The Bracelets are in!

Have you been seeing posters around Western campus that say only POSITHIV? Have you been wondering what it means? Well, here's your answer! The slogan, printed on posters and bracelets, was developed first and foremost to support Western Heads East, but also to peak curiosity and get people asking questions about AIDS.

The red bracelets are selling for $4 each. If you're interested in buying one keep your eyes peeled on campus, or post a message here and leave your email address.

Buy a red bracelet and support a great cause.

AIDS: The Philanthropic Black Hole

The Tsunami and September 11th. Both of these are undoubtedly great causes that are deserving of the donations they have received from philanthropies, corporations and individuals alike. But where is AIDS? Why does AIDS seem to be left off of the philanthropic map?

One huge difference exists between the AIDS epidemic and the Tsunami and September 11th. The damages left behind by the latter are definite. There is a clear beginning and end to both 9/11 and the tsunami. Eventually the infrastructure will be rebuilt, the people will return back to their jobs and homes, life will go on as normal, and the money will no longer be needed. This, however, does not apply to AIDS. The current situation requires a tremendous amount of money, and this tremendous amount of money in no way, shape, or form gives us any promise of a solution. There is no way to see when a solution will finally materialize, and when huge donations will no longer be required. Instead AIDS is a more of a black hole; an area where donors watch their money get endlessly sucked in, and see nothing immediately come out in return. Perhaps this is why AIDS is so often left off the agenda when it comes to philanthropy. Despite being the world’s biggest killer, it fails to turn up anything when searched on the majority of the major foundations websites. Why would a foundation choose to donate to a cause that fails to provide immediate results? Why put your money into something when your ego won't be stroked for doing so? Why put your money into something that will seemingly never end?

All of this begs a very important question. What is the agenda of these foundations and corporations with these huge sums of money? If they were altruistic and truly concerned with the good of mankind, then why not put your money towards something that, per day, terminally infects 5 times as many people as were killed on September 11th?

Ignorance

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1871

Please read the linked article.

The article, "Who's to blame for Tsunami and AIDS death, 2004?" is likely one of the most ignorant viewpoints I have ever come across regarding AIDS, homosexuality, and sexuality in general. The author argues that those who have AIDS are personally responsible for their infection, and that in order to stop the epidemic we should quarantine those "...who participate in homosexual sex, share needles in illegal drug use, and have promiscuous heterosexual sex ...".

This is nothing short of American ethnocentricity, disinformation and outright ignorance. A cursory glance at global AIDS statistics shows that AIDS is largely affecting women. The AIDS epidemic is far more serious outside of the US and in Africa where the vast majority of cases exist, and where (in some places) girls are up to 3 times more likely to contract HIV and AIDS. Quarantining gay men and "promiscuous" homosexuals in America would barely dent the AIDS epidemic. What about babies who are born with AIDS? And what about the women who are contracting AIDS through sex crimes? And what about the uneducated who aren't aware of the risks? Unprotected sex puts people at risk, not homosexual sex. AIDS as a gay disease is an outdated and ignorant idea that is perpetuated by disinformation.

This article begs many questions. Firstly, how does the author define "quarantine"? It is a euphemism, and a very obvious one at that. Quarantining AIDS patients and those at risk for becoming infected means cutting them off from the rest of the world until they die. Secondly, even if somewhere in this terribly flawed argument she could prove that AIDS patients are personally responsible for their infection, where does she plan on putting 40 million AIDS patients, plus every drug user, gay man, and sexually promiscuous person in the world?

The dissemination of disinformation regarding the AIDS epidemic has potential to do great damage. There is an overwhelming amount of ground to be covered before any noticeable improvements are made in the AIDS epidemic, and these ignorant stereotypes are moving us in the wrong direction. We need to worry about saving lives and not about passing judgments. It is imperative that we very quickly get away from the notion that AIDS is a Western gay man's disease. We have no right to judge a person based on his or her sexual orientation, and we especially have no right to blame AIDS patients for their infections. This goes beyond incorrect information; it is dangerous disinformation.

Women, AIDS and Western Heads East

Increasingly women are making up the largest group of AIDS victims. While AIDS was historically considered a gay disease, the present day state of AIDS demographics begs to differ. Almost half of all AIDS patients worldwide are now women. What is more far more striking is the AIDS prevalence in African girls. In parts of sub-saharan Africa, girls are almost 3 times more likely than boys to become infected, and 3 out of every 4 already infected children are girls.

Young women are especially vulnerable to AIDS. Lack of education regarding safe sex practices, an inability to demand safe sex practices resulting from socio-economic conditions, rape and sexual abuse, combined with a greater physiological susceptibility to the virus, puts women at a much higher risk than men. While AIDS preventation for all is absolutely necessary, there needs to be a special focus on women.

Western Heads East (WHE), as mentioned below, is one group taking on such an initiative. WHE is currently in Mwanza, Tanzania doing their part in AIDS prevention, especially in women. By means of a probiotic yogurt (see below), WHE is helping women to fight AIDS. The yogurt creates and maintains a level of vaginal acidity that creates an environment hostile to the HIV virus.

Women are quickly outnumbering men in AIDS infections. It is imperative that women are given the means to protect themselves, and WHE is doing just that. Please help them in continuing doing so. If you go to Western check around campus over the next couple of weeks for 1+1=positHIV posters, and come out the UCC and buy a red bracelet for $4. If you're not from Western worry not. You can make a donation through the WHE website: http://www.uwo.ca/hfs/housing/westernheadseast/make_donation.htm

It's a great group for a great cause. Do your part by helping WHE do theirs.

The AIDS vaccine - What's happening?

Never has there been a greater need to halt AIDS in its track. While a threat to humanity at large, AIDS is also a huge threat to world development. About 90% of all new AIDS infections are in developing countries. Money, resources, and lives are being sucked in by the AIDS virus in countries that are so desperately in need of the basic necessities of life. Improving the standard of living in poorer countries is proving to be very difficult with such a high AIDS prevalence.

While education regarding safe sex practices is helping to slow down the AIDS epidemic, it is certainly not stopping it. An AIDS vaccine is absolutely necessary in turning the AIDS epidemic into history. And it seems quite feasible. On average it takes an entire decade for the HIV virus to develop into full blown AIDS. This indicates that the human body has some sort of ability to fight off the AIDS virus. A successful AIDS vaccine will capitalize on this ability.

So what is being done? What steps are being made to stop AIDS before it starts? Animal testing of vaccines are showing preventative qualities, and while animal testing does not always translate to people, it does provide some hope. Several possible vaccines are in the process of human testing, most recently in China.

If you are interested to donating please give to the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI): http://www.iavi.org/viewpage.cfm?aid=23

For more information:
http://www.iavi.org/
http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/03/13/china.aids.reut/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4243209.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4318001.stm
http://www.ihv.org/research/vaccine.html

1+1=positHIV

1+1=positHIV: Putting positive solutions in the hands of individuals.

Communication. There is no more effective tool in keeping a population informed, and no more effective tool in being proactive about an epidemic as large as AIDS.

That's the basis of the WHE fundraising offshoot, 1+1=positHIV. The fundraiser will consist of a bracelet campaign with the phrase printed on red bracelets. The bracelets and "1+1=positHIV" campaign are intended to reflect the personal emphasis of the WHE project, with the 1+1 remarking the importance of personal communication.

Look for 1+1=positHIV posters around campus in the coming week, and the bracelets in two weeks. They will available of Western campus for $4.

WHE, the interns and the people of Mwanza, Tanzania need your help. Support WHE - put a positive solution ON your own hands. Buy a bracelet!

The AIDS Epidemic: Western on the Move

AIDS has become ubiquitous in the past decades. We hear so much that it's over-looked more often than looked-over. Western Heads East (WHE), a group at the University of Western Ontario, is trying to change this. In an effort to promote awareness and be proactive about AIDS preventation, WHE has sent 2 interns to Mwanza, Tanzania; an area devastated by AIDS.

The vehicle for the project is an unlikley one: yogurt. The probiotic form of yogurt that is the basis for the WHE project is thought to have a disease-fighting bacteria beneficial to the preventation of AIDS. In a nutshell, the probiotic yogurt being used by WHE has an additional bacteria not found in regular yogurt. When ingested, the probiotic variety creates and maintains a high level of vaginal acidity, thereby creating an environment hostile to HIV. It may ultimately prove to be a very effective tool in preventing the disease. The interns currently in Mwanza are teaching the population about the uses and benefits of probiotics, and are creating a sustainable program that will be in existence long after the WHE interns return home.

The interns and WHE are hoping to make a difference not only in Mwanza, but also in the university community at Western.

For more information on probiotics:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10442011

For more information on Western Heads East: http://www.uwo.ca/hfs/housing/westernheadseast/events.htm