Swobidu Health

Posts Tagged ‘hiv’

PRESS RELEASEINFORMATION-ZIGMA

ZIGMA is an association of Zimbabwean Gospel musicians based inUK.The Association was launched in December 2006 as part of efforts to uniteZimbabwean gospel musicians based in the diaspora.

Almost thirty years into the epidemic HIV is still a majorconcern for public health in Europe and therest of the world, with many living with HIV unaware of their status. Lowawareness of personal risk of HIV infection and fear of stigma anddiscrimination accounts, in part, for low uptake of testing services. Recentreports from the BBC indicated that little was being done by the government toheighten awareness of HIV despite a rise in new HIV cases. ahead of World AidsDay coming up on the 1st of December ZIGMA stars funded by the big Lotterywill be holding a Gospel Extravaganza at the all Nations Centre in Leicester on Friday the 28th October 2011. Thepurpose of this event is to support the government’s initiative to raise HIVawareness in the UK.The concert starts at 6pm till 11:30pm. Activities such as gumboot dance,mbira, and drumming workshops have been lined up from 5-6pm. This is to enablethe artists to interact with the community who will have the opportunity tolearn about the services available to them. ZIGMA has joined forces with localSexual Health and HIV agencies who will be available on site to address the persistent discrimination andstigma associated with HIV/AIDS as these are major barriers to people seekingHIV testing, treatment and care. This ispartof our ongoing outreach program to present social issues about HIV insensitive ways that help people question long accepted behaviour patterns.

With HIV being an increasingly common disease in the UK our vision is to use thepower of community leaders, music, and dance to sendthe message across. It is hoped that by promoting behaviours that reduce HIVtransmission and promote support for those with the infection, the outreachprogram will prevent the spate of the disease and help those who are hithardest. 

The concert will be presented by high profile presentersEzra Tshisa Sibanda and The General Eric Knight of Visionsradio . Speaking atthe concert will the CNN Heroes Awards Winner Betty Makoni, a girls childrights activist, founder and director of Girl Child Network (GCN). The concertis an excellent opportunity for our mission to use the media to support ourefforts in reducing the spread of the disease.

 You can get more information from our website  zigmaonline.com  

 to volunteer please email ,ortelephone 07872925763

In 1995, Aids was the number one cause of death in the United States. Today, it ranks fifth as the primary cause of death of people between the ages of 25-44 years old. it is estimated that approximately 25 million people have died in different countries since the epidemic began. Truth was the 2007 AIDS statistics recorded 33.2 million people are AIDS positive, with 2.1 million deaths in which 330,000 are children. These figures proved to be real as recent estimates show that in Africa alone, 40 percent of the total African population is HIV and AIDS positive plus the people, both children and adults, in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East who are also inflicted with HIV and AIDS.

HIV and AIDS go together as AIDS is the full manifestation of the effects that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus has done to the infected person’s immune system. what is the difference between the two? a person can have HIV and be HIV positive for many years without necessarily becoming an AIDS positive. AIDS on the other hand, is already a full blown disease with no other recourse but death.

Exchange of bodily fluids during sex between homosexuals and heterosexuals; sharing of needles among drug dependents and exposure to HIV contaminated blood and blood products are the common causes of HIV and AIDS. however, it should be noted that one of the reasons in the increase of people suffering from the deadly disease includes children who just inherited the virus from their parents whom one or both is AIDS positive.

The first stage of HIV infection is not scary as it is only in the form of an ordinary cold, with sore throat and swollen lymph node. During the second stage, called the latency period, HIV virus lays inactive for period which could last to more than a decade.

Those who suffer from the disease bear a burden of feeling the pain as the virus attacks the different parts of the body. it attacks the brain resulting to neurological and psychiatric involvement in the form of encephalitis and meningitis; the eyes as retinitis; the lungs as tuberculosis, neumocystis pneumonia and tumors; tumors in the skin, and gastrointestinal problems such as esophagitis, chronic diarrhea, and tumors. The disease slowly damages almost all major organ systems in the body making its effects more severe at later stages.

There is no hope of cure for HIV and AIDS patients as of the present in spite the vigorous study and research conducted by doctors and scientists. HIV and AIDS know no gender. it goes beyond one’s life time, beyond culture, and religion. it chooses no one, thus, afflicting both adults and children.even infants.

Every person has a choice. if one wants to remain clear and free of HIV one has to be willing to sacrifice. no more use of drugs of any type, say goodbye to sexual promiscuity, and remain steadfast and vigilant against temptations. there are many ways to check whether one is AIDS, but the best way to know if one has HIV and AIDS is through laboratory tests.

Like many, I am a sucker for the Chicago Public Radio program, This American Life. So when I loaded up the latest episode for my commute home yesterday, I was prepared to be entertained — especially since the show was billed to be about “Gossip.”

This American Life – Gossip

And I did love the show… But only the first few minutes were what I expected (a story about how a man inadvertently spread news about the sex life of his wife’s hairdresser…) the bulk of the program investigated Susan Watkins’ fantastic project studying how people talk about HIV/AIDS and sex in rural Malawi. It is seriously entertaining and informative, highlights all sorts of mistaken premises of longstanding prevention programs (like the idea that people don’t talk about sex or AIDS because she finds that they do all the time), and some of the popular ideas that fuel attitudes, behavior, and transmission of the epidemic. One particularly amusing anecdote is the discussion among men that it’s a better idea to sleep with a “bargirl” because “everyone” knows she sleeps around and has AIDS, and in such cases, there’s no question that you would wear a condom.

Anyway, Watkins’ work is some of the most important social science research on the social determinants of disease, and her approach — of getting ordinary people to keep journals, rather than conducting more artificial surveys — clearly bears a lot of fruit. Information about this breath-taking project are available here.

Presidential Affairs minister Mokgweetsi Masisi yesterday withdrew the draft national policy on HIV/AIDS pending comprehensive consultations.

This came as a surprise because most MPs had made their deliberations and the motion was poised for adoption.

However, HIV/Aids activist group, Bonela, has issued a statement welcoming the withdrawal.

BONELA Executive Director, Uyapo Ndadi, said if adopted the policy would have taken the country 10 steps back in its response to HIV and AIDS.

He explained the policy was a far cry from ensuring the global goal of universal access to prevention, treatment and care based on a human rights approach.

In particular Ndadi says it left out most at risk populations such as sex workers, foreign prisoners, refugees, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgendered and inter-sexed individuals.

During the month of August, 110 people have joined Florida’s AIDS Drug assistance Program waiting list, the longest waiting list in the U.S.

The federally funded AIDS Drug assistance Program provides medications for the treatment of HIV and AIDS for people who cannot afford to pay because they are unemployed, uninsured or underinsured.

Florida Bureau of HIV/AIDS  data (.pdf) and the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors’ latest ADAP Watch (.pdf) update show that by Aug. 18, 3,861 people were on the Florida’s waiting list. the Aug. 11 ADAP Watch report (.pdf) indicated 3,792 people were on the state’s waiting list, while the Aug. 4 reported 3,751 people on the Drug assistance Program waiting list.

While Florida’s waiting list increased, the total number of people on waiting lists around the country as of Aug. 18 was 9,201, a drop from 9,217 people reported on Aug. 11.

The Bureau of HIV/AIDS’ latest data also shows that Broward and Miami-Dade counties still have the highest number of people on the waiting list, followed by Hillsborough County.

According to the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, in August (.pdf):

African Americans and Hispanics represent 64% (48% and 16%, respectively) of clients on ADAP waiting lists. Combined, Asians, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, and Alaskan Native/American Indians represent approximately 1% of the total ADAP waiting list population. Multi-racial ADAP clients represent 1% of the total ADAP waiting list population. Non-Hispanic whites comprise 25% of clients on ADAP waiting lists.

Almost three-quarters (71%) of ADAP clients are men. One quarter (26%) of ADAP waiting list clients are women.

Florida — along with 19 other states — has implemented cost-containment measures such as reduced prescription drug lists. since April, the Sunshine State has been considering changing its income eligibility requirements from 400 percent of the federal poverty level to 200 percent.

Simply put: Under the proposed change, a person who earns $30,000 a year would not qualify for the Drug assistance Program. HIV/AIDS drugs cost between $10,000 and $20,000 a year.

Black America is fighting back harder than ever against HIV and AIDS. thanks to courageous leadership and a surge of new action by community leaders, it is now possible to reach those in our community at greatest risk of infection and reduce the toll that this terrible epidemic has taken on the black community. while we should take pride in what has been achieved — progress remains fragile. HIV infections are stable among blacks overall and among black women, but among our young black gay and bisexual men, they are increasing. Black gay and bisexual men of all ages account for 73 percent of new infections among black men, and the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that the burden of HIV is growing among some of the youngest members of our community.

CDC just reported that HIV infections are up sharply among black gay and bisexual men under the age of 30 — the only race and risk group in the United States to experience a significant increase between 2006 and 2009. while data show that HIV infections increased by almost 50 percent among these young men in just four years, HIV surveillance data only tell only half the story.

Click here to view a Grio slideshow: 30 years of HIV/AIDS in black America

We can’t say for sure why this increase occurred, but we have a good sense of some of the reasons. we know that young black gay men often face a double hurdle in staying healthy and HIV-free: economic hardships that prevent many in African-American communities from seeing a doctor, and the stigma and homophobia that can damage the well-being of many gay men.

Additionally, young black gay men are more likely than men of other races to have sexual relationships with older men, which can increase their risk of being exposed to HIV simply because older gay men are more likely to be HIV positive.

Young African-Americans — male or female, gay or straight — also have higher rates of certain sexually transmitted diseases that can make it easier to transmit HIV.

MSNBC: New HIV infections up 50 percent in gay black men

Additionally, a recent study of 21 major cities found that the majority of young black gay and bisexual men who were HIV-infected were unaware of their HIV status. These high rates of unawareness, coupled with the fact that young gay men tend to underestimate their chances of getting infected, are contributing to the increasing numbers of HIV infections we are seeing today.

When considering all of this information, the challenge before us is clear: we cannot end the black AIDS epidemic without confronting HIV among black gay men, and the stigma and homophobia that allows HIV to flourish in our communities. The stigma of homosexuality runs deep in many of our communities. For young men who are just coming to terms with their sexuality, the weight of this stigma can be crushing. Tragically, it keeps many too fearful to seek the life-saving HIV prevention, testing and treatment services they need.

To protect the health of the next generation, each of us needs to confront the stigma that forces too many of our sons, brothers and friends into the shadows, and prevents them from seeking HIV prevention services that can help reverse the current trend.