordan, Kris Allen, Mophie, Scott Porter, Ryan Cabrera, FEED, Wayne Brady, Aldis Hodge, Al Shearer, Kerli, Andrew Bowen, Ray Ford, Electric Touch.

(RED)MUSIC(RED)RUSH will engage music fans through (RED)ROWS, (RED) venues and the release of a single from the forthcoming album (RED) Hot + FELA. Artists are auctioning premium seats and exclusive packages to help fight AIDS in an initiative called (RED)ROWS. The first (RED)ROW auction will start on June 1st and end on June 10th and participating artists include Bryan Adams, The Black Keys, Leonard Cohen, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers, K'naan, Diana Krall, Maxwell, Tim McGraw, Metric, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Phish, Pink Martini, Punch Brothers, The Tragically Hip and The xx. (RED) has partnered with white-label ticketing provider CrowdSurge to unveil (RED)ROWS, a unique technology solution that enables artists to turn their shows (RED) by auctioning concert tickets.

Popular live music venues across the U.S. will also participate in (RED)Music, with promotions to drive funds and awareness to the 2015 goal. Venues include Stubbs in Austin, Metro in Chicago, Brooklyn Bowl in New York and The Paramount, Neptune and Moore Theaters in Seattle.

Additionally, during (RED)RUSH the first single from the forthcoming album (RED) Hot + FELA will debut - a remake of Fela Kuti's "Lady" by Angelique Kidjo, tUnE-yArDs, Akua Naru and Ahmir Questlove Thompson which will be released on June 1.

Cash & Rocket (RED) TourA group of 70 women - entrepreneurs, lawyers, designers, doctors, CEOs, models, architects, fashion stylists - will take to the roads of Europe in (RED) branded vintage and classic cars on the Cash & Rocket (RED) Tour from London to Monte Carlo. The caravan of (RED) cars including (RED) CEO Deborah Dugan, Dr Patricia Asamoah from Ghana, LOVE editor Katie Grand, Charlotte Stockdale, trip organizer Julie Brangstrup, model Lily Becker, sisters Jemma and Jodie Kidd, entrepreneur Umberta Beretta leaves London's Berkeley Square on June 7 and ends in Monte Carlo on June 10, with stops in Paris and Milan. At the Paris stop, Bugaboo will unveil its latest design collaboration. (RED) has partnered with Crowdrise, the online fundraising tool, which will allow the women to fundraise before and during the trip. The trip will end with an auction in Monte Carlo with all proceeds going to the Global Fund.

During (RED)RUSH, (RED) corporate partners will offer consumers ways to fight AIDS and to build on the $190 million raised to date. The organization's first Central and South American partnership will see wireless providers Telcel and Claro introducing (RED) wireless products in 15 countries including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Peru. (RED) will also launch two new partners - Tourneau will offer a (RED) collection of their Tourneau TNY watch and Bottletop will introduce (RED) versions of their iconic Luciana clutch bag and the unisex Kibe belt. (RED) partners include Apple, The Coca-Cola Company, Starbucks, Converse, Beats by Dr. Dre, Belvedere, Bugaboo, Nike, Penfolds, SAP and American Express, and they contribute up to 50% of the proceeds from the sale of (RED) products and services to help fight AIDS.

Beats by Dr. Dre will kick off the inaugural (RED)RUSH TO ZERO campaign with a party in their NYC store on June 2nd.

www.redrush.com

About (RED)(TM)(RED) engages business and consumer power in the fight against AIDS. To date, (RED) partners and events have generated over $190 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This money supports Global Fund HIV/AIDS grants in Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zambia. So far more than 14 million people have been reached with prevention, treatment, counselling, and care services through these grants. (RED) dollars are used to support programs that have helped provide life-saving antiretroviral therapy for 220,000 HIV-positive people, put 130,000 HIV-positive pregnant women on preventative antiretroviral therapy to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission and reached 13 million people with HIV testing and counselling. Current (RED) Proud Partners include: American Express (UK only), Apple, Beats by Dr. Dre, Belvedere, Bugaboo, Claro, The Coca-Cola Company, Converse, Nike, Penfolds, SAP, Starbucks and Telcel and Special Edition partners include: FEED, Girl Skateboards, Mophie, Nanda Home, Shazam, Solange Azagury-Partridge and TOUS. (RED) is a division of The ONE Campaign. On World AIDS Day 2010, (RED) launched "The AIDS Free Generation is Due in 2015" campaign. (RED) has joined is joining the global health community in raising funds and awareness to help eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015 and helping to realize the first AIDS-free generation in nearly thirty years. Learn more at www.joinred.com .

About The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and MalariaThe Global Fund is a unique, public-private partnership and international financing institution dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities represents an innovative approach to international health financing. The Global Fund's model is based on the concepts of country ownership and performance-based funding, which means that people in countries implement their own programs based on their priorities and the Global Fund provides financing on the condition that verifiable results are achieved.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the main financier of programs to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 22.6 billion for more than 1,000 programs in 150 countries (as of 1 December 2011). To date, programs supported by the Global Fund are providing AIDS treatment for 3.3 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 8.6 million people and 230 million insecticide-treated nets for the prevention of malaria. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts in dealing with the three diseases.

SOURCE (RED)

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Registration Now Open for AIDS Walk Boston and the Larry Kessler 5K Run -- 27th Annual Walk will Take Place Sunday, June 3, 2012

Annual event has raised more than $37 million for services for people living with HIV/AIDS -- expected to draw 15,000 participants this year.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) May 03, 2012

Registration is open and fundraising has begun for the 27th annual AIDS Walk Boston, From All Walks of Life™, Boston’s annual AIDS Walk, which will be held June 3, 2012. The annual Walk draws 10,000 to 15,000 participants and is AIDS Action’s largest annual fundraiser. WCVB-TV StormTeam 5 meteorologist David Brown will emcee the event, which also includes a Wellness Festival and the Larry Kessler 5K run. The 5K run is a competitive, timed event, and is fully sanctioned by the USA Track & Field Association. The 6.2-mile AIDS Walk and the Larry Kessler 5K run will begin and end at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston. Registration and check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. The Walk begins at 10 a.m.; the Larry Kessler run begins at 9:50 a.m. Participants can register for the AIDS Walk and 5K run at http://www.aidswalkboston.org. There is neither a registration fee nor a minimum funds raised requirement in order to participate.

“There are an estimated 25,000 to 27,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts, about 21 percent of whom do not know they are HIV positive. At any given time, AIDS Action is providing services to at least one-in-six of the 18,000 people who do know their status,” said Rebecca Haag, president and CEO of AIDS Action, who walks each year and contributes personally to every AIDS Action employee who walks or runs. “We connect people with health care, peer support, counseling, free HIV testing, housing and fuel assistance, and legal services. Since 1999, we have helped the state reduce new HIV diagnoses by 54 percent, which will save more than 5,600 a diagnosis of HIV, and will save the state more than $2 billion in health care costs. Money raised from the AIDS Walk is essential to this work, and we urge everyone in the Boston area to join us or donate to the thousands of walker and runners who do.”

Corporate sponsors of this year’s AIDS Walk and 5K Run include MOMS Pharmacy, Brystol-Myers Squibb, Whole Foods Market, EMD Serono, EMD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, The TJX Companies, Inc., Partners HealthCare, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, State Street, Eastern Bank, Abt Associates, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. This year’s media sponsors include WCVB-TV 5, JAM’N 95.5 FM, WFNX 101.7 FM, El Planeta, KISS 108 FM, and The Boston Phoenix. The VIP Breakfast Sponsor is Boloco. Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available. Call Jacoba van Heugten at 617-450-1512 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 617-450-1512 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email jvanheugten(at)aac(dot)org.

AIDS Action will support the Boston AIDS Walk with a robust social media outreach and fundraising plan:

• For the fourth year in a row, walkers can fundraise through their Facebook pages by installing the Fundraising with Facebook application. Last year, walkers raised approximately $40,000 in donations through Facebook.
• Follow @AIDSWalkBoston and the hashtag #AWB for information about HIV/AIDS and the Boston AIDS Walk.

FACTS ABOUT AIDS IN MASSACHUSETTS

• The number of people known to be living with HIV/AIDS increased by 42% from 1999 to 2008.
• Non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics make up only 6% of the total population, but non-Hispanic blacks account for 29% of those living with HIV/AIDS, and Hispanics account for 25% of those living with HIV/AIDS
• Among those recently diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, male-to-male sex is the leading reported cause of exposure, accounting for four out of 10 new diagnoses.

FACTS ABOUT AIDS NATIONALLY

• There is a new HIV infection every 9.5 minutes and HIV continues to infect about 56,000 people annually.
• There are more than 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS.
• Gay and bisexual men are more than 44 times more likely to become infected with HIV than the general population.
• About one in 16 Black American men and one in 30 Black American women can expect to become HIV positive in their lifetime.
• AIDS is the third leading cause of death for African-American men and women age 35 to 44.
• About one-third of all new HIV infections occur in people age 28 and younger.

FACTS ABOUT AIDS WALK Boston
The AIDS Walk was first held in 1986 and is one of the first walks to be introduced in Boston, as well as the country. The 5K run was added to open up fundraising to runners. Historically AAC’s largest fundraising event, it has raised nearly $37 million for programs and services to support those living with and at risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. In 2010:

About AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts
AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts is the state’s leading provider of prevention and wellness services for people vulnerable to HIV infection. It provides services to one in six people in Massachusetts living with an HIV diagnosis. These services include HIV counseling and testing; needle exchange; mental health counseling; housing assistance; and legal services. AIDS Action works to prevent new HIV infections, support those affected by HIV, and tackle the root causes of HIV/AIDS by educating the public and health professionals about HIV prevention and care; and advocating for fair and effective HIV/AIDS policy at the city, state, and federal levels. Founded in 1983, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts is New England’s first and largest AIDS service organization. Learn more at http://www.aac.org.

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