The AIDS Awareness Blog

Man Bites Orange County Deputy, Says He Has HIV

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- There was a shocking attack against an Orange County sheriff's deputy. A man suspected of having HIV is charged with attempted murder for allegedly biting a deputy. The incident began as the 32-year-old suspect ran from a Shell gas station with a bag in hand. He didn't get far, just to the Greyhound bus station, where deputies already happened to be. He wouldn't stop and, even after one taser prong, he kept kicking and fighting. When Roderick Mayes was finally restrained, the deputy who was attacked noticed a bright red bite mark on his arm. It started as nothing more than a petty theft at the Shell gas station off John Young Parkway. According to the owner, Mayes was making a dash with some stolen goods. He was spotted by members of the Orange Sheriff's Office tactical unit who said Mayes had no intention of stopping.

"When they tried to put cuffs on the bad guy, he tried to bite one oh them. He did, he just didn't break the skin," said Sgt. Spike Hopkins, who is a supervisor for the unit.

According to the report, once Mayes was finally restrained, the deputy who was bitten asked the suspect not once but two times if he had AIDS or HIV. Twice he said no, but once he was in a patrol car Mayes allegedly said, "I'm glad I bit him. I have HIV."

The deputy who was assaulted is back on duty or will be shortly; his wife just had a baby. As for Mayes, he's in jail. The attempted murder charge may be downgraded based on the results of the blood test.

Either way, if he hopes to get out he'll have to agree to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.

Perkembangan Epidemi HIV dan AIDS Memprihatinkan

JAKARTA, RABU-Perkembangan epidemi HIV dan AIDS di Indonesia sangat memprihatinkan. Jika pada tahun 2004 kasus AIDS ditemukan di 16 provinsi, maka pada tahun 2007 telah ditemukan di 32 provinsi. Dengan demikian, AIDS telah terjadi hampir di seluruh Indonesia. Demikian disampaikan Menteri Negara Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional Paskah Suzetta dalam sambutan pembukaan Lokakarya Nasional Perencanaan dan Penganggaran Penanggulangan HIV/AIDS di kantor Bappenas, Jakarta, Rabu, (12/3). "Bahkan di Papua, prevalensi AIDS sangat tinggi dan telah terjadi pada populasi umum. Prevalensi ini dikhawatirkan akan terus meningkat karena kasus HIV juga terus meningkat. Walaupun saat iniada sekitar 6000 kasus HIV, namun diperkirakan populasi yang rawan tertular HIV sebanyak 193.000 orang," ungkap Paskah.

Repeal of Ban on HIV Travel, Immigration Attached to Senate Bill

U.S. senators John Kerry and Gordon Smith have secured an attachment to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief that would lift the nation’s ban on travel and immigration for HIV-positive people, the Human Rights Campaign announced Monday. The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is expected to consider the legislation this week. “The time is long overdue to repeal this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States,” Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said in a press release. “This law emerged out of fear and stigma, and there remains no public health rationale for treating HIV more harshly than other communicable diseases.” The government bans HIV-positive foreign nationals, students, and tourists from entering the U.S

HIV/AIDS Awareness Day events planned for Monday

Misty Cutgrass of Sioux Falls was just 16 when a rape left her with the virus that causes AIDS. Now 24, Cutgrass is a mother of three children and will share her story as part of two local events Monday marking National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. �It�s about basic education,� said Nicole Burger, outreach services manager for Volunteers of America Dakotas. The organization is sponsoring a panel discussion for health workers about HIV/AIDS in the region and a wellness fair for the public at the Holiday Inn City Centre in Sioux Falls. It�s just the second year for the national awareness day, and the local events are sponsored by a federal grant. The South Dakota Department of Health and the South Dakota Department of Education�s school health program also are sponsors.

HIV cases to be studied

The Amarillo Public Health Department will soon hire an additional worker to review all HIV-positive cases in the 41-county region of the Panhandle and South Plains. The worker will provide more specific data on the incurable disease for local and state health care workers. "It's very important we are focusing on the right population and working on the appropriate interventions," said Hector Mendoza, Amarillo Public Health Department assistant director. Health careworkers reported 18 new HIV cases in the region in 2006, according to the Department of State Health Services. That number was 28 in 2005. "It's really just a collection of data," said Michael Timcisko, executive director for PASO, Panhandle AIDS Support Organization. "It is geared specifically to individuals with HIV infection." Timcisko said the state will use the data to guide funding allocations.

Women urged to embrace new HIV preventive device

Nigerian women have been urged to embrace the use of Microbicide, as another way of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases in the country. The call, which was made by the Executive Director of Ngo Hygie-Enwerem Foundation, Grace Hygie -Enwerem, in Lagos on Thursday, came just as women all over the world celebrated the International Women's Day. Microbicide, according to Hygie-Enwerem, is a product, which comes in the form of gels, creams, lubricants or rings and can be applied to the vagina or the rectum to protect women from STDs. Saying that reports had shown that women were twice more susceptible to HIV/AIDS than men, Hygie-Enwerem said a woman could easily apply the new device with or without the knowledge of the man.

Clinic's reused needles may have exposed 40,000 to hepatitis, HIV

Nearly 40,000 people learned this week that a trip to the doctor might have made them sick. In a type of scandal more often associated with developing countries, a Las Vegas clinic was found to be reusing syringes and vials of medication for nearly four years. The shoddy practices may have led to an outbreak of the potentially fatal hepatitis C virus and exposed patients to HIV, too. The discovery led to the biggest public health notification operation in U.S. history, brought demands for investigations and caused scores of lawyers to seek out patients at risk for infections. Thousands of patients are being urged to be tested for the viruses. Six acute cases of hepatitis C have been confirmed. The surgical center and five affiliated clinics have been closed.

Economics Among Challenges Blacks Face With HIV/AIDS, Opinion Piece ...

Economic conditions are a "fundamental" challenge that blacks face in terms of HIV/AIDS, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) writes in an opinion piece for the Louisiana Weekly. He says, "When the economy sours, those who earn the least typically suffer the most. Unfortunately, those same people are statistically more likely to be suffering, literally, from diseases such as HIV/AIDS." Ellison notes that the CDC Web site states that people facing tough economic conditions do not always have access to good health care. He adds that such "dilemmas are particularly acute for African-Americans, one in four of whom were living in poverty in 1999." According to Ellison, the U.S. cannot devote funding to "lift Americans out of poverty or significantly improve health care for those living with HIV/AIDS while [it] spend[s] $10 billion per month on military activities in Iraq." He writes, "The consequence of the federal government's current spending priorities is, regrettably, that poor people can't access high-quality health care and that African-Americans don't encounter enough targeted outreach about HIV/AIDS.

Opinion | Economics Among Challenges Blacks Face With HIV/AIDS ...

Economic conditions are a "fundamental" challenge that blacks face in terms of HIV/AIDS, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) writes in an opinion piece for the Louisiana Weekly. He says, "When the economy sours, those who earn the least typically suffer the most. Unfortunately, those same people are statistically more likely to be suffering, literally, from diseases such as HIV/AIDS." Ellison notes that the CDC Web site states that people facing tough economic conditions do not always have access to good health care. He adds that such "dilemmas are particularly acute for African-Americans, one in four of whom were living in poverty in 1999." According to Ellison, the U.S. cannot devote funding to "lift Americans out of poverty or significantly improve health care for those living with HIV/AIDS while [it] spend[s] $10 billion per month on military activities in Iraq." He writes, "The consequence of the federal government's current spending priorities is, regrettably, that poor people can't access high-quality health care and that African-Americans don't encounter enough targeted outreach about HIV/AIDS.

HIV Breakthrough: Protein That Fights Immunodeficiency Identified

ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2008) — A Canada-U.S. research team has solved a major genetic mystery: How a protein in some people's DNA guards them against killer immune diseases such as HIV. In an advance online edition of Nature Medicine, the scientists explain how the protein, FOX03a, shields against viral attacks and how the discovery will help in the development of a HIV vaccine.