Fighting HIV/AIDS One Community at a Time

Government health officails are undertaking a bold new strategy, 'test and treat', to stop the spread of AIDS by testing almost all the adults in a specific community and treating the infected. The three year study is focusing on two communties affected by AIDS; the District of Columbia and the Bronx. The purpose of the study is to test whether or not it can work in treating the disease on a national level.
As many as five percent of the people in D.C are living with AIDS, a rate paralleled to that of West Africa, and as many as half who are infected are unaware of it. Nationally, about a quater of those infected are unaware of it. However, the hardest part, according to Angela Fulwood Wood, deputy director of Family and Medical Counseling Service, is getting those who are found positive to recieve medical attention. In 2006, only half of the D.C residents newly diagonsed with AIDS recieved medical treatment for the virus within six months.
Researchers are currently meeting with health officails and medical experts in D.C. and the Bronx to make HIV testing a standardized part of routine doctors visits, clinics, and ER's. Some doctors, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have suggested having testing areas set up at non medical locations, such as WalMart.
The 'test and treat' study is just one step towards the overall goal of using medicines to prevent HIV. Medicines can also reduce the level of the virus in the blood of those already infected.
I think this 'test and treat' study is a step in the right direction towards preventing, treating, and ultimately curing the AIDS epidemic. It is high time that the government undertake this medical predictament and help the victims of the disease. I think having testing booths set up at places like WalMart is a good idea in theory, but people may be embarassed to be tested in such a public setting. However, this feeling is caused by how our society views people with AIDS; namely, they are often outcasts and treated as though they should be seperated a safe distance away from the uninfected. Although I understand where this fear might orginate, it is important to educate the public more throughly on AIDS, so that getting tested will be more routine to the upcoming generation rather than an embarassment. Also, talking to schoolchildren, especially in areas where AIDS is most prevalent, about prevention methods, i.e. condoms and birth control pills, is probably one of the most important steps the government can take towards making AIDS a thing of the past.

Here is the article:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27hiv.html?hp

Nurse Encourages Suicides Via Chatroom

A nurse from Minneapolis, William Melchert-Dinkel, is accused of going in chat rooms on the Internet, and pursuading depressed people to kill themselves. He is currently being investigated for two deaths, pushing the limits of the First Amendment. Investgators said the nurse drew the people in through fake compassion and then offered step by step instructions on how to commit suicide. Legal experts say the prosecution in this case will have a difficult time framing Melchert-Dinkel, as he did not physically kill anybody. He seemed to express no remorse, stating he has "moved on" with his life. The Minnesota Board of Nursing revoked his lisecene and revealed that Melchert-Dinkel confided to a fellow nurse that his profession honed his knowledge of how to effectively commit suicide.
Although I think this guy is a bad person and should have his liscene permantely revoked, he can't be charged with murder, as he himself did not physically kill anybody. However, he might he charged with conspiring to kill someone, as he had a hand in someone's death. The First Amendment, which reads- "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances"- does not exactly address this particular issue. However, he should be reprimanded in some way, and should never be allowed to work in a hospital again. I think a good punishment would be to have to face the families of the deceased, and tell them what he did and why he did it. This is better than jail, because it will humiliate him and hopefully instill some much needed shame for his actions.

Here is the article:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/us/18suicides.html?_r=1&ref=technology

The Hype of Exercise

The media constantly bomboards us with the notion that exercise is not only essential for losing weight, but for staying healthy as well. But how much scientific truth is really in said notion? Although its benefits are overexaggerated, it can, in moderation, reduce the risk of diabetes in people that are already at risk, and it may reduce the risk of breast, colon and heart cancer. However, exercise alone will not sustain weight loss, nor will it reduce blood pressure or cholestorol.
As far as heart disease, the evidence is mixed. It proved more effective in those who went from being non active to moderately active more than in those who exercised intensely. But all evidence is subjective, as those who are healthy tend to be different in risks and how their bodies handle disease than those who are not.
It is important to note that active people tend to not smoke, they eat healthier and have a lower percentage of body fat. The article states they also tend to have a better education, which is essential in knowing how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, it is hard to determine if excerise specifically is the main factor in preventing heart dieases and other ailments, or if it is just the overall lifestyle of a healthy person, which goes beyond physical activity. This anomoly also applies to breast, colon and heart cancer as well.
As far as the weight loss and exercise realtionship, lifting weights will build muscle, but will make you burn little to no calories. A study at Texas A&M University found that in men following a rigid weight lifting program, they only ended up bruning 24 more calories a day.
In order to sustain a healthy weight, lower blood pressure, and reduce cholestorol levels, one must diet and eat healthier to make a benefical difference. One's diet is the most essential part in determining whether or not they can maintain a healthy body, as is whether or not they smoke, drink alochol execcsively, or use drugs. Moderate exercise, coupled with not smoking or doing drugs, and drinking alochol at most sparingly, are the foundations for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, not crazy exercise programs.
I agree with this article, as this is not the first article I have read stating that exercise is a lot of hype. However, to say that people who smoke tend to be less educated is an overgeneralization; many college students, myself included, smoke and are educated, although it is certainly unhealthy. Eating right and refraining from substance abuse is the only surefire way to sustain a healthy body.

Here is the article: http://health.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-exercise-ess.html

New Plan in Chicago to Stop School Violence

Derrion Albert, a 16 year old from Chicago, was beaten to death last month by rival South Side gangs, neither of which he was a member. He was the third to die violently this academic year, and 67th since 2007. However, the new chief officer of public schools in Chicago, Ron Huberman, has a plan to help a potential 10,ooo victims increase their chances of survival, and it doesn't involve more security technologies or guards; it involves statistics.
Financed by a federal grant for two years, the 60 million dollar plan uses an analyasis of over 500 students killed over the last several years, to detect any patterns as to similar traits between the students, andwhen and where they students might be attacked. While other big city school districts like NYC have stepped up secruity, this appraoch will give potential victims paid jobs and an advocate they will be able to call 24/7. Also, police will be keeping a sterner watch over the streets kids take to school, looking for signs of gang activity in and around school areas. This new approach will be the first of its kind used in Chicago.
Some parents, who fear for their childrens lives, are angered that only 10,000 out of the 410,000 students that make up the public school body will get special attention and resources for the city. And this is not the first time some type of new plan or strategy has been brought to Chicago schools, most of which have obviously failed. Also, the security budget for schools in Chicago, which is currently 55 million dollars, will be lowered to about 30 million.
Futhermore, it is not just the school that is the troblue; it is the whole South Side neighborhood. Over 85 percent of students who attend public schools in this area live in poverty. Recently reinvigorated gang wars, in part due to the termination of many public housing projects, leaving tenants without a home, have caused a number of the violent deaths of these students. However, many deaths were not gang affliated.
Unfortunately, this is a solution that came too late for Albert, a football player in the honor roll. Although I don't personally agree with the selectivity of the new plan and the cutting back of the sercurity budget, it is a good plan in the sense it will keep certain students off the streets and doing something productive with their lives. I also think the idea of an on-call 24/7 advocate is a good idea not only for physical safety reasons, but for the student's peace of mind. It is a tough issue to deal with, but I believe Huberman and other officials should think about not only maintaining and possibly increasing security measures, but help to foster a different attitude and lifestyle in the poorer communities. Perhaps borrowing from socialist ideals, the neighborhood could have a communal food or shelter pot, where the community helps itself, and create a more soild sense of brotherly love and respect in a city that desperatley needs it.

Here is the article link:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/us/07chicago.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp