More Americans dying from hepatitis C than from AIDS

More people are dying in the U.S. from hepatitis C than from AIDS, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. More than 3.2 million Americans have the hepatitis virus, which can cause chronic infection of the liver and eventually lead to liver failure.

Hepatitis C death rates climbed to almost 5 per 100,000 in 2007, from fewer than 3 per 100,000 in 1999. In the same time period, the HIV-AIDS death rate dropped to slightly more than 4 per 100,000 from more than 6 per 100,000.

"The declines in HIV reflect the accomplishments in building a public health response to the epidemic that improved screening and provided means of access to effective treatment," said Dr. John W. Ward, director of the Division of Viral Hepatitis at the CDC and author of the study. A similar program for hepatitis C would be similarly helpful, he said.

The disease is most commonly spread by exposure to infected blood. Intravenous drug abuse is the most common method of transmission, reports MedicineNet.com.

Ward said there is now a treatment "that was about 70 effective at clearing the virus from the body, but, he said, most infected people are unaware of their condition and do not receive treatment," reports Nicholas Bakalar for The New York Times. (Read more)

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Get tested, get treatment, Bluegrass HIV Coalition encourages

Today is World AIDS Day and health advocates are asking Kentuckians to get tested and get treatment.

Hundreds of Kentuckians are diagnosed with AIDS each year, reports Mary Meehan of the Lexington Herald-Leader. Minority populations are hit particularly hard, with black men nearly 10 times more likely to die of AIDS than non-Hispanic white men. Black women are almost 23 more times more likely to die from the infections, compared to non-Hispanic white women.

Though people are still dying, AIDS is not a widely-discussed disease, in part because of its past association with homosexual activity. Mark Johnson, member of the Bluegrass HIV Coalition, said AIDS can be hard for people to talk about.

In addition, the infection is often seen as treatable, in part because of people like Magic Johnson, who has had the infection more than 20 years but is still in good health. What people don't see "is the often expensive regimen of drugs that is needed to keep the worst of the disease at bay, the side effects of those medicines or the ultimate end of what is still an incurable disease," Meehan reports. (Read more)

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Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day; 1.2 million Americans are thought to be infected, but only 1 in 5 know it

Friday is World AIDS Day, an opportunity to learn the facts about the virus and show support for people living with it.

In the United States, there are 1.2 million people living with the HIV infection, which leads to AIDS. Of those who are infected with the virus in the U.S., only one in five know they have it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Each year, about 50,000 Americans become infected. About 1,700 Kentuckians were diagnosed with HIV between Jan. 1, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2009; Kentucky ranks 19th in the country for the number of people who have the HIV infection.

Since the epidemic began, nearly 594,500 people have died with AIDS in the U.S. Between 1981 and 2007, more than 25 million people have died from the virus around the world.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke of the epidemic in a Nov. 8 address at the National Institutes of Health. "The fight against AIDS began three decades ago in June 1981. American scientists reported the first evidence of a mysterious new disease," she said. "Thirty years later, we ... know a great deal about the virus itself. We understand how it is spread, how it constantly mutates in the body, how it hides from the immune system. And we have turned this knowledge to our advantage."

Most at risk are gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men. The CDC estimates that though this population accounts for just 2 percent of the U.S. population, it accounted for 61 percent of all new HIV infections in 2009. But heterosexuals and people who inject drugs can also contract the disease. Heterosexuals account for 27 percent of new cases. Another 9 percent of people who contracted the virus did so by using injected drugs.

Blacks accounted for 44 percent of new HIV infections in 2009, though they only represent 14 percent of the U.S. population. In 2009, the rate of new infection was 6.5 times greater for black men than it was for white men.

People can now be tested for the infection using a saliva sample and have the results in just 15 to 20 minutes. To find an HIV/AIDS prevention and service provider by county, click here.

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Monday, June 27 is National HIV Testing Day

Kentuckians are being encouraged to find out their HIV status on Monday, June 27, National HIV Testing Day.

About 1,700 Kentuckians were diagnosed with HIV between Jan. 1, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2009. About 1 in 3 Kentucky adults under the age of 65 have been screened for HIV, the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky notes. Christian, Hopkins and McLean counties have the highest rate of HIV testing, with 45 percent of adults being tested. Montgomery County has the lowest rate at 24 percent. For more county-specific information, click here.

The earlier that HIV is discovered, the better the treatment works, but early detection is not commonplace in Kentucky. By the time they are tested for HIV, 30 percent of Kentuckians already have full-blown AIDS. Though at one time 100 percent of Kentuckians infected with HIV died within five years, now 82 percent are alive after the same time period.

Kentucky ranks 19th in the country for the number of people who have the HIV infection that leads to AIDS. "Health officials say that at least one new HIV infection is discovered each day in Kentucky," Mary Meehan of Lexington Herald-Leader recently reported. National HIV Testing Day was founded by the National Association of People Living with AIDS in 1995. To find a testing site, click here.

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On 30th anniversary of AIDS detection, it is no longer a death sentence, but Kentuckians die because they delay testing

Though life expectancy for people living with AIDS has improved, the disease "remains a serious health threat, with Kentucky's minorities and poor being affected in disproportionate numbers," reports the Lexington Herald-Leader's Mary Meehan.

Part of the problem is the stigma associated with the disease, which was first reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 30 years ago yesterday. It is especially problematic in rural parts of the state. "We have clients in rural areas of Kentucky who hide their medication so if something happens to them, their family members won't find out," said Mark Royse, executive director of AVOL, an education- and support-based organization for people living with AIDS.

The stigma is associated with the perception of the disease, which in turn prompts people to avoid being tested. "AIDS was marginalized early on as a 'gay' disease," said Dr. Robert Crosby, an AIDS researcher and chairman of the department of health behavior in the University of Kentucky's College of Public Health. "Later, it was associated with drug users, promiscuous heterosexuals or people who live in other countries, such as Africa. "The point to drive home is that a lot of people think of Africa or China or India when they think of AIDS," Royse said. "This issue is still very real here at home."

Kentucky ranks 19th in the country for the number of people who have the HIV infection that leads to AIDS, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. "Health officials say that at least one new HIV infection is discovered each day in Kentucky," Meehan reports. Nationally, about 20 percent of people who have HIV don't know they are infected.

The earlier people discover they have HIV, the better the treatment works, but early detection is not commonplace in Kentucky. By the time they are tested for HIV, 30 percent of Kentuckians already have full-blown AIDS. Still, that diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. Though at one time 100 percent of Kentuckians infected with HIV died within five years, now 82 percent are alive after the same time period. However, there has been a spike in infection among 18- to 24-year olds, despite early education to avoid unprotected sex. "They say, 'That person doesn't look like they have AIDS'," so decide to have unprotected sex with that person, said Jessica DuMaurier, in charge of the HIV program at the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. (Read more)

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CDC names top 10 public health achievements in past decade, including tobacco control; Ky. still leads nation in tobacco use

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have named the top 10 public health achievements of the last decade. They include controlling infectious diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis; fighting tobacco use; improving motor-vehicle safety by having safer vehicles, roads and driving; reducing heart disease and death; and improving public safety preparedness following Sept. 11, 2001.

The 10 were not ranked. "Others include improvements in vaccine-preventable diseases, better maternal and infant health, better cancer prevention, improved occupational safety, and the aggressive steps that have led to fewer childhood lead poisonings," reports Bill Hendrick of WebMD Health News.

"Americans are living longer, healthier and more productive lives than ever before thanks in part to extraordinary achievements in public health over the past decade," CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden said in a press release. "Continued investments in prevention will help us and our children live even longer, healthier and more productive lives while bringing down health care costs."

The report shows the improvements have saved billions of dollars nationwide. Fortifying food with folic acid, which reduced neural tube defects like spina bifida, has alone resulted in a savings of $4.6 billion in the past 10 years. Preventing motor vehicle crashes could save $99 billion in medical and lost work costs each year. Preventing lead exposure in children could save $213 billion each year.

While tobacco control has advanced nationally, and Kentucky's smoking rate has dropped slightly, the state continues to lead the nation in tobacco use, at 25 percent of adults. While about two dozen Kentucky communities have passed smoke-free laws, a statewide ban has never gotten anywhere in the legislature. The number of states with comprehensive smoke-free laws increased from zero in 2000 to 25 states (plus Washington, D.C.) in 2010.

Motor vehicle safety has improved, a trend that has been noted in Kentucky. The number of traffic-related fatalities in Kentucky has decreased for the past six years. In 2010, 759 people died on Kentucky roads compared to 791 the year before. This year so far, 220 people have died in traffic-related accidents compared to 237 last year. Nationwide, the death rate related to motor vehicle accidents went from 14.9 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 11 per 100,000 in 2009. (Read more)

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AIDS - HIV

AIDS is the abbreviation of the term Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, i.e. acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is at the final stage of chronic infection with the human (human) immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that leads to Immunes with frequent infections and tumors. Until the outbreak of AIDS can take years or decades, 50% of those infected are 10 years after infection in the AIDS stage. It comes to life-threatening diseases leading to death within a few years.

The HIV - virus seeks out certain immune cells of the human body as host cells that it infects. The virus "programmed" the nucleus of these cells a way, that they only produce new viruses until the infected immune cells eventually die. The newly formed viruses then they look for new immune cells as "victims". This will gradually weakened the immune system and invading pathogens or emerging cancer cells have an easy game. There is a breakdown of the immune system. A number of pathogens (called opportunistic pathogens) that are relatively harmless to healthy people and certain types of cancer can spread the virus weakened organism without interruption and at death.

The virus is found in various body fluids in different concentrations. When sperm is highly infectious, followed by blood. Vaginal fluid and urine contained lower levels of virus, saliva is only slightly infectious. A HIV - infection trigger must virus-containing liquids to enter the bloodstream. Are sufficient under certain circumstances, small wounds. A mere contact of virus-containing material with a healthy, intact skin or mucous membrane is sufficient for HIV - infection. Outside the body, the HI - virus do not survive long.

After infection with the virus and incubation period of one to three weeks can occur in some patients with acute flu-like illness. These nonspecific symptoms (fever, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle and joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, etc.) do not allow any direct conclusion of an HIV infection. There follows a months to years long stage in which, although viruses and antibodies to HIV detected in the blood, the infected person while not healthy. In this phase, he can pass the disease but already unknowingly to others. The first signs that show that the disease progresses may increase in fungal infections, diarrhea, his swollen lymph nodes, fever or weight loss. The last stage of infection corresponds to the disease AIDS. This can occur among other diseases, some of which are caused by opportunistic pathogens:
* Diseases of the nervous system, for example Meningitis (meningitis), weakness, physical and mental breakdowns.
* Infections with toxoplasma organisms.
* Severe forms of pneumonia very difficult to treat pathogens (eg Pneumocystis)
* Extensive fungal infection of the mucous membranes, for example the trachea or windpipe.
* - Virus infections (eg herpes - virus or cytomegalovirus).
* Tuberculosis.
* Diarrhea.
* Certain types of cancer (for example, Kaposi's sarcoma).
* Severe weight loss.

Common causes:
The transmission of HIV via:
* Unprotected sexual intercourse, during which there is direct contact with infected body fluids (semen, vaginal fluid or blood). It also facilitates other sexually transmitted diseases or infections of the skin and mucous membranes of the genital viral entry.
* The sharing of injection equipment among drug addicts.
* From an infected mother to her baby during pregnancy, at birth or through breast milk rare.
* By infected blood and blood products (this is in the industrialized countries but today is not dangerous any more). Infection through infected donor tissue or semen from sperm banks are unlikely.

HIV is not transmitted:
* By insect bites.
* Through everyday contact with infected people in work and family life, such as Coughing, touching, hugging or using the same glasses or cutlery, door handles, telephones, towels, toilets, hairdressing scissors.
* In the sauna or swimming pool.

What can you do about HIV - infection prevention?
* Most important protective measure is the use of condoms during sexual intercourse. This is especially true in risky sexual practices (e.g. anal intercourse), at-risk groups and frequently changing sexual partners. One hundred percent protection is also not established, for example, in the case of a leaky condom.
* Drug addicts should be aware of the risk of infection with the common use of syringes and needles.
* Health care professionals and people do, first aid, are all activities that they can bring with infectious body fluids on them, wear gloves.

What can you do if you have HIV - infected?
* A positive test result should be confirmed by at least one more test.
* Seek advice from physician and regularly examined in detail.
* Try to live a healthy life and everything that weakens the body in addition to avoiding (excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, poor diet, etc.).
* Avoid places and behaviors with high risk of infection. Even traveling in tropical countries with an increased risk of illness should be avoided.
* HIV-positive women should be discouraged from getting pregnant because the risk of transmission to the child 15 - 30%.
* Avoid anything that might lead to infection of other people (see prevention).

What your doctor can do?
* The doctor may first perform an HIV test. A special test can detect viral components in the blood within days after infection. Antibodies in the blood may be collected depending on the test 2-3 weeks or 1-2 months after infection. It is therefore important to know, was conducted at which time the type of test. A negative test result after 3-6 months of suspected infection is considered safe. In a positive test result, it is important that the doctor will advise you in detail or to another physician or a counseling center has that can handle the job. In a detailed examination, the doctor can determine how far the disease has progressed and when the time is right for the onset of therapy. An important note here the determination of a type of immune cells in the blood, the so-called T4-helper cells or CD4 cells, the number with progressive disease falls further and further.

* With the modern drugs can also delay the onset of the AIDS stage clear and significant prolongation of life can be achieved. In addition, a therapy hinzielen on maintaining the quality of life of patients. Whether AIDS is curable with the currently available treatments is uncertain. For therapy drugs have been developed that inhibit the multiplication of HIV and protect the infected cells from dying. Standard therapy is now mostly a triple combination of drugs was used, and the patient must adhere to a strict regimen. Some patients have significant side effects. In addition to the therapy against the virus itself are preventive measures against opportunistic pathogens (so) extremely important.

* In exceptional cases, after exposure to HIV viruses (e.g. needle stick injury with infected blood) virus transmission are prevented by the immediate initiation of therapy. Because of the severe side effects of such therapy is, however, a contingency measure.

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More natural cures for disease

Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) is a natural healing spice traditionally used by both Indian and Chinese systems of medicine to treat inflammations and cure sprains. It contains a yellow pigment curcumin, an active ingredient that has been used for centuries.

The curcuminoids in Turmeric are a group of phenolic acids that have been found to have unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They retard age-related diseases by preventing free radical damage, inhibit the growth of cancer cells, protect the Liver from toxins, help to dissolve gallstones, and alleviate joint swelling.

Studies with HIV patients have shown that turmaric also has a beneficial effect in the treatment of AIDS.






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