Early days of HIV/AIDS

I read a book this week that made me wonder how it was in the early days when HIV was discovered: a new ailment whose cause, mode of transimission and how to prevent it could not be understood. It is a fictional account that runs for a decade from the late 70s. It relates the life of a young doctor whose vision is to provide for the city and country good and cheap access to STD/STI care, and he specialises as a venerologist. It covers the time when such treatable STDs as Gonorhea were the bane of the amorous, to social lifes and the impact of economic of peoples sexuality and the advent of HIV/AIDS. I will dedicate an entire posting to this so that I can give excerpts from the book.

I took some time to try found out a bit of information on what is published concerning 'The Early Days of HIV/AIDS' and I will share a few and give links (in blue) to where you can get greater details:

In their own words

NIH Researchers Recall the Early Years of AIDS

Site has stories and video clips on: First encounters, Tip of the iceberg ,Mobilizing ,Discovery of HIV and Search of treatments. It makes very interesting and informative reading.

Readers remember the early years of AIDS

Those touched by the virus share memories of the struggle and the stigma

MSNBC
Updated: 3:02 p.m. ET June 5, 2006

Behind every AIDS death is a story. Behind each statistic is a person who is loved, who was someone's brother, mother, father, sister, aunt, uncle, friend, grandparent or lover.

On the 25th anniversary of AIDS, readers share their memories. Some have survived being HIV positive for decades and recall the fear born of ignorance by those around them.

Others are left to remember those who died, from young men taken by a disease then called GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency) to a 58-year-old grandmother who died following heart surgery, to a daughter wondering what life might have been like if her father had lived to see her into adulthood.

To read more visit here.

The early days of AIDS: A congressman remembers

What is your first memory of the AIDS epidemic?

In 1981 we were battling the Reagan budget, which called for deep cuts in public health programs, medical services, a lot of domestic programs. And then we started hearing from the Centers for Disease Control about a rare form of cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma. And that it seemed to be affecting gay men in a couple of cities. But the alarming part of it was that it seemed to be spreading very, very fast. I was quite shocked at it, because it looked like it was going to multiply geometrically. This was before we even knew the word "AIDS." It was very perplexing.

25 years with AIDS

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP)—It began quietly, when a statistical anomaly pointed to a mysterious syndrome that attacked the immune systems of gay men in California. No one imagined 25 years ago that AIDS would become the deadliest epidemic in history. Since June 5, 1981 (ironically this is my birthday!), HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has killed more than 25 million people, infected 40 million others and left a legacy of unspeakable loss, hardship, fear and despair.

Its spread was hastened by ignorance, prejudice, denial and the freedoms of the sexual revolution. Along the way from oddity to pandemic, AIDS changed they way people live and love.

Slowed but unchecked, the epidemic's relentless march has established footholds in the world's most populous countries. Advances in medicine and prevention that have made the disease manageable in the developed world haven't reach the rest.

The power of positive living

There is no doubt that the HIV/AIDS scourge has devastating effect on the people infected, their families and the society at large.

However, being infected does not signal the end of life; or the end to living; or the end of ones existence. Even when positive, one can live an extremely productive life. Here I will highlight two such individuals:

Ron -

November 3, 2006 will mark seven years since being diagnosed – four days before my forty-first birthday – some gift, huh?

When I was told I had AIDS then about PML (Progressive Multi-focal Leucoencephalopathy), my T-cells were ten (yep 1-0) and my viral load was 500,000+ and given the bleak prognosis of dying in three to six months.

Obviously, I didn’t, but as my strength improved, my T-cells rose nearing 200 and VL dropped to maybe 15,000 by May 2000, I was removed from hospice because I was no longer considered a terminal case. BUT, I was reminded that 200 was the highest level I would maintain and my viral load (VL) 5,000 to 10,000 during the two (yep 2) years I could expect to live by all these “experts” that I traveled to or my sister e-mailed.

Well, I have surpassed my so-called expects to mark my seventh year with my T-cells at an all time high of 653 and my VL remains undetectable (has been undetectable since July 2001! Five years!)

I gave up on myself at the very beginning – my sister made me promise to fight in February 2000, and over time, I just did it all for myself. Exercise, therapies and diet – all probably helped me and the fact I never had any horrible side effects from the medications is key for me. I have been on Trizivir and Viramune for four years and with no ill-effects thankfully. I am very, very grateful.

I have now had seven more years and have learned so much more and think I have grown as a human being. I have accomplished things that I was told were impossible and re-discovered many hidden talents out of necessity, not a “re-birth.” I just had to re-prioritize my life and use imagination to accomplish things again.

Hell, here I am!

To read more of Ron's blog, visit here.

Asunta -

Asunpta shares her life through a weekly letter in one of the leading national newspapers in Kenya where she talks about bringing up her son as a single parent, the challenges of being HIV positive and on stigma and discrimination. She was diagnosed in 1989 at the age of 22 years. She is a founder of KENWA- Kenya Network of Women with AIDS which has given hope to a lot of disadvataged women who due to their status and/or gennder are discriminated.

You can read her story here.

Below is her sharing in her diary in November 2006:

To hire and fire

(The workplace is a crazy place at the best of times, more so for someone with HIV.)

I once read somewhere that a boss is like a nappy; he's always on your bottom! I recently shared this remark with my colleagues during an office meeting. The remark may be a tongue-in-cheek expression, but it sure captured the moos of the moment. Well, some of the junior staff members had raised the complaints about how they were too many bosses in the office and hardly a leader in sight. And even as I threw that boss remark, it somehow boomeranged.

My position as the executive director demands that I take stern action and at times such action is misunderstood as being high-handed and cruel although it is usually in our best interests.

"I lose sleep whenever I have to tell somebody that he or she can no longer work with us,” I told my staff members, but I could see that some of them didn't swallow what I was saying. “That’s why after some time you find that I have recalled that person," I added.

It was after that meeting that we agreed to have staff retreats, during which we could loosen our button, forget our job descriptions and do some bonding. In many organisations, a good percentage of employees are people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHAs). You’re not wrong to call me biased, but my bias is for those who’ve been prejudiced against and are finding the going hard in the job market. So, in a sense, my bias is for a good cause.

I know now that the only way to understand my employees and for them to know where I'm coming from is through retreats. Then, I want then to see me simply as Asuh, not Asunta Wagura, ED. I want them to see me as a friend they can trust with their issues.

Sometimes it gets crazy in the office. Imagine there quarters of the people at work going through those HIV-related stresses and still having to handle clients who come in with their own issues. To say the least, it requires the balancing skills of a trapeze artist. We smile even though we are seething inside.

I think the best thing for us is that we can work in an environment that’s devoid of prejudice against PLWHAs. And so when someone’s in the firing line, it's not because of his or her HIV status.

I know there are many PLWHAs heading institutions but, for reasons best known to themselves, they prefer to live in the closet. With all due respect, it's my theory that an HIV-positive leader is in a much better position to understand the challenges of an HIV-positive employee. And at such a time as this, when jobs are hard to find, it's crazy for anyone to live with Damocles’ sword hanging over their head just because they're HIV-positive and a routine test is more than enough to render on jobless.

On any given day, I receive countless application letters form PLWHAs, but I can handle only so much. I'm not saying that PLWHAs deserve special attention. Far from it. What that frightened PLWHA up for promotion or on redundancy row deserves is fairness because, as someone once remarked, fairness is what justice is all about.

(This is the diary of Asunta Wagura, a single mother one who tested HIV-positive 19 years ago. She is also the Executive Director of the Kenya Network of Women with AIDS (KENWA)

Introducing myself and the HIV/AIDS Drive Team

Dear all, My name is Ildi, the Global HIV/AIDS Learning Network IG leader! This year I have the honour to coordinate all HIV/AIDS related activities in the global network of AIESEC and also to work with a brilliant Drive Team - Alex, Jasmine and Riza.

In my first posting I would like to share my experience at the National Conference of AIESEC in the Netherlands. I got to be invited to be the chair of the HIV/AIDS track in Utrecht and it was a lot of fun, and a real success. When I arrived at the Central Station of Utrecht, a very nice guy was waiting for me from the National Support Team of the Dutch AIESEC. When we arrived at the venue, a special atmosphere was waiting for us. All people in business suits, networking in the hall, video recording in the plenary room – everything was extremely professional. Before we started the session, we were dancing on some AIESEC dances though :) (of course) and then people were allocated to different rooms. In our room there were around 40 delegates plus the 4 guests and Eliene (the main organiser) and me. We started with an introduction about the state of HIV/AIDS now and what the global AIESEC network currently does about it, followed by workshops run by the four guests. The topics (statements) were extremely fascinating and all the delegates enjoyed the discussions as well: Development and poverty reduction programs are essential to combating HIV/AIDS in the long run; The industrial world has failed to deliver leadership and moreover has failed to save the lives of millions of people; Save lives of today, or save lives of tomorrow? After the workshops we had a very interesting panel discussion as well. As a moderator I was leading the discussion of the 4 guests and I think they challenged each other tremendously. What I enjoyed very much as well was the lunch that I spent among the delegates. Suddenly I got to see Vija, trainee of ABN Amro who was MC in AIESEC in Belgium and whom I wanted to motivate to become my successor in AIESEC in South Africa. :) I also met up with Ali, Egyptian trainee and Jennifer from Canada who was a CEEDer in South Africa and whom I lived with for 3 weeks, in the AIESEC House in Johannesburg. Also, I finally met the Hungarian trainee of Rotterdam (Szilvasi Orsi – Solyi) who was an EB member in AIESEC in Hungary when I was on the MC and we used to work together very closely. :) We were so happy to see each other again. And also, I got the chance to talk to some of the Ebs of the Dutch AIESEC and it was really cool! They said they didn’t know how an AI person looked like because they hadn’t seen any before, but they were happy to find out through interactions with me that AI members are very nice and friendly people, not weird ones somewhere up in the clouds. :)

Stay tuned until the next posting!