The Facts

This week I would like to blog about several things. First I want to talk about the myths associated with HIV/AIDS. Some of the misconceptions still within our society seem way out there like "if you are cool you can't get HIV". I guess we forget that although we are in college there are others who do not have hardly any education and so this type of misconception is all they can say. The scary part is that they truly believe this and are more at risk of becoming infected as well as infecting others. So dispelling these types of myths is very important (Teach, Myths, slide #2, Oct. 2009).

The "act" of transmission for HIV is something we rarely think about. Until I looked at the slides, I never even thought about how many red blood cells were on the tip of a needle or about the breaking of membranes in the anus making it easier for the virus to infect. Although many people probably don't care about this information, knowing it makes it seem more real and can make a person stop and think about things a little differently (Teach, Transmission slides #4 & 9, Oct. 2009).

When it comes to prevention, most people know about abstinence and condom use. Most people probably don't think about which type of condom offers better protection or the proper use or discarding of a condom. Although getting HIV from a used condom would probably be rare, it can still happen, but I doubt many people even think about this. Our healthcare workers are more apt to become infected since they are around bodily fluids more frequently. Using precautions on a daily basis and keeping prevention at the forefront of our minds will help to keep us from becoming infected (Teach, Prevention slides #3, 8 & 9, Oct. 2009).

I am growing in this class because I am discovering how difficult it is to change the attitude of society even with education. I find that people have to be open-minded and willing to learn about something even though they have preconceived notions. Learning about the little things that we normally don't think about regarding HIV/AIDS gives us a better sense of the virus and how we can deal with it. The treatment an HIV positive person must go through is not fun but it still gives them a chance at living.

In the AMA Morning Rounds dated Oct. 27, 2009, the New York Times is reporting that the Federal health officials are coming up with a plan to "test and treat" within the District of Columbia and Bronx area within a three year course. The plan is to test eveyone and if they are shown to be HIV positive begin to treat. This study is suppose to catch those individuals who are HIV positive but don't know it and don't think they could ever become infected. This will involve the help of ER depts, physician offices, clinics, etc. There was no mention as to when this study might begin (Web:AMA, 2009).

Web: AMA, retrieved Oct. 27, 2009 from http://webmail.att.net/wmc/en-US/v/wm/4AE6F42A)))FOFC8000037AB22243322829B...

CD: Teach, Myths, Transmission, Prevention slides, Oct. 2009.

Observations

This week I would like to give you my observations on the posts that have been made regarding our Questions of the Week. Each week we are given a different scenerio that makes us think about how we or a loved one would handle being HIV positive or being around someone who is HIV positive. Would we save a life while putting ourselves at risk of contracting the HIV virus? Would we choose life over death? How would our loved ones treat us once they found out we are HIV positive? Most of the posts chose life. A life being HIV positive is better than no life at all. Most all would put themselves at risk of becoming HIV positive so as to save another human beings life. Although some choose to live only because of their small children, in the end, no one wants to take any unnecessary risks in contracting this virus. Most of the posts are showing that we are becoming educated on HIV/AIDS and are coming to terms with this deadly virus but some things are hard to change. Many still show that although they know they can't get the virus from kissing, hugging or casual contact, we still have that uneasy feeling in the pit of our stomaches when we knowingly are around someone who has the virus. The stigma associated with being HIV positive is hard to overlook. Fear can consume someone and control much of their life even with education. This virus brings about the fear of dying, the fear of years of illness, the fear of being looked at as a leopard. But many of us have no idea who is HIV positive or not. It could be the man sitting next to us at church, the lady checking us out at the grocery store or the child at the daycare where your children play. And yet with all of this fear and education we have as well as the stigma still associated with the HIV virus we continue to engage in risky behavior.

My tidbit for this week is from http://webmail.att.net/wmc/en-US/v/wm/4ACB5E37000117D.... This internet article from the American Medical Association Newsletter dated October 6, 2009 says that the requirement for separate HIV test consent forms is blocking many people from getting tested. Apparently Massachusetts is one of only a few states that still require a separate consent form from patients to authorize HIV testing. With so many not knowing their HIV status, there is new legislation requesting that the separate consent form be abolished. Being HIV positive is no longer thought of as a dealth sentence and so more people who know about their status would be able to get treatment sooner and help to stop the spread of the virus.

Web: AMA (2009). Separate HIV test consent form requirement impedes life-saving diagnoses, experts say, retrieved Oct. 6, 2009, from http://webmail.att.net/wmc/en-US/v/wm/4ACB5E37000117D....

Scotland

This week my blog is on Scotland. Scotland's HIV confidentiality laws are pretty vague. The majority of laws on HIV revolve around medical records and criminal intent. The UK National Guidelines for HIV Testing 2008 basically states that you should treat HIV medical records no different than any other medical record. "Patients have a right to expect that information about them will be held in confidence by their doctors. Confidentiality is central to trust between doctors and patients. Without assurances about confidentiality, patients may be reluctant to give doctors the information they need in order to provide good care" Web: British HIV Association, 2009). "All members of the multidisciplinary team must have a contractual obligation not to reveal information about people using services without their consent" (Web: Medical Foundation, 2009). Breaching confidentiality is considered a serious offense and those involved will need to be able to justify their actions or face serious penalties. This is why it is so important for protocols to be in place so that physicians and staff can know when access is appropriate and when it is not (Web: Medical Foundation, 2009). I was not able to obtain specific laws that pertain to HIV confidentiality as well as any indication of the specific penalties involved in violating the laws.

My tidbit for this week is about how HIV infections in England and Scotland's blood donors has shown a large increase over the past 16 years. This basically "means that the chance of contaminated blood reaching patients in the UK needing transfusions has doubled" (Web:Irish Health, 2009). Once the blood is shown to be HIV positive it is destroyed and the the donor is notified of the findings. Internal documents say that the increase in the infected blood could be due to several reasons. One of the reasons could be the increase in the amount of HIV infected people. Another reason could be the recruiting of a more diverse ethnical population for donations. and while most of the latest HIV infected donors were white, The Blood Service wants to remind everyone that there is only a very small chance of HIV infection through current blood transfusions (Web: Irish Health, 2009). Although this information is not directly linked to research, research is involved in finding out why there is the increase or if the virus has mutated in any way where traditional screening may not be as accurate.

My experience getting HIV tested was quite an experience as I don't usually visit the Health Clinic. My pretesting counseling was more like an information gathering experience. Many very personal questions were asked and I tried to remind myself of the reason they were being asked to me. I did find the questions to be very personal and wanted to say that it was none of your business, but I tried to keep an open mind about the testing purpose and the data gathering opportunity for the State. My counselor was very nice and very professional. I'v had blood drawn before so it was not a bad experience. I knew what to expect. I tried to put myself in the place of a drug addict or a prostitute and wondered what they would be feeling if they were being asked the very personal questions. I think the data gathering session would be very difficult for them. Some might would leave in the middle of the visit. Waiting for the results can be stressful, but I tried to put it out of my mind so as not to worry to death about it. Once the results were told to me I felt as if a huge rock had been lifted from me.

How did I grow this week? I learned about the HIV laws or lack of laws in Scotland. I did find that there is still a very large stigma associated with HIV in Scotland with no signs of changing. I learned that other countries can view HIV/AIDS very differently from the U.S. I learned that getting tested is not that difficult. The difficult part is waiting for the results and making sure you are being a responsible sex partner all the time.

Web: British HIV Association (2009). Retrieved Oct. 13, 2009 from http://www.bhiva.org
Web: Irish Health (2009). Retrieved Oct. 13, 2009 from http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html
Web: Medical Foundation (2009). Retrieved Oct. 12, 2009 from http://medfash.org.uk

Movies, Movies and More Movies

This weeks assignment is to write about movies on HIV/AIDS. I watched three different movies and I really only enjoyed one of them. I watched Silverlake Life: The View From Here by Tom Joslin and Peter Friedman. This particular movie was given high marks by the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly and Newsweek. In my opinion it was given these ratings because it chronicled the life of a gay man dying with AIDS. Anyone with any life sense knows that dying a slow death is not easy. Anyone with any bit of education knows that a dying person is not a pretty site. To me this is what the movie represented. I do respect the fact that Tom Joslin wanted his life to be a lesson for those who continue to deny that HIV is not an epidemic. I think he also wanted viewers to feel the heartache of watching someone die so that they will step up to the plate and make a difference in fighting this virus (Joslin, T. & Friedman, P. 1993).

The second movie I watched was called Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. I thought this movie was a little better than the last. It wasn't as dark. The movie gave information on how the Quilt came to be, the significance behind it, and several lives and their personal stories who are now remembered on the Quilt (Epstein & Friedman, 1898). Although there was saddness in watching this movie, I felt it served a purpose of informing the viewers about how the public became educated on HIV and how those individuals became infected. I thought the movie also educated the public on the magnitude of the epidemic.

The third movie I watched was called The Age of AIDS by David Fanning. This movie was like a time line of information on HIV/AIDS. I thought it was pretty good and nicely put together. Although there were no dead bodies clearly visible you knew that many of those in the movie would die. This time line of information gave insite into everyones role during the first decade of HIV/AIDS (Fanning, 2006). I would watch this movie again and recommend it to others interested in finding more information about HIV/AIDS.

I think watching these movies helped me to grow in my knowledge of HIV/AIDS by making me realize how important family and friends are. It seemed to me that all three movies showed how emotional and supportive family and friends were for those infected with HIV/AIDS. I also got a feel for how important it is for us to work for the better good, fight for what is right, and to not give up like those who battled the government, the pharmaceutical companies, and the virus.

My tidbit of information comes from the AMA Morning Rounds from the American Medical Association. In their newsletter dated Sept. 21, 2009, the AP (Associated Press) reported on Sept. 19th, 2009 that Abbott Laboratories has a new HIV test that "detects both types of the virus that causes AIDS" (AMA, 2009). Apparently HIV types 1 and 2 can be detected with the Abbott Prism HIV O Plus test and is "used to test donated blood and organs" (AMA, 2009).

Epstein, R & Friedman, J. (Directors), Couture, B., Epstein, R., & Friedman, J.
(Producers). (1989). Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt [Motion
Picture]. USA: Telling Pictures, Inc.

Fanning, David (producer). (2006). The Age of AIDS {Motion picture]. United States:
FRONTLINE/WGBH Educational Foundation.

Joslin, T, & Friedman, P. (Producers/Directors). (1993). Silverlake Life: The View From
Here [Motion picture]. United States: New Video Group.

Web: AMA (2009, Sept 21), Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009, from
http://webmail.att.net/wmc/enUS/v/wm/4AB78997000CCDOC.....