HIV In The News from THE BODY dated 17 September 2009

New "Report Card" Finds HIV Drug Industry Doesn't Make the Grade

Abbott Laboratories: F. Roche: D. Boehringer Ingelheim: D+. If the nine major HIV drug companies were in school, most would probably be in detention, according to a new "report card" issued by the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition (ATAC). ATAC graded the drug companies in five different categories, including fair pricing and their relationship with the HIV community. Some did alright -- Merck & Co. and Tibotec both got B's -- but most didn't fare as well. In this one-on-one interview, we get the nitty-gritty on this telling report from longtime HIV/AIDS journalist and activist Bob Huff, a member of ATAC?s board of directors. (Article from TheBody.com)

Dear Elton John: You're Too Gay and Old to Adopt an HIV-Positive Boy. Signed, Ukraine

It's a sad day when an HIV-positive child is stuck in an orphanage, unlikely ever to be adopted. However, the Ukranian Family, Youth and Sports Minister Yuriy Pavlenko apparently felt confident in rejecting singer/songwriter Elton John's bid to adopt a 14-month old HIV-positive boy named Lev. After all, Elton John didn't meet the criteria: He was neither legally married (he's in a civil union) nor young enough, according to Ukraine's rules. Pavlenko seemed to care little that the adoption would transform Lev's life and perhaps spur other people to adopt HIV-positive children in resource-poor countries. (Article from TheBody.com)

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HIV+/AIDS In The News ( II )

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The following has been clipped from the daily briefing of The Body: News and Views 3 September 2009
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HIV IN THE NEWS ( II )

Removal of U.S. HIV Entry Ban Is Not Yet A Done Deal, Activists Say

Isn't the discriminatory ban on HIV-positive people entering the U.S. gone yet? Back in July, the U.S. government issued new proposed rules that would lift the ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants -- but only after a public comment period took place. That period ended this week -- and the comments have overwhelmingly been for lifting the ban. However, a few state and local governments still support mandatory HIV testing for immigrants, leading some advocates to warn that the battle to remove the ban may not yet be over. (Article from Housing Works)

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HIV+/AIDS In The News ( I )

Edward Kennedy via last.fm

The following has been clipped from the daily briefing of The Body: News and Views 3 September 2009
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HIV IN THE NEWS ( I )

Mourning the Loss of Senator Edward Kennedy

The outpouring of tributes continues from people in the HIV community who knew U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, who passed away late last month. "What was clear to me ... was how much he genuinely cared about fighting -- and winning -- our battle against the AIDS epidemic," recalls Kevin Robert Frost, the chief executive of amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, in this touching eulogy. "When Senator Kennedy took over the leadership of the Senate Committee on Health in 1987 and made AIDS the committee's top priority at a time when there was still so much stigma surrounding the disease, he took a political risk that few politicians would have been willing to take." (Article from amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research)

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In memoriam martyres. . . requiescant in pacem.

mage via Wikipedia

OF INTEREST . . .
Today, 29 August, 2009, is the 20th anniversary of the death of my younger brother Gerard from complications due to HIV+/AIDS.  The map above shows the disbursement of the pandemic.
OF NOTE . . . . . . .
The pandemic continues, not only in Africa, but throughout the world, even here in the United States.
OF COURSE . . . .
Don't forget to pray for the angels, or the angels will forget to pray for us. ( - Leonard Cohen )

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The following have been clipped from POZ 09/2009 Feedback: ___________________________

OF INTEREST . . .

No mention of curbing homophobia? That’s one of the biggest roadblocks to [HIV] prevention and care and universal access. The government has stated that [homophobia] is a huge driver of HIV infections, but [it has] not done anything about it. We must call for a federal campaign against it to curb HIV transmission in all populations. - Andy from Berkeley, CA

OF NOTE . . . . . . .

Let’s quit throwing money away on pie-in-the-sky notions and start improving the lives of people who are living with [the virus]. Perhaps the most important step is to create some sort of health care mechanism by which all people living with HIV are not automatically expected to be poor in order to qualify for lifesaving programs. - David from Laramie, WY

OF COURSE . . . .

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