Weekly Blog # 11
The last few weeks of school and they are always the most stressful for a college student. I love all I am learning and this earned wisdom I am able to pay it forward. Sometimes I get a little embarrassed of being 35 and in college but then I figure all the things I chose to do before this also have great value in my life and that makes up for the waiting to accomplish other goals of mine.
I am happy in many ways and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to finish my degree even in the middle of this economy. My children look up to me and I am setting I good example on not giving up on one’s dreams. I am growing as a person and I am being influence by the right crowd. My life has its bumps in the road and together as a family we are crossing them. Every problem would find its solution, in time, just like algebra, or getting an unexpected pregnancy or being diagnosed HIV positive. The person is still there, if the majority of people choose to avoid him or her or choose to critic what they do not understand then it is their loss. Concentrate on what is important to me is my new logo. I have listened to others and respected other’s opinion and consider other’s beliefs a little too much, now I see it as if life is too short for me to be unhappy while pleasing others.
The chance I took on registering for this HIV class was well worth the pain. I had to struggle with four classes and the family but I did it and others has done it too so I will not lose faith. I enjoyed the Male Panel this week, I was so looking forward on Meeting my Blog friend, Calvin Gerald, but he lives far and I guess it was impossible for him to make it. He is of great inspiration for many, including me. My other Blog classmates and I shared stories for all these weeks but I was touched my many of their experiences; I guess one could always learn from others and even apply their advices for the best. Overall, HSC 3593 is one of the most challenging, ambitious, thought-provoking, and intriguing course I ever have to take.
Do You Know…
Pre-Chewed Baby Food Said to Transmit H.I.V.
________________________________________
“BOSTON - Researchers have identified another way that babies can be infected with H.I.V., through food pre-chewed by an infected parent or caretaker” (NYT, 2008).
Although thousands of babies have been “infected in the United States over the last 15 years, pre-chewed food has been documented as the cause of just three cases, federal epidemiologists said” (NYT, 2008).
“But such transmission may not be so rare, Dr. Kenneth L. Dominguez's team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections” (NYT, 2008).
“Pre-chewing food apparently occurs among many groups in this country and elsewhere. So transmission of H.I.V., the AIDS virus, to infants may be an unrecognized problem in developing countries where dental care is lacking, commercially prepared baby foods and blenders are not available and parents and caretakers may need to soften foods, Dr. Dominguez said in an interview” (NYT, 2008).
“His team said there were several reasons for reporting the three cases, dating from 1993, for the first time. One was to make health care providers and caregivers of infected children aware of the potential risk of pre-chewing. Another was to ask doctors and family members to report suspected cases to health officials to quantify the threat” (NYT, 2008).
Human immunodeficiency virus is present in saliva, but usually in “amounts too low to cause transmission. So, presumably, blood, which has larger amounts of the virus, is also needed for transmission” (NYT, 2008).
“Infected chewers with inflammations or open mouth sores can pass the virus to infants through cuts or other common teething conditions, Dr. Dominguez said” (NYT, 2008).
“Although the three cases were among African-Americans born in the United States, pre-chewing is prevalent among many ethnic and racial groups, according to a recent national survey of infant feeding by the C.D.C., Dr. Dominguez said” (NYT, 2008).
Specific findings from the survey have not been released.
"It's likely that some cultural influences are involved, and I am sure that people are doing what their grandmothers and aunties did in practices carried through generations, Dr. Dominguez said” (NYT, 2008).
“Epidemiologists from the centers, working with researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis and the University of Miami, intensively investigated all three cases, ruling out other causes of transmission like breast feeding, sexual abuse and needle sticks” (NYT, 2008).
“The first two cases involved boys from Miami infected in the mid-'90s. One boy's infection was detected when he was 39 months old, shortly before his death, after previously testing negative for the virus twice. The mother, who was infected, reported pre-chewing food for the boy” (NYT, 2008).
“The second boy's mother was uninfected but lived with an infected aunt who pre-chewed his food. He survives. In the third case, a girl from Memphis was found to be infected in 2004 at 9 months old after testing negative for the virus three times. Her mother was infected and pre-chewed food for her daughter” (NYT, 2008).
“Genetic studies showed that the viruses isolated from the first and third cases matched those of the mother. The second case's caregiver died before blood samples could be obtained. H.I.V. isolated from the caregiver's infected male sexual partner did not match that from the boy” (NYT, 2008).
“Researchers will try to determine whether other dangerous microbes like hepatitis B virus and Helicobacter pylori might be transmitted through pre-chewed food” (NYT, 2008).
References
Web: Retrieved April 10, 2010, from AEGIS-NYT, by Lawrence K. Altman on February 7, 2008, from http://www.aegis.org/news/nyt/2008/NYT080207.html
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
My Weekly Blog #10
This week was my husband and I 12 years anniversary. We had dinner in our favorite restaurant, we cruise around like tourist and we watched movies all night. I wish we could spend the rest of our lives together; I want us to be part of the 50% that actually do not get divorce and work through their problems.
I have been trying to see what my grades are as of now and I have no idea for two of my classes. It seems like it was easier before to know if you are passing now not even if you ask for help you can know your grades. I am doing everything I can to get my work in but at the end I am not taking any more online classes unless I know the professor and good recommendations. I have wasted one term just because I could not find the answers to many of my questions...that’s including the textbooks these professors use. Like one of my books that give you practice exercises, on parenthesis they give you the page to where the answer might be found, when you turn to that page is information completely different than what they are asking. I end up finding the answer on another page. We pay hundreds for these books and they are not written correctly.
I feel the closer I get to my bachelors degree the less I understand neither my professors nor what is expected in some of my classes...
DO You Know...?
Babies who were born with HIV/AIDS in the 1980s have defied initial expectations.
With advances in medicine, the babies born with what was once thought of as a sure-fatal virus have danced at their high school proms, walked on stage to receive their diplomas and even experienced the birth of their children.
"It's a battle -- not because the HIV is going to defeat us," said Quintara Lane, a 22-year-old student with long braids. "It's more of what we have to go through to take care of ourselves" (CNN, 2009).
Lane is part of a generation that was born with the virus. Since the “mid-1990s in developed countries, antiretroviral drugs have largely prevented mothers from transmitting HIV/AIDS to their babies” (CNN, 2009).
Over the years, the number of pills required to treat HIV/AIDS has decreased significantly. But, it's not the physical side effects that bother patients.
"I'm only reminded of it when I have to take medication," said a 28-year-old with HIV who asked to be identified only as "Mike." "That's what we do. That's our lives" (CNN, 2009).
Mike contracted HIV after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion as a newborn.
According to the National Institutes of Health, (2010), “80 percent of HIV-infected children do not experience serious AIDS symptoms until school age or adolescence. Twenty percent of HIV-infected children die by 4 years of age. Without treatment, most infants die within the first year of life” (Ehow, 2010).
HIV infection symptoms manifest differently in babies due to immature immunity. Common disease conditions among babies and children with AIDS include “pneumonia, otitis media, chronic diarrhea, encephalopathy, cardiomyopathy, and cytomegalovirus disease (CMV). HIV-positive infants are generally symptom-free during the first few months of life” (Ehow, 2010).
Web: Retrieved April 5, 2010, from Life expectancy for infants born HIV positive by Aunice Y. Reed, (2010), from http://www.ehow.com/facts_6009566_life-infants-born-hiv-positive.html
Web: Retrieved April 5, 2010, from A Generation Born with HIV/AIDS Defies the Odds, updated June 22, 2009, by CNN, Madison Park, from http://www.cnn.com/2009/Health/06/22/hiv.children.generation/index.html
This week was my husband and I 12 years anniversary. We had dinner in our favorite restaurant, we cruise around like tourist and we watched movies all night. I wish we could spend the rest of our lives together; I want us to be part of the 50% that actually do not get divorce and work through their problems.
I have been trying to see what my grades are as of now and I have no idea for two of my classes. It seems like it was easier before to know if you are passing now not even if you ask for help you can know your grades. I am doing everything I can to get my work in but at the end I am not taking any more online classes unless I know the professor and good recommendations. I have wasted one term just because I could not find the answers to many of my questions...that’s including the textbooks these professors use. Like one of my books that give you practice exercises, on parenthesis they give you the page to where the answer might be found, when you turn to that page is information completely different than what they are asking. I end up finding the answer on another page. We pay hundreds for these books and they are not written correctly.
I feel the closer I get to my bachelors degree the less I understand neither my professors nor what is expected in some of my classes...
DO You Know...?
Babies who were born with HIV/AIDS in the 1980s have defied initial expectations.
With advances in medicine, the babies born with what was once thought of as a sure-fatal virus have danced at their high school proms, walked on stage to receive their diplomas and even experienced the birth of their children.
"It's a battle -- not because the HIV is going to defeat us," said Quintara Lane, a 22-year-old student with long braids. "It's more of what we have to go through to take care of ourselves" (CNN, 2009).
Lane is part of a generation that was born with the virus. Since the “mid-1990s in developed countries, antiretroviral drugs have largely prevented mothers from transmitting HIV/AIDS to their babies” (CNN, 2009).
Over the years, the number of pills required to treat HIV/AIDS has decreased significantly. But, it's not the physical side effects that bother patients.
"I'm only reminded of it when I have to take medication," said a 28-year-old with HIV who asked to be identified only as "Mike." "That's what we do. That's our lives" (CNN, 2009).
Mike contracted HIV after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion as a newborn.
According to the National Institutes of Health, (2010), “80 percent of HIV-infected children do not experience serious AIDS symptoms until school age or adolescence. Twenty percent of HIV-infected children die by 4 years of age. Without treatment, most infants die within the first year of life” (Ehow, 2010).
HIV infection symptoms manifest differently in babies due to immature immunity. Common disease conditions among babies and children with AIDS include “pneumonia, otitis media, chronic diarrhea, encephalopathy, cardiomyopathy, and cytomegalovirus disease (CMV). HIV-positive infants are generally symptom-free during the first few months of life” (Ehow, 2010).
Web: Retrieved April 5, 2010, from Life expectancy for infants born HIV positive by Aunice Y. Reed, (2010), from http://www.ehow.com/facts_6009566_life-infants-born-hiv-positive.html
Web: Retrieved April 5, 2010, from A Generation Born with HIV/AIDS Defies the Odds, updated June 22, 2009, by CNN, Madison Park, from http://www.cnn.com/2009/Health/06/22/hiv.children.generation/index.html
Thursday, April 1, 2010
My Simulation Weekly Blog
I had a heptic week. I had lots of homework due, two tests, a few medical appointments for the kids, the car broke down in the middle of the car riders pick up line, and best of all recording my Journal and my summary for the M&M simulation.
I was going crazy with the watch going off, people staring, talking behind my back, my throat got so sore and inflammated, No Kidding I found out that now I am allergic to chocolate, Yes, to chocolate. I just don't think I could stop eating it all together and I still didn't care though, I still finish my simulation with my M&Ms I will not eat them for a while because I grew sick of them. I had to cut the big ones because at the time I bought them they did not have the peanut ones so I switched for the almond ones, bad mistake, I tried swallowing those things but forget it I almost shoke. So most of the week I ended up cutting them into smaller pieces. My family and I took the mission for real, my kids would remind me and they would ask me if I am suppose to act out the symptoms too, and I told them that yes, and that they were sad and I would not wish them to my worst enemy.
I learned a lot, it create awareness to me and my family. I am so touched by this community and all they had to go through physically that it is ashame that most of us make them feel even worst, it shouldn't happen, It is so shameful and inhumane.
Anyways, I'm registered for the Summer and I am looking forward to take Epidemiology with Prof. Douglass, and guess what? I took it online. I don't know what got into me, whether the enjoyment of this class or the fact that I already had to travel 4 times to ucf that scares me. Either way I know I will surely learn something that I will use for the rest of my life and I can not say this out of other courses I have taken.
In other news, and to my surprise, my medical insurance added on their list of coverage; diagnostic tests, therapeutic services and some supplies. But the one that open my eyes was the "annual voluntary HIV screening for beneficiaries at risk of HIV infection per USPSTF guidelines" (Citrus Health Care, 2010). Now after more than 20 years Private Insurance are starting to care a bit more, usually I go to government agencies to be tested now at least many of us could request straight from our Doctor's office, that a very small step forward, I wonder how many Private Insurance actually cover the treatment? That's something I need to research and What about Pres. Obama's new Health Care Plan, would that also take in consideration the HIV community? I really need to check the answer for this because I never know if I ever would need to know the answer for these questions.
DO YOU KNOW...
As of December 2009, 2.5 million children were infected with HIV or AIDS.
Babies infected may not show any symptoms at first, but the progression of AIDS is often faster in babies than in adults.
Doctors need to watch babies closely and have their blood tested often to check for the number of T-Cell.
Kids who have HIV or AIDS tend to learn more slowly than healthy kids.
Kids who have HIV or AIDS tend to start walking and talking later than the average healthy kid.
HIV positive Kids can go to school, make friends, hang out, and they get sick more often than other kids because their immune system is more fragile.
Eating lunch and playing games with HIV positive kids does not bring any risk of infection.
Web: Retrieved April 1, 2010 from The Nemours Foundation, updated December (2009) by Joel Klein, MD from http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/infection/hiv.html
I was going crazy with the watch going off, people staring, talking behind my back, my throat got so sore and inflammated, No Kidding I found out that now I am allergic to chocolate, Yes, to chocolate. I just don't think I could stop eating it all together and I still didn't care though, I still finish my simulation with my M&Ms I will not eat them for a while because I grew sick of them. I had to cut the big ones because at the time I bought them they did not have the peanut ones so I switched for the almond ones, bad mistake, I tried swallowing those things but forget it I almost shoke. So most of the week I ended up cutting them into smaller pieces. My family and I took the mission for real, my kids would remind me and they would ask me if I am suppose to act out the symptoms too, and I told them that yes, and that they were sad and I would not wish them to my worst enemy.
I learned a lot, it create awareness to me and my family. I am so touched by this community and all they had to go through physically that it is ashame that most of us make them feel even worst, it shouldn't happen, It is so shameful and inhumane.
Anyways, I'm registered for the Summer and I am looking forward to take Epidemiology with Prof. Douglass, and guess what? I took it online. I don't know what got into me, whether the enjoyment of this class or the fact that I already had to travel 4 times to ucf that scares me. Either way I know I will surely learn something that I will use for the rest of my life and I can not say this out of other courses I have taken.
In other news, and to my surprise, my medical insurance added on their list of coverage; diagnostic tests, therapeutic services and some supplies. But the one that open my eyes was the "annual voluntary HIV screening for beneficiaries at risk of HIV infection per USPSTF guidelines" (Citrus Health Care, 2010). Now after more than 20 years Private Insurance are starting to care a bit more, usually I go to government agencies to be tested now at least many of us could request straight from our Doctor's office, that a very small step forward, I wonder how many Private Insurance actually cover the treatment? That's something I need to research and What about Pres. Obama's new Health Care Plan, would that also take in consideration the HIV community? I really need to check the answer for this because I never know if I ever would need to know the answer for these questions.
DO YOU KNOW...
As of December 2009, 2.5 million children were infected with HIV or AIDS.
Babies infected may not show any symptoms at first, but the progression of AIDS is often faster in babies than in adults.
Doctors need to watch babies closely and have their blood tested often to check for the number of T-Cell.
Kids who have HIV or AIDS tend to learn more slowly than healthy kids.
Kids who have HIV or AIDS tend to start walking and talking later than the average healthy kid.
HIV positive Kids can go to school, make friends, hang out, and they get sick more often than other kids because their immune system is more fragile.
Eating lunch and playing games with HIV positive kids does not bring any risk of infection.
Web: Retrieved April 1, 2010 from The Nemours Foundation, updated December (2009) by Joel Klein, MD from http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/infection/hiv.html
Saturday, March 20, 2010
My Weekly Blog #7
My weekly blog #7
It was a more easy going week for me, finally I am getting the hang of things for my classes, yeah, now after more than half of term done. It is because I have never taken an online classes before and ironically, the toughest classes, HSC 3593, was the one I got the most help as far as online questions.
I have been keeping busy with school administrative paperwork that needed to get done, they all had their requirements to fill and I am so relieved I got them all finished by the end of last Friday. I had homework and house shores but I am so happy because what’s more important was done.
I tell you this, I don’t think I would never, ever take online classes unless I have no other choice, definitely it is not my thing. I get confuse easily, I miss the person to person interaction, I am more visual, hand-on person. I feel I am very independent but on my schooling I guess I need more pampering than I thought.
I am trying to get used to the idea of me traveling 90 minutes round trip four times a week for this coming summer. Hopefully I get my car tune-ups and other maintenance taken care by then. Yes, I know I have to move closer to UCF, I am also working on that. I love VCC and I will be doing my 5 chemistries at their campus which is like 8 minutes away from home. You see, I need a middle ground between the two before I go insane.
Do You Know
HIV Drugs Provide Breastfed Babies With Some Protection
WEDNESDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Antiretroviral drugs appear safe and effective in helping prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child through breast milk, a new international study has found.
The researchers found that “giving daily antiretroviral syrup to breastfeeding babies or putting their HIV-infected mothers on highly active antiretroviral drugs significantly lowered the child's chances of contracting the virus that causes AIDS. The chance of a mother with HIV transmitting the virus through breastfeeding is about one in five.
The results of the Breastfeeding, Antiretroviral and Nutrition (BAN) study, conducted in more than 2,000 HIV-infected mother-child pairs in Malawi in Africa, are scheduled to be presented in South Africa Wednesday at the 5th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention“ (Medicine Net, 2009).
Breast milk is “the source of infection for about half of the 420,000 infants who are infected with HIV annually, the study authors noted. This is a particular problem in some poor countries where HIV-infected mothers risk infecting their babies or having to use more expensive formula that is also subject to contamination from local water supplies.
In the BAN study, HIV-infected mothers and their babies were randomly assigned to one of three groups: infant antiretroviral syrup, maternal medication, or no treatment following birth. After 28 weeks, 7.6 percent of the infants in the group that did not receive any treatment had HIV or died, compared with 4.7 percent of infants whose mothers took antiretroviral medication, and 2.9 percent of the infants taking the antiretroviral syrup, the researchers found“ (Medicine Net, 2009).
Web: McKeever, K. University of North Carolina School of Medicine, news release, (July 22, 2009). Retrieved March 20,2010, from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=104025
It was a more easy going week for me, finally I am getting the hang of things for my classes, yeah, now after more than half of term done. It is because I have never taken an online classes before and ironically, the toughest classes, HSC 3593, was the one I got the most help as far as online questions.
I have been keeping busy with school administrative paperwork that needed to get done, they all had their requirements to fill and I am so relieved I got them all finished by the end of last Friday. I had homework and house shores but I am so happy because what’s more important was done.
I tell you this, I don’t think I would never, ever take online classes unless I have no other choice, definitely it is not my thing. I get confuse easily, I miss the person to person interaction, I am more visual, hand-on person. I feel I am very independent but on my schooling I guess I need more pampering than I thought.
I am trying to get used to the idea of me traveling 90 minutes round trip four times a week for this coming summer. Hopefully I get my car tune-ups and other maintenance taken care by then. Yes, I know I have to move closer to UCF, I am also working on that. I love VCC and I will be doing my 5 chemistries at their campus which is like 8 minutes away from home. You see, I need a middle ground between the two before I go insane.
Do You Know
HIV Drugs Provide Breastfed Babies With Some Protection
WEDNESDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Antiretroviral drugs appear safe and effective in helping prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child through breast milk, a new international study has found.
The researchers found that “giving daily antiretroviral syrup to breastfeeding babies or putting their HIV-infected mothers on highly active antiretroviral drugs significantly lowered the child's chances of contracting the virus that causes AIDS. The chance of a mother with HIV transmitting the virus through breastfeeding is about one in five.
The results of the Breastfeeding, Antiretroviral and Nutrition (BAN) study, conducted in more than 2,000 HIV-infected mother-child pairs in Malawi in Africa, are scheduled to be presented in South Africa Wednesday at the 5th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention“ (Medicine Net, 2009).
Breast milk is “the source of infection for about half of the 420,000 infants who are infected with HIV annually, the study authors noted. This is a particular problem in some poor countries where HIV-infected mothers risk infecting their babies or having to use more expensive formula that is also subject to contamination from local water supplies.
In the BAN study, HIV-infected mothers and their babies were randomly assigned to one of three groups: infant antiretroviral syrup, maternal medication, or no treatment following birth. After 28 weeks, 7.6 percent of the infants in the group that did not receive any treatment had HIV or died, compared with 4.7 percent of infants whose mothers took antiretroviral medication, and 2.9 percent of the infants taking the antiretroviral syrup, the researchers found“ (Medicine Net, 2009).
Web: McKeever, K. University of North Carolina School of Medicine, news release, (July 22, 2009). Retrieved March 20,2010, from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=104025
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
My Weekly Blog #6
I went to PR for 10 days and have time to reunite with my closest relatives. I got to see my uncle and pour my heart out to him, he still strong and with a positive attitude. I could not find my cousin but his mom told me he was doing good. I had time to gather my strength, thoughts, and family ties. My mom had surgery and two of my husband’s aunts got hospitalized, one came out 4 days later and the other one died, so we visit the ill and paid our respect to the dead.
I miss being able to log in anytime I wanted to but I still use my curiosity when I traveled to Culebra for two days. I went to rent a Jeep and I started asking the natives about how many people live in the island and they estimated 3,000, when I asked about HIV they only referred to this other guy who purposively treated HIV positive animals, I was stunned.
So when I got to the Big island of PR I research about animals with HIV. I read two online books, the one written by Douglas Tonks, “Teaching AIDS” (1996) reported that there’s other form of virus that might infect animals but the actual HIV virus was not possible to enter animals like cats and dogs. Now on the book “AIDS the Biological Basis, 5th edition” by B. S. Weeks and I. E. Alcano, (2010), stated that only primates like chimpanzees and Gibbons are the only animals capable of carrying the HIV virus.
The subject was very interesting and a little alarming because I still don’t get why Culebra would treat animals for HIV if I do not think there any chimpanzees or Gibbons in this island. When I research to see if I can find out the truth, the websites I got were not cleared enough to believe. The only endangered species that I saw were turtles and some exotic birds.
It was a unforgettable experience to visit one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Flamenco Beach. Flamenco Beach felt to me as if I stepped into a screensaver. I am definitely planning a longer trip to Culebra.
Recommendations I would give, take lots of sun block products, go flying if possible, if by sea then take some of those sea sick pills before boarding, also try not to eat before boarding, rent a car because there are lots of places to see, try to take snacks and water, food is a little expensive and if staying overnight, rent from the locals, it will be way cheaper.
Do You Know…
Women who are infected with HIV are at risk of “passing the infection on to their unborn child” (Pregnancyinfo, 2009).
HIV Symptoms
Unlike many STDs that have distinct signs and symptoms, HIV fail to show early symptoms. It has been estimated that as many as “one in three people are infected with HIV although they may not be aware of it” (pregnancy info, 2009).
If HIV symptoms do occur, they may be easily mistaken for the flu. Early symptoms of HIV may include “muscles aches, low fever, headaches, fatigue, and swollen glands. These symptoms can last for a week to a month. Afterwards, the virus can lie dormant in your system for many years“ (Pregnancyinfo, 2009).
HIV and Pregnancy
There are some steps you may follow to prevent transmitting an HIV infection to your child when you are pregnant. “Using antiviral drugs, having a C-Section, and not breastfeeding you can lower your infants risk of infection to less than 2%“ (pregnancy info, 2009).
New research has suggested that “HIV transmission from mother to baby may happen as a result of small leaks in the placenta during labor contractions. These findings are consistent with the fact that women tend not to transmit the virus if they have a c-section before going into labor while women that have an emergency c-section, after they have started labor contractions, do transmit the virus. As a result, women infected with HIV may be encouraged to take antiretroviral drugs before starting labor“ (Pregnancyinfo, 2009).
HIV Medications During Pregnancy
If you are currently taking HIV medications to help manage your infection, you should discuss with your doctor whether you need to change your drug regime for your pregnancy.
Certain HIV medications should not be used during pregnancy as they have been shown to cause birth defects. These include:
efavirenz (Sustiva)
stavudine (Zerit)
amprenavir (Agenerase) in oral form
hydroxyurea
Other medications have not been properly assessed for safety during pregnancy.
One type of HIV treatment that is strongly recommended for all women is ZDV (also known as zidovudine or AZT). Using ZDV therapy during pregnancy has been shown to be almost 70% effective in eliminating the risk of HIV transmission between mother and child. This is a three-part treatment that should be started between the 14th and 34th week of pregnancy.
Work cited
Retrieved March 12, 2010. 2009. from www.pregnancy-info.net
Retrieved March 12, 2010 from http://books.google.com
I went to PR for 10 days and have time to reunite with my closest relatives. I got to see my uncle and pour my heart out to him, he still strong and with a positive attitude. I could not find my cousin but his mom told me he was doing good. I had time to gather my strength, thoughts, and family ties. My mom had surgery and two of my husband’s aunts got hospitalized, one came out 4 days later and the other one died, so we visit the ill and paid our respect to the dead.
I miss being able to log in anytime I wanted to but I still use my curiosity when I traveled to Culebra for two days. I went to rent a Jeep and I started asking the natives about how many people live in the island and they estimated 3,000, when I asked about HIV they only referred to this other guy who purposively treated HIV positive animals, I was stunned.
So when I got to the Big island of PR I research about animals with HIV. I read two online books, the one written by Douglas Tonks, “Teaching AIDS” (1996) reported that there’s other form of virus that might infect animals but the actual HIV virus was not possible to enter animals like cats and dogs. Now on the book “AIDS the Biological Basis, 5th edition” by B. S. Weeks and I. E. Alcano, (2010), stated that only primates like chimpanzees and Gibbons are the only animals capable of carrying the HIV virus.
The subject was very interesting and a little alarming because I still don’t get why Culebra would treat animals for HIV if I do not think there any chimpanzees or Gibbons in this island. When I research to see if I can find out the truth, the websites I got were not cleared enough to believe. The only endangered species that I saw were turtles and some exotic birds.
It was a unforgettable experience to visit one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Flamenco Beach. Flamenco Beach felt to me as if I stepped into a screensaver. I am definitely planning a longer trip to Culebra.
Recommendations I would give, take lots of sun block products, go flying if possible, if by sea then take some of those sea sick pills before boarding, also try not to eat before boarding, rent a car because there are lots of places to see, try to take snacks and water, food is a little expensive and if staying overnight, rent from the locals, it will be way cheaper.
Do You Know…
Women who are infected with HIV are at risk of “passing the infection on to their unborn child” (Pregnancyinfo, 2009).
HIV Symptoms
Unlike many STDs that have distinct signs and symptoms, HIV fail to show early symptoms. It has been estimated that as many as “one in three people are infected with HIV although they may not be aware of it” (pregnancy info, 2009).
If HIV symptoms do occur, they may be easily mistaken for the flu. Early symptoms of HIV may include “muscles aches, low fever, headaches, fatigue, and swollen glands. These symptoms can last for a week to a month. Afterwards, the virus can lie dormant in your system for many years“ (Pregnancyinfo, 2009).
HIV and Pregnancy
There are some steps you may follow to prevent transmitting an HIV infection to your child when you are pregnant. “Using antiviral drugs, having a C-Section, and not breastfeeding you can lower your infants risk of infection to less than 2%“ (pregnancy info, 2009).
New research has suggested that “HIV transmission from mother to baby may happen as a result of small leaks in the placenta during labor contractions. These findings are consistent with the fact that women tend not to transmit the virus if they have a c-section before going into labor while women that have an emergency c-section, after they have started labor contractions, do transmit the virus. As a result, women infected with HIV may be encouraged to take antiretroviral drugs before starting labor“ (Pregnancyinfo, 2009).
HIV Medications During Pregnancy
If you are currently taking HIV medications to help manage your infection, you should discuss with your doctor whether you need to change your drug regime for your pregnancy.
Certain HIV medications should not be used during pregnancy as they have been shown to cause birth defects. These include:
efavirenz (Sustiva)
stavudine (Zerit)
amprenavir (Agenerase) in oral form
hydroxyurea
Other medications have not been properly assessed for safety during pregnancy.
One type of HIV treatment that is strongly recommended for all women is ZDV (also known as zidovudine or AZT). Using ZDV therapy during pregnancy has been shown to be almost 70% effective in eliminating the risk of HIV transmission between mother and child. This is a three-part treatment that should be started between the 14th and 34th week of pregnancy.
Work cited
Retrieved March 12, 2010. 2009. from www.pregnancy-info.net
Retrieved March 12, 2010 from http://books.google.com
Sunday, February 28, 2010
My Weekly Blog #5
This week was the most challenging week of this year for me. It started very good, inspirational, especially on Tuesday 23rd when around 8pm my 9 year old and I were watching House of Payne, a comedy show produced by Tyler Perry. For the first time in my life I see how they added a female character HIV positive to a show to try to create conscious and use it to teach the viewers about the ways one can get the virus. In the show they have other characters uncomfortable with her presence or with her touch, I was so proud of them for having this concern and proceeding to use their show to reach millions for the good of society. This is something that I support and I wish I could be a part of. Now on Wednesday 24th, they also did like a colon cancer awareness show but nothing compare to the one about HIV. I am still going through some tough days still, because in the middle of my school’s datelines and my new grandchild being born on Wednesday, I am also sad to hear about my 16 year old going through some hard times with her biological father. I am so disappointed of him for the man that turned out to be . I want to ask all of you to please keep us in your prayers to see if I can help her the best I can through this situation. I am just so glad that I divorced him such a long time ago.
Additional Blog for this week
My two famous HIV positive Puerto Rican singers are, Hector Juan Perez Martinez, with the artistic name “Hector Lavoe” and Jose Antonio Torresola Ruiz, with the artistic name “Frankie Ruiz”.
Hector Lavoe, was borne in Sept. 30, 1946. Hector Lavoe was a famous salsa singer and his songs dealt with love and the social realities of Latino’s life (Rhapsody, 2010).
In 1979, he went through a period of great depression and look for help in a priest of the Santeria faith, to attend to his heroin addiction. After a short rehabilitation, he relapsed, following the natural death of his father, the accidental death of his son and the murder of his mother in law. These events along with being diagnosed with HIV, affected Lavoe to the point of attempting suicide in 1988, where he jumped off a balcony of El Condado Hotel in Puerto Rico. Hector Lavoe survived and recorded his last album before his health began failing. Lavoe died from a complication of AIDS on June 29, 1993 (Salsaclasica, 2010).
Frankie Ruiz was borne March 10,1958.Although Frankie was of Puerto Rican descent, he was borne and raised in Patterson, New Jersey; one information that not everybody in the island knows (Artist Direct, 2010).
Frankie was one of the first salsa singer who perform salsa with a sensual style and his major role help rebirthing the popularity of salsa beat in the 70’s (Artist Direct, 2010).
Frankie Ruiz started using illegal drugs and alcohol during his years of fame causing cirrhosis of his liver and liver failure. Although many web sources do not report him being HIV positive, others report him dying of complication of AIDS at age 40, a month after his final concert at Madison Square Garden, on August 9, 1998 (Artist Direct, 2010).
Do You Know….
Pregnant women infected with HIV are more likely to spread the virus to the children if they are carrying twins (Reuters.com, 2007).
Dr. Laurent Mandelbrot from the University of Paris commented how “the length of pregnancy, the delivery method, and other factors indicate that twin pregnancy remained 2.3 higher risk of mother to child HIV spread than single pregnancies“ (Reuters.com, 2007).
If the premature rupture of the membrane, a condition in which the sack around the fetus breaks early, the risk will increase to a 4.5. It is recommended to start up the anti-HIV therapy no later than the beginning of the second trimester (Reuters.com, 2007).
Michelle Austein Brooks an U.S. government and politics writer reported in Dec. 1, 2009, how “U.S. has helped 240,000 babies to be born free of HIV due to a program that helps HIV positive mothers prevent passing the virus on to their children”. I don’t think this number of babies being saved are enough compare to the numbers outside U.S.
Now a publication in The Ecologist, on April 2001 reported How “every year 600,000 babies are born HIV- positive. 90% of them in Africa, United Nations figures 12 millions children are orphaned by AIDS in Africa in 1999 alone. I am only hoping that this numbers go down by 2010 and that more programs like the anti-HIV therapy reach countries like Africa but in Mass numbers. It’s not just the fact that the kids are parentless but leaving them HIV positive makes even less unbearable (find article, 2001).
Works Cited
Retrieved February 27, 2010 from Brooks, M., 2009. http://blogs.americans.gov/obama/tag/hivaids/
Retrieved February 27,2010 from The Ecologist. 2001. http://findarticle.com/p/articles/mi_m2465/is_3_31/ai_73040698/
Retrieved February 27, 2010 from Mandelbrot, L., Univ. of Paris. AIDS. 2007. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKRA1794122007611
Retrieved February 26, 2010 from Frankie Ruiz. 2010. http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/frankie-ruiz/487822
Retrieved February 26, 2010 from Hector Lavoe. 2010. http://salsaclasica.com/hectorlavoe/bio.asp?l=en
Retrieved February 26, 2010 from 2010. www.rhapsody.com/hector-lavoe
This week was the most challenging week of this year for me. It started very good, inspirational, especially on Tuesday 23rd when around 8pm my 9 year old and I were watching House of Payne, a comedy show produced by Tyler Perry. For the first time in my life I see how they added a female character HIV positive to a show to try to create conscious and use it to teach the viewers about the ways one can get the virus. In the show they have other characters uncomfortable with her presence or with her touch, I was so proud of them for having this concern and proceeding to use their show to reach millions for the good of society. This is something that I support and I wish I could be a part of. Now on Wednesday 24th, they also did like a colon cancer awareness show but nothing compare to the one about HIV. I am still going through some tough days still, because in the middle of my school’s datelines and my new grandchild being born on Wednesday, I am also sad to hear about my 16 year old going through some hard times with her biological father. I am so disappointed of him for the man that turned out to be . I want to ask all of you to please keep us in your prayers to see if I can help her the best I can through this situation. I am just so glad that I divorced him such a long time ago.
Additional Blog for this week
My two famous HIV positive Puerto Rican singers are, Hector Juan Perez Martinez, with the artistic name “Hector Lavoe” and Jose Antonio Torresola Ruiz, with the artistic name “Frankie Ruiz”.
Hector Lavoe, was borne in Sept. 30, 1946. Hector Lavoe was a famous salsa singer and his songs dealt with love and the social realities of Latino’s life (Rhapsody, 2010).
In 1979, he went through a period of great depression and look for help in a priest of the Santeria faith, to attend to his heroin addiction. After a short rehabilitation, he relapsed, following the natural death of his father, the accidental death of his son and the murder of his mother in law. These events along with being diagnosed with HIV, affected Lavoe to the point of attempting suicide in 1988, where he jumped off a balcony of El Condado Hotel in Puerto Rico. Hector Lavoe survived and recorded his last album before his health began failing. Lavoe died from a complication of AIDS on June 29, 1993 (Salsaclasica, 2010).
Frankie Ruiz was borne March 10,1958.Although Frankie was of Puerto Rican descent, he was borne and raised in Patterson, New Jersey; one information that not everybody in the island knows (Artist Direct, 2010).
Frankie was one of the first salsa singer who perform salsa with a sensual style and his major role help rebirthing the popularity of salsa beat in the 70’s (Artist Direct, 2010).
Frankie Ruiz started using illegal drugs and alcohol during his years of fame causing cirrhosis of his liver and liver failure. Although many web sources do not report him being HIV positive, others report him dying of complication of AIDS at age 40, a month after his final concert at Madison Square Garden, on August 9, 1998 (Artist Direct, 2010).
Do You Know….
Pregnant women infected with HIV are more likely to spread the virus to the children if they are carrying twins (Reuters.com, 2007).
Dr. Laurent Mandelbrot from the University of Paris commented how “the length of pregnancy, the delivery method, and other factors indicate that twin pregnancy remained 2.3 higher risk of mother to child HIV spread than single pregnancies“ (Reuters.com, 2007).
If the premature rupture of the membrane, a condition in which the sack around the fetus breaks early, the risk will increase to a 4.5. It is recommended to start up the anti-HIV therapy no later than the beginning of the second trimester (Reuters.com, 2007).
Michelle Austein Brooks an U.S. government and politics writer reported in Dec. 1, 2009, how “U.S. has helped 240,000 babies to be born free of HIV due to a program that helps HIV positive mothers prevent passing the virus on to their children”. I don’t think this number of babies being saved are enough compare to the numbers outside U.S.
Now a publication in The Ecologist, on April 2001 reported How “every year 600,000 babies are born HIV- positive. 90% of them in Africa, United Nations figures 12 millions children are orphaned by AIDS in Africa in 1999 alone. I am only hoping that this numbers go down by 2010 and that more programs like the anti-HIV therapy reach countries like Africa but in Mass numbers. It’s not just the fact that the kids are parentless but leaving them HIV positive makes even less unbearable (find article, 2001).
Works Cited
Retrieved February 27, 2010 from Brooks, M., 2009. http://blogs.americans.gov/obama/tag/hivaids/
Retrieved February 27,2010 from The Ecologist. 2001. http://findarticle.com/p/articles/mi_m2465/is_3_31/ai_73040698/
Retrieved February 27, 2010 from Mandelbrot, L., Univ. of Paris. AIDS. 2007. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKRA1794122007611
Retrieved February 26, 2010 from Frankie Ruiz. 2010. http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/frankie-ruiz/487822
Retrieved February 26, 2010 from Hector Lavoe. 2010. http://salsaclasica.com/hectorlavoe/bio.asp?l=en
Retrieved February 26, 2010 from 2010. www.rhapsody.com/hector-lavoe
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Weekly Blog #4
This week was a less stressful and more easy going on my books. My oldest daughter's second baby has not arrived yet, they're giving her until the 1rst to induce her into labor. My youngest son just turn 18 this week and to me this was the hardest things I ever had to celebrate. He's the one that had giving us the most challenges as parents and I am very afraid of his decision making now that he is "legal". I finally found my cousin online this week and we chatted for a while and he was telling me how well he was doing and how he just graduated from computer programming and he found a job, all while keeping up with his doctor's appointment and his retroviral medications. I am extremely proud of him and happy that he has kept himself very strong and healthy, which it takes a lot of dicipline to keep up with his medicines on a daily basis. He is very optimist and this trait I need to get in gallons of it.
This week has been a very family focused and the majority of it is due to this class because it does make one more aware of what you could lose for the lack of information and all these diseases, the images just get stuck to my brain and all I can think is if my kids would know and experience all these maybe then they'll grow some common sense and think their decisions twice.
I kept watching the news this week, and I kept hearing the National weather service saying Washington got more than a foot of snow 13 times since 1870, and I saw on TV last night how President Obama was giving a speech on a Nevada conference and he also mentioned how how so far Washington has got up to 5 feet of snow. He proceeded to explain all the changes cause by Global warming and that we have to cope with it and make changes to deal with this by doing our part and all. But I could think is what about the changes that still need to be done as far as including HIV education in our children's classrooms. I know it had nothing to do with it but to me HIV related completely with global warming because of all the drastic changes, and people freaking out, scared of what's next, and how to deal with it, what techniques need to be done to help this crisis get better like fuel efficient gas and recycling. Anyways, HIV/AIDS is also a crisis that need people need to be more aware and many more things have to be done to fight the ignorance with wisdom on this subject at least nationally speaking.
DO YOU KNOW...
Only 12 HIV positive babies has been born in CUBA since the first case was discovered in 1986 (Hoffman, 2004).
In US there has been 35 times more death from AIDS than in CUBA. As of February 2003, reported a rate 10 times higher than in CUBA, with a 0.03% of the population or about 1 million American infected with HIV (Hoffman, 2004).
50% of infected women has HIV in the vagina and cervix. C-section reduces the exposure time of the baby throughout the vaginal tract in contact with his or her mother's fluids, which reduces the possibilities of infection (CAFRA news, 2001).
Mother's can reduce their baby's risk from 25% to 8% by using by AZT, antiviral therapy, during the last 6 months of pregnancy (CAFRA news, 2001).
The transmission of HIV to babies is very low in CUBA, where there is a service completely dedicated to women carriers who choose to have their babies.
The direct transmission is 0.34% of all the cases of HIV/AIDS in the entire country. This indicates that CUBA is among the lowest reported internationally (CAFRA news, 2001).
The Caribbean is the second most infected region in the planet by HIV/AIDS (Mas, 2006).
CUBA posseses a prevalence of 0,007; this prevalence is the lowest of the region and one of the lowest in the world (Mas, 2006).
In CUBA, HIV/AIDS patients get free mandatory educational treatment for everyone, free medical attention, free treatment for any STD's, free retroviral medications. As a result, the quality of life is much higher than sick people in another part of the world (Mas, 2006).
Work cited
Web: retrieved february 20,2010 from CAFRA news. Hernandez Y.,Vila L.,Naya Z.,Lopez Y. Women and HIV/AIDS. 2001. http://www.cafra.org/spip.php?article183
Web: retrived february 20, 2010 from CAFRA news. Mas S. 2006. http://www.cafra.org/spip.php?article 680
video: retrieved on February 20,2010 from www.utube.com/watch?v=aWzCFPfYrg
Web: retrived February 20, 2010 from Mas S. 2004. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2688320/
This week has been a very family focused and the majority of it is due to this class because it does make one more aware of what you could lose for the lack of information and all these diseases, the images just get stuck to my brain and all I can think is if my kids would know and experience all these maybe then they'll grow some common sense and think their decisions twice.
I kept watching the news this week, and I kept hearing the National weather service saying Washington got more than a foot of snow 13 times since 1870, and I saw on TV last night how President Obama was giving a speech on a Nevada conference and he also mentioned how how so far Washington has got up to 5 feet of snow. He proceeded to explain all the changes cause by Global warming and that we have to cope with it and make changes to deal with this by doing our part and all. But I could think is what about the changes that still need to be done as far as including HIV education in our children's classrooms. I know it had nothing to do with it but to me HIV related completely with global warming because of all the drastic changes, and people freaking out, scared of what's next, and how to deal with it, what techniques need to be done to help this crisis get better like fuel efficient gas and recycling. Anyways, HIV/AIDS is also a crisis that need people need to be more aware and many more things have to be done to fight the ignorance with wisdom on this subject at least nationally speaking.
DO YOU KNOW...
Only 12 HIV positive babies has been born in CUBA since the first case was discovered in 1986 (Hoffman, 2004).
In US there has been 35 times more death from AIDS than in CUBA. As of February 2003, reported a rate 10 times higher than in CUBA, with a 0.03% of the population or about 1 million American infected with HIV (Hoffman, 2004).
50% of infected women has HIV in the vagina and cervix. C-section reduces the exposure time of the baby throughout the vaginal tract in contact with his or her mother's fluids, which reduces the possibilities of infection (CAFRA news, 2001).
Mother's can reduce their baby's risk from 25% to 8% by using by AZT, antiviral therapy, during the last 6 months of pregnancy (CAFRA news, 2001).
The transmission of HIV to babies is very low in CUBA, where there is a service completely dedicated to women carriers who choose to have their babies.
The direct transmission is 0.34% of all the cases of HIV/AIDS in the entire country. This indicates that CUBA is among the lowest reported internationally (CAFRA news, 2001).
The Caribbean is the second most infected region in the planet by HIV/AIDS (Mas, 2006).
CUBA posseses a prevalence of 0,007; this prevalence is the lowest of the region and one of the lowest in the world (Mas, 2006).
In CUBA, HIV/AIDS patients get free mandatory educational treatment for everyone, free medical attention, free treatment for any STD's, free retroviral medications. As a result, the quality of life is much higher than sick people in another part of the world (Mas, 2006).
Work cited
Web: retrieved february 20,2010 from CAFRA news. Hernandez Y.,Vila L.,Naya Z.,Lopez Y. Women and HIV/AIDS. 2001. http://www.cafra.org/spip.php?article183
Web: retrived february 20, 2010 from CAFRA news. Mas S. 2006. http://www.cafra.org/spip.php?article 680
video: retrieved on February 20,2010 from www.utube.com/watch?v=aWzCFPfYrg
Web: retrived February 20, 2010 from Mas S. 2004. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2688320/
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