1st Dec. -World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1st. The World Health Organization established World AIDS Day in 1988. World AIDS Day provides governments, national AIDS programs, faith organizations, community organizations, and individuals with an opportunity to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). By killing or damaging cells of the body's immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers.
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease.
AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It can take years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment, to reach this stage. Having AIDS means that the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult time fighting infections. When someone has one or more of these infections and a low number of T cells, he or she has AIDS.
Whereas there are symptoms of HIV, the only way to know that you are living with the virus is to be tested. Everyone should know their HIV status to protect themselves and others.

Over one million Americans are living with HIV/AIDS today. Worldwide, the figure is over 33 million. Effective HIV care—including antiretroviral drug therapies and regular access to primary health care—can help people manage their HIV disease and live longer.

Prevention & education:

HIV and AIDS are life threatening conditions. There is no cure yet for HIV/AIDS. The transmission of HIV occurs through three well documented means: 1) having sex (anal, vaginal, or oral) with someone infected with HIV; 2) sharing needles and syringes with someone infected with HIV; and 3) being exposed (fetus or infant) to HIV before or during birth or through breast feeding. HIV transmission can be prevented through avoiding behaviors that expose someone to the means of transmission and by taking preventive measures if identified risk behaviors occur.
To protect yourself, do not inject illicit drugs and remember these ABCs:
A=Abstinence
B=Be Faithful
C=Condoms
HIV is not transmitted through day-to-day activities such as shaking hands, hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, drinking fountain, doorknob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. You also cannot get HIV from mosquitoes.
There is no cure for HIV or AIDS yet despite the large efforts underway to develop a preventative and therapeutic vaccine. However, research has advanced HIV/AIDS treatments greatly since the early days of the epidemic, and HIV drugs can slow down the virus’s attack on the human immune system. People with HIV/AIDS can now live healthier, longer lives.
Living with HIV/AIDS requires consultation with an HIV doctor who can help individuals with treatment and drug decisions. The decision to start drug treatment is a very personal decision and one that should only be made in consultation with a health care provider based on clinical status (symptoms), immune system health (CD4 count and viral load), whether a diagnosis of AIDS has been made, and whether a treatment plan can be maintained (treatment adherence). While treatment has its benefits, it also has its risks, such as multiple side effects from HIV drugs and therapies, potential toxicity from drug treatments, as well as possible resistance of HIV to drugs over time.
As HIV attacks the human immune system, the immune system weakens over time and becomes more susceptible to opportunistic infections (OIs). Opportunistic infections are generally illnesses that don’t make people with a healthy immune system sick or don’t occur as often. There are many kinds of opportunistic infections, including other viruses, bacterial infections, and some types of cancers. Even common colds can become more dangerous and the flu is considered a serious condition in persons with HIV/AIDS.
To name just a few, common HIV/AIDS related health issues include:
Tuberculosis (TB)
Hepatitis C
Cryptoccocal meninigitis
Pneumocystis carinii pneumosia (PCP)
Cryptosporidiosis (crypto)
Toxoplasmosis (toxo)
HIV/AIDS can make treating opportunistic infections more difficult. The longer an individual’s immune system can be kept healthy through diet, exercise, and working with health care providers regarding making treatment decisions and adherence to treatment regimens, the less likely opportunistic infections may occur.

Let’s swear to get this world rid of AIDS, today.

On World AIDS Day - Dec.01, 2008

Hello !

This December 1st, 2008, ‘Friends-Love’s group requests its members to join the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of HIV/AIDS Policy’s AIDS.gov for Bloggers Unite For World AIDS Day.

We Need Your Help!
Nearly half of all AIDS cases in the U.S. involve people 13 to 24 years of age, placing many of ‘Friends-Love’ members or their children in the highest risk age groups. More than 250,000 are estimated to be HIV positive and not know it. And more than 1 million are estimated to have AIDS.
Of course, AIDS is not limited to the U.S. There are an estimated 33 million people with AIDS worldwide. It affects every country, city, and town in the world. And, the most frightening thing about it is that is going largely unchecked. In fact, that is one of the reason that worldaidscampaign.org is continuing its "leadership" theme, which it developed after learning that many leaders who promised to support AIDS were not keeping their promises.
As always, what you choose to write about is up to you. However, you might consider checking the NIDA and AIDS.gov research and prevention resources on the Bloggers Unite resource page. Or, for a more global view, check out http://www.worldaidscampaign.org

Unlike most campaigns where we hope awareness led to action, this is one campaign where awareness is action! If even just 10 percent of our members get involved, we can reach an estimated 4 million Blog readers. And if half of our members participate, we can reach 20 million. And if all bloggers participate, we can reach the entire world. But more importantly than all that. If your post just touches even one person and convinces them to get tested or helps someone learn about AIDS prevention, won't that will be worth it? Your words, voices, videos, and actions can all help people become more aware about AIDS and how to prevent it. And by doing that, you might not only save someone, but save someone close to you.

Please join us. We look forward to reading all of your posts this December 1st!…

...The ‘Friends-Love’ Team

ऐसे भी फैलता है ज़ुकाम

सर्दियों के दिनों में बड़ी संख्या में लोग ज़ुकाम का शिकार होते हैं. अकेले ब्रिटेन में कुल आबादी का पाँचवाँ हिस्सा ज़ुकाम से पीड़ित होता है.
विशेषज्ञों ने चेतावनी दी है कि रिमोट कंट्रोल, बाथरुम के नल, रेफ़्रीजरेटर और दरवाज़ों के हत्थों के ज़रिए भी ज़ुकाम के वायरस फैलने का अंदेशा बहुत होता है.वर्जिनिया यूनिवर्सिटी के शोधकर्ताओं ने 30 घरों में ऐसे घरेलू उपकरणों की सतहों का अध्ययन किया और पाया कि उनमें 42 प्रतिशत बार ज़ुकाम के वायरस मौजूद थे. उनका कहना है कि हालांकि ज़ुकाम सबसे ज़्यादा खाँसने और छींकने से फैलते हैं लेकिन घरेलू उपकरणों की इन सतहों की भी नियमित सफ़ाई होनी चाहिए. संक्रमित होने वाली बीमारियों पर हो रहे एक सम्मेलन में शोधकर्ताओं ने कहा कि घरेलू उपकरणों की सतह पर ज़ुकाम के वायरस दो दिनों तक जीवित रहते हैं.
उनका कहना है कि घर का ही कोई सदस्य या बाहर से आने वाला कोई व्यक्ति दरवाज़े के हत्थों या नल के सतहों पर ज़ुकाम के वायरस छोड़ सकता है.
उन्होंने पाया कि वायरस से संक्रमित किसी सतह को छूने के एक घंटे बाद तक उंगलियों पर ये राइनोवायरस जीवित रहते हैं.
प्रमुख शोधकर्ता डॉ बरगिट विंदर का कहना है कि लोगों को पता होना चाहिए कि ज़ुकाम का संक्रमण इन स्रोतों से भी फैल सकता है.
उनका कहना है, "कुछ लोग संक्रमण ख़त्म करने वाली दवा का घर में छिड़काव करते हैं लेकिन यह समझने की ज़रुरत है कि ये वायरस हवा के ज़रिए नहीं फैलते. इसके बदले उन्हें सार्वजनिक रुप से उपयोग में लाई जाने वाली चीज़ों की सतहों को साफ़ करना चाहिए."
संक्रमण विशेषज्ञ प्रोफ़ेसर जॉन ऑक्सफ़र्ड का कहना है, "ज़ुकाम के वायरस बड़े जीवट क़िस्म के होते हैं क्योंकि ये किसी भी सतह पर लंबे समय तक जीवित रह लेते हैं."
उनका कहना है कि ठीक तरह से साफ़-सफ़ाई करके पूरे परिवार को संक्रमण से बचाया जा सकता है.
ब्रिटेन में नए नियमों के अनुसार डॉक्टर अब ज़ुकाम के लिए एंटीबायोटिक दवाएँ खाने की सलाह नहीं दे सकते, ऐसे में संक्रमण से बचने के उपाय करना ज़्यादा फ़ायदेमंद साबित हो सकता है.