NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20041212.waids1212/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/

If it is true, then this is amazing. It truly will be a great day when we find a cure for HIV. I'm actually smiling at this news.

EDIT: :)

Unfortunately I find it difficult to get overexcited about this. Even if it does work, most people who need it will not have access to the drugs. :(

Unfortunately I find it difficult to get overexcited about this. Even if it does work, most people who need it will not have access to the drugs. :(
Still better than no cure at all.

Silly, haven't you been to Africa? The cure for AIDS is to have sex with a virgin. Duh...

Not only that but...

Paralyzed women walks after stem cell therapy
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/041128/1/3ovex.html

and..

A Cure For Tuberculosis.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1102660599272400.xml

Pretty good times for sick folks, yes? ;)

Well it's just a matter of time until a decent vaccination happens or our bodies adapt to it. I mean ... 100 years ago, the flu wiped out 27 million people and don't even get me started on cholera ... but today these things are basically nothing.

I wonder what people will be saying about HIV in 100 years.

Silly, haven't you been to Africa? The cure for AIDS is to have sex with a virgin. Duh...
Easily achieved by generously paying their school fees for a couple of years first...

EDIT: Oh, and yes, I spent six months in a Tanzanian village this year.

Well it's just a matter of time until a decent vaccination happens or our bodies adapt to it. I mean ... 100 years ago, the flu wiped out 27 million people and don't even get me started on cholera ... but today these things are basically nothing.

I wonder what people will be saying about HIV in 100 years.
Well, different strains of the flu still wipe out thousands every year, although we've made strides there as well. Thanks for the link, Armed Bookworms.

Not only that but...

Paralyzed women walks after stem cell therapy
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/041128/1/3ovex.html

and..

A Cure For Tuberculosis.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1102660599272400.xml

Pretty good times for sick folks, yes? ;)

People don't seem to be seeing it.

Well it's just a matter of time until a decent vaccination happens or our bodies adapt to it. I mean ... 100 years ago, the flu wiped out 27 million people and don't even get me started on cholera ... but today these things are basically nothing.

I wonder what people will be saying about HIV in 100 years.
Unless you live in a developing country...

Equally, it could also be considered a matter of time until one virus mutates so that it can survive longer in the atmosphere, and spread like the common cold. Then we're all fucked.

Plus our bodies are not going to adapt to it (unless it wipes out nearly everyone and only a handful of people turn out to be immune - not beyond the realms of possibility, I suppose).

Well it's just a matter of time until a decent vaccination happens or our bodies adapt to it. I mean ... 100 years ago, the flu wiped out 27 million people and don't even get me started on cholera ... but today these things are basically nothing.

I wonder what people will be saying about HIV in 100 years.

It's only a matter of time before a similarly virulent strain of Flu emerges and starts killing large numbers of people again. We may get lucky and be able to contain the outbreak but there is no immunity against it.

Cholera it is still a killer but usually only occurs in the third world or after violent storms contaminate the water. We are not immune to it but our water treatment and readily available health care mean it has little to no impact in the western world.

There is already a vaccine to AIDS, but its the "beaten up virus" type of vaccine and the medical proffession are afraid to use it in the same way they were afraid to use the polio vacine.

Not only that but...

Paralyzed women walks after stem cell therapy
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/041128/1/3ovex.html

and..

A Cure For Tuberculosis.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1102660599272400.xml

Pretty good times for sick folks, yes? ;)

:/

There is already a vaccine to AIDS, but its the "beaten up virus" type of vaccine and the medical proffession are afraid to use it in the same way they were afraid to use the polio vacine.
It was the polio vaccine programme in the Belgian Congo that caused the crossover of SIV (the chimp version of HIV) from chimps to humans in the late 50s.

I know that's disputed, but the evidence is pretty overwhelming.

this could be so important but in a world where millions die every year as a result of dirty water i think we need to focus on creating basic standards for all of humanity and THEN look at how we can freely distribute this cure to the world. government corruption is more deadly than any virus.

It was the polio vaccine programme in the Belgian Congo that caused the crossover of SIV (the chimp version of HIV) from chimps to humans in the late 50s.

I know that's disputed, but the evidence is pretty overwhelming.

What I meant was that in the same way that people were afraid to use the polio vaccine on children, for fear it would give them the disease, so it is also feared that the AIDS vaccine will give people AIDS and so they are unwilling to use it.

Hey guys...

A Paralyzed Woman walks after stem cell therapy
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/041128/1/3ovex.html

A Cure for tuberculosis.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1102660599272400.xml

This is probably getting annoying to those who have read it, but I will stop when someone comments.

I don't like being ignored, as you can see.

What I meant was that in the same way that people were afraid to use the polio vaccine on children, for fear it would give them the disease, so it is also feared that the AIDS vaccine will give people AIDS and so they are unwilling to use it.
Except that the polio vaccine protects you for life, whereas the HIV vaccine would only work for a short period before the virus mutates (much like the 'flu vaccine).

Hey guys...

A Paralyzed Woman walks after stem cell therapy
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/041128/1/3ovex.html

A Cure for tuberculosis.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1102660599272400.xml

This is probably getting annoying to those who have read it, but I will stop when someone comments.

I don't like being ignored, as you can see.
I was all over the stem cell story when it came out a couple of weeks ago. Hadn't read the tb one, and afraid I have to go to work now, but I'll check it out when I get home.

this could be so important but in a world where millions die every year as a result of dirty water i think we need to focus on creating basic standards for all of humanity and THEN look at how we can freely distribute this cure to the world. government corruption is more deadly than any virus.
You can't tackle one without the other - seriously, poverty and HIV go hand in hand.

You can't tackle one without the other - seriously, poverty and HIV go hand in hand.
That's great news! It's about time.
TW, that's bad news, but it's the truth.
What's also sad is how long this drug will take to hit the market because of regulation. I think they might make an exception in this case (if it turns out to be as successful as expected). I'd hope they would.
I'd also hope that the large number of grants and charitable donations would then go towards the people effected by this disease.

That's great news! It's about time.
TW, that's bad news, but it's the truth.
What's also sad is how long this drug will take to hit the market because of regulation. I think they might make an exception in this case (if it turns out to be as successful as expected). I'd hope they would.
I'd also hope that the large number of grants and charitable donations would then go towards the people effected by this disease.
The best way to tackle HIV is a combined attack of education (to stop people getting it in the first place), and medication for those who are already infected.

So the news about the drugs is great, but it's only half the story. On the education front, wonderful things are being done, but on a nowhere-big-enough scale.

Well it's just a matter of time until a decent vaccination happens or our bodies adapt to it. I mean ... 100 years ago, the flu wiped out 27 million people and don't even get me started on cholera ... but today these things are basically nothing.

I wonder what people will be saying about HIV in 100 years.
do cholera and the flu attack white blood cells...

It was the polio vaccine programme in the Belgian Congo that caused the crossover of SIV (the chimp version of HIV) from chimps to humans in the late 50s.

I know that's disputed, but the evidence is pretty overwhelming.
Hmm, yes and no. It may be the cause of HIV-2, the more prevalent one, but HIV-1 was probably caused by the butchering of monkeys by bushhunters for food and subsequent blood contamination by open wounds on the hunters or undercooked and bloody meat.

Hmm, yes and no. It may be the cause of HIV-2, the more prevalent one, but HIV-1 was probably caused by the butchering of monkeys by bushhunters for food and subsequent blood contamination by open wounds on the hunters or undercooked and bloody meat.
Oh, I thought there was just one strain in humans. My bad.
There's about 40-60 or something in chimps, I think. The strange thing is, we can't fight off SIV, but they can fight off HIV.

If you accept that idea that it's only a matter of time before we're able to cure most diseases (the solution only being a technical one amenable to research), then it won't be long (well, maybe not in our lifetime) before you'll be able to have sex with anyone you like, whenever you like, with no disease worries.

Won't that be a hoot?

Ah, now nature itself won't be able to stymie personal freedom. And I bet that some overly religious types might want to stop funding for cures like this.

Oh, I thought there was just one strain in humans. My bad.
There's about 40-60 or something in chimps, I think. The strange thing is, we can't fight off SIV, but they can fight off HIV.
Actually there are known cases for some strain of HIV before the 1950's which may or may not have been 2. But then, the same strain may have been introduced into the human race more than once.

Actually there are known cases for some strain of HIV before the 1950's which may or may not have been 2. But then, the same strain may have been introduced into the human race more than once.
The whole hunters issue though is questionable - these hunting practices go on for hundreds of years and only recently does HIV get passed to us? Hmmm...

The issue of how it arose though is not the most pressing issue. It really pissed me off when I was volunteering with SPW in a Tanzanian village this year. Whenever this issue came up it inevitable degenerated into an oh-so-hilarious debate about whether a man had sex with a female chimp, or a woman had sex with a male chimp. Without fail the men would come to the latter conclusion.

The worst occasion was during our workshop with the teachers. It managed to eat up into all our time on non-formal education and corporal punishment.

Not to give the impression that my time there was a complete waste, of course - we achieved a lot, it just got frustrating at times.

The whole hunters issue though is questionable - these hunting practices go on for hundreds of years and only recently does HIV get passed to us? Hmmm...

The issue of how it arose though is not the most pressing issue. It really pissed me off when I was volunteering with SPW in a Tanzanian village this year. Whenever this issue came up it inevitable degenerated into an oh-so-hilarious debate about whether a man had sex with a female chimp, or a woman had sex with a male chimp. Without fail the men would come to the latter conclusion.

The worst occasion was during our workshop with the teachers. It managed to eat up into all our time on non-formal education and corporal punishment.

Not to give the impression that my time there was a complete waste, of course - we achieved a lot, it just got frustrating at times.


It could have been worse. You could have been working for Save The Children, or had the blue helmets wandering around...

It could have been worse. You could have been working for Save The Children, or had the blue helmets wandering around...
Why would Save the Children be particularly bad?

Why would Save the Children be particularly bad?

Probably the most corrupt organization I have ever been exposed to.
Having seen the corruption first hand, and seen the children on the other end who are barely benefiting from the largesse, I find the South Park parody of their operation to be a generous interpretation.

Books have evidently been written about the subject.

Ever seen children being beaten to stand for publicity photos?

Ever seen children being beaten to stand for publicity photos?
Only on Drop The Dead Donkey.

On the UN, I don't like to slag them off too much - they're only as effective as the big nations want them to be. It's ultimatelt the big nations who decide where to go, and then pull out when a couple of soldiers get killed, leaving badly-equipped soldiers from smaller countries. Then we turn round and blame the UN for fucking up. Disgraceful.

Only on Drop The Dead Donkey.

On the UN, I don't like to slag them off too much - they're only as effective as the big nations want them to be. It's ultimatelt the big nations who decide where to go, and then pull out when a couple of soldiers get killed, leaving badly-equipped soldiers from smaller countries. Then we turn round and blame the UN for fucking up. Disgraceful.

Can't say that about Rwanda. They had enough Belgian troops to stop it, the authority to act, and Kofi Annan personally made a deal with the leader of the Hutus to keep out of it. Under the guise of "negotiation". The Belgian commander was forbidden directly by Annan to do anything.

After the US first went to Somalia and restored order (not the second time, which was a mess, but another story), the UN took over with a huge force of Pakistanis. They promptly let Aidid do anything he wanted, including starve 300,000 people to death.

There were plenty of soldiers and armor there to stop Aidid. You're just not going to find a lot of Pakistanis (and Italians, who were friendly to Aidid) willing to tell him what to do.

Interestingly, when we went back with the Rangers, Clinton acceded to UN demands that we not heavily arm the force (so no armor). When we went on that ill-fated raid, the Italians warned Aidid that the helicopter force was coming. Which is why roughly 3000 insurgents were waiting when the Rangers got there.

No, it's not just the big nations that screw up the UN. Even the little ones have their special interests, and it makes it impossible.