Friday, March 30, 2012

Study finds HIV 'superinfection' boosts immune response:

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 
Contact: Kristen Woodward
kwoodwar@fhcrc.org
206-667-5095






reducetheburden.org: We don’t even begin to know what to do when the mainstream begins to openly commit public suicide, but cheer.
From PLoS Pathogens, and a cancer research group in Seattle, we now have the following theory:
Have sex with as many HIV positives as possible, to protect you from…yes, that’s right. HIV.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Bedrock of vaccination theory crumbles as science reveals antibodies not necessary to fight viruses

NaturalNews Ethan A. Huff, staff writer


While the medical, pharmaceutical, and vaccine industries are busy pushing new vaccines for practically every condition under the sun, a new study published in the journal Immunity completely deconstructs the entire vaccination theory. It turns out that the body's natural immune systems, comprised of both innate and adaptive components, work together to ward off disease without the need for antibody-producing vaccines.

No Antibodies Required For Immunity Against Some Viruses

medicalnewstoday.com
A new study turns the well established theory that antibodies are required for antiviral immunity upside down and reveals that an unexpected partnership between the specific and non-specific divisions of the immune system is critical for fighting some types of viral infections. The research, published online in the journal Immunity by Cell Press, may lead to a new understanding of the best way to help protect those exposed to potentially lethal viruses, such as the rabies virus. 

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Magic Johnson-sponsored ‘Free HIV testing’ van: Ask for a package insert?


Are you a slave? Does the government have the right to tell you who you can mate with? Do they own your body? The bodies of your children?
Are you a slave?
And, what are you shopping for today?
I approached the Magic Johnson-sponsored ‘Free HIV testing’ van, in the Fort Lauderdale mall parking lot, and asked the HIV testing dude if I could see a package insert for the magical test.  This is the technical instruction and legal disclaimer; the limitations of the medical device – the antibody test.
The HIV testing dude gave me a bit of paper – a PR sheet. I handed it back, and asked again for the test insert. He looked blankly, and handed me the same sheet. He did this twice, and tried a third time. I said, “Don’t give me that paper again – I’m asking for a package insert.”
He eventually gave up, and asked the foreman to come talk to me. A 50-something gay dude came out, and gave me a booklet – the package insert. I opened it, and found the language, as it always appears -
*No, we fooled you, suckers  – this is not really a test for hiv…*
  • “The Clearview Complete HIV assay is intended for use as a point-of-care test to aids in the diagnosis of infection… This test is suitable for use in multi-test algorithms designed for the statistical validation of rapid HIV test results.”

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Kary Mullis' next-gen cure for killer infection

Drug-resistant bacteria kills, even in top hospitals. But now tough infections like staph and anthrax may be in for a surprise. Nobel-winning chemist Kary Mullis, who watched a friend die when powerful antibiotics failed, unveils a radical new cure that shows extraordinary promise

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Hillary Clinton: “Not A Communicable Disease That Is Of Significant Public Health Risk.”

By  

Wikileaks Cable: US Gov. Ceases HIV Testing Visa Applicants and Calls HIV infection “Not A Communicable Disease That Is Of Significant Public Health Risk.”



This is a cable from the Office of The Secretary of State dated 16 Dec, 2009, published at WikiLeaks, following Cablegate. It states that on Nov 2nd, 2009, HHS/CDC published a “Final Rule in the Federal Register that will remove HIV infection from the list of communicable diseases of public health significance and remove references to HIV from the scope of medical examinations for aliens.” The Final Rule went into effect on January 4, 2010. A quote from the cable reads:
“The CDC determined that while HIV infection is a serious health condition, it is not a communicable disease that is a significant public health risk for introduction, transmission, and spread through casual contact. — We refer you to the CDC for further guidance.” 
The cable was signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.


Truth Barrier Editor Celia Farber will be discussing the significance of this cable with a panel of guests on her new show “Radio Free Science,” on PRN (ProgressiveRadioNetwork.com) on Friday March 16, 3 pm EST. Please tune in.  To comment, visit The Truth Barrier.


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RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITY 1506
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 STATE 128614 

Friday, March 9, 2012

Condoms In Porn: Common Sense Or Overreach?

Who makes the better argument?

Steve Hirsch
Founder, Vivid Entertainment
Vivid's entire business depends on the health and safety of our performers. We make that a priority and our methods have proven effective. 
The California Department of Public Health says that between June 30, 2008 and June 30, 2011 there were 6,447 new cases of HIV reported in L.A. County; of these, only two were adult entertainment performers. Both likely contracted HIV in their personal lives and there was no evidence of transmission of HIV during that time period while they were working in the industry.  There have been over 340,000 adult scenes shot since 2004, with zero transmission of HIV.  

We make sure that we test all of our performers for both HIV and STDs before they engage in any sexual activity in our movies.  Our performers rightfully demand and expect that everyone is tested and we fully agree.  Additionally, performers are constantly educated on how to avoid getting HIV and STDs.
This makes it even more puzzling why the Los Angeles City Council let itself be stampeded into passing an ordinance that has questionable value and potentially disturbing implications on a variety of fronts. This happened as the result of a publicity and lobbying campaign launched by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation that was based on data an expert called "fatally flawed."

In fact the adult industry in Los Angeles has long been in the forefront of preventing and reducing sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. And we've always offered performers the option of wearing condoms if they choose, no questions asked.
According to an Associated Press report, condoms may be effective against the AIDS virus, "but data for their effectiveness against some other STDs is surprisingly spotty."
And yet, AIDS Healthcare Foundation claims this is a public health and safety issue, alleging that actors in the industry infect others.  This is blatantly false! In fact the adult industry has a better record than like populations when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). But, the adult industry is an easy target for the AHF, which has skewed facts to back up assertions made during its campaign to have this ordinance enacted. An expert in epidemiology and biostatistics, Professor Laurence S. Mayer, M.D., Ph.D., says the data AHF relied on was "without basis in science, including epidemiology. Therefore, the conclusions, analysis and advice in these three presentations should be discarded." 

Apart from the fact that the ordinance tries to solve a problem that doesn't exist, the regulation would most likely have the unintended consequence of driving film production either out of the area or underground. The productions that would remain would likely be made by more marginal producers that would simply ignore the high safety standards the industry has already established.
According to a Feb. 21, 2012  L.A. Times article, the adult industry has provided "10,000 to 20,000 jobs annually to actors, makeup artists, camera crews, caterers and the like."  If the industry is forced out, many of these jobs will disappear. As a result the City will no longer earn significant revenues from permits and other taxes.
Dealing with how the City of Los Angeles can enforce regulations that are virtually unenforceable will lead to the predictable new committee tasked with solving the unsolvable. What does the City intend to do, deploy a battalion of Condom Police?  

The City most likely will need to defend the inevitable lawsuits that will stem from this government overreach -- wasting even more time and money. The City is currently facing an ongoing budget shortfall estimated at $150 million to $200 million in the next fiscal year. It makes no sense to focus on a problem that does not exist.

Our experience is confirmed by the fact that many of the leading performers in the adult industry have publicly declared that they feel safe with the system currently in place. And, why not?  With no transmissions of HIV within the industry in eight years, the program is clearly successful.  The L.A. ordinance is an example of government overreach, of regulation without knowledge, guided by misinformation and misplaced morality. 
Bottom line: the ordinance is a bad idea.  The City government, in the middle of a true budgetary crisis, has no business regulating sexual behavior between consenting adults, intervening into how films are produced, or invading our bedrooms -- real or pretend.

Michael Weinstein
President, AIDS Healthcare Foundation
The subject of condoms in porn can elicit giggles. People are embarrassed to admit they consume porn and by and large don't want to think about the consequences to the performers who they are watching. However, safety in porn is an important issue.
The knee jerk reaction of some is that consenting adults should be able to have unprotected sex if they want to and that we are seeking to control people's behavior. This is wrong on several counts. First, if people want to record themselves having condomless sex and show it to the world that is their right. However, when the people get paid to do it then they are employees and entitled to the same workplace protection that all other workers receive. Second, these performers if they demand that condoms be used will not get work and are therefore being coerced into compromising their own health.
Thousands of performers have been infected with thousands of STDs over the last few years according to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. That is not a small issue. Porn is the only industry in California where employees are forced to expose themselves to dangerous diseases in order to work. These performers are not disposable.
As important, is the effect that the films themselves have on public health. The fact that most straight porn is made without condoms sends a horrible message that the only kind of sex that is hot is unsafe. Some object that talking about the "educational" aspect of porn is a form of censorship. They make the analogy to Hollywood films that portray violence and say that it is wrong to try to control the content of art -- agreed. However, in Hollywood the violence is simulated. In porn, real actors are having actual unsafe sex with other actors and actually infecting them with HIV and other STDs, and the audience knows it.
The reason why the U.S. has higher rates of all STDs and unwanted pregnancy than other rich countries is that we are hedonistic in our behavior and moralistic in our attitudes -- which is a lethal combination. In other words, we keep telling people not to have sex but we are obsessed with it and use sex to sell everything.

Porn is a legal industry in two states -- California and New Hampshire. (It is illegal prostitution in the other forty-eight states). We are not opposed to pornography. We simply want it to be safer. State law in California prohibits the making of adult films without condoms under the blood-borne pathogen standards that were developed for health care settings. The California Occupational Health and Safety Administration (CalOSHA) is developing new regulations specific to porn. Porn producers have openly flouted the law knowing that CalOSHA has limited ability to police them. That's why we need a team effort between the city, county and the state to bring about safer working conditions in this industry.
Almost 71,000 citizens of Los Angeles signed petitions to place an initiative on the city ballot. As a result, the City Council adopted the law. Now more than 120,000 Angelenos have signed a county petition.  Getting the signatures has not been difficult. People of all ages, races, men and women, Republicans and Democrats understand that this is a simple issue of worker protection and fairness.
The porn producers will squeal that they will move out of town. Who wants them? They will say that the audience doesn't want to see condoms. Well, the vast majority of gay porn over the last 25 years has used condoms and that industry thrives. We will continue to fight as long as it takes to make this industry safer in the same way that we fought against treating gay men, drug users, or Africans as expendable. AIDS activism has eventually succeeded in everything that it puts its mind to over three decades. This will be no different.

The porn performers are real people. They are the sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, aunts, uncles and cousins of people who live in our community. They deserve better as does the public health at large.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

AIDS Cure Quest Advances as Merck Cancer Drug Attacks Hidden HIV

here is the key part of this Article:
"While no patients were cured,"
Are people just this blind? tested on 6 people and shows promise ..promise of WHAT?
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Phil Serafino at pserafino@bloomberg.net
To contact the reporter on this story: Simeon Bennett in Geneva at sbennett9@bloomberg.net

The 30-year quest for an AIDS cure advanced as scientists succeeded for the first time in attacking HIV in its hardest-to-reach hideouts with a cancer drug made by Merck & Co.
In a trial among six men with HIV, researchers led by David Margolis at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill used a dose of Merck’s Zolinza to rouse the virus from inside certain immune-system cells, where it evades regular AIDS drugs. That’s a crucial step toward eliminating the virus from the body. The findings were presented at a conference in Seattle today.
While no patients were cured, the trial shows that Zolinza, or similar drugs, may have the potential to purge the virus, Margolis said. He said he expects to hear from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration within “a couple of weeks” on approval for an additional test using more doses of Zolinza.

HIV pill for prevention debated as FDA ruling nears

By Deena Beasley www.reuters.com

An advocacy group concerned about costs and possible health problems related to a drug being considered to help stop the spread of HIV infection to healthy people has asked U.S. regulators to delay or deny its approval.
Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration on the grounds that studies have shown that the pill, Truvada, made by Gilead Sciences, is only partially effective in preventing transmission. The drug is already approved to treat people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Return Your HIV Diagnosis Now

Reposted from reducetheburden.org
RTB: The OMSJ has made it easy for you to turn in your false HIV diagnosis. Please read their article on “Erasing HIV’s Scarlet Letter,” and download the “Differential Diagnosis” forms, linked at OMSJ.org and below.


Erasing HIV’s “SCARLET LETTER” [Link]

1. Your first letter reminds your doctor who you are.  It should contain short questions about a) the tests he used, b) how the diagnosis was made, and c) the kind of response you seek.
BY CERTIFIED MAIL
(RECIPIENT) David Jones MD 123 Main Street Anywhere, MASS 00001
Re: HIV diagnosis of patient Michael Smith, (DOB: 5/28/72) Dear Dr. Jones: As you will recall, I visited you on (DATE/DATES).
At that time, you told me that I was “HIV Positive” which, as you might expect, was devastating. Although I had no reason to question your diagnosis at the time, I am no longer confident that your diagnosis was accurate. In fact, I don’t recall that you or anyone else ever conducted a diagnosis.
Please tell me what test or tests you used to diagnose me as HIV-positive.
I respectfully request that you respond to this letter within 2 weeks, so that we can set up a meeting to discuss the test and your diagnosis.
Sincerely, Signed/Name/Address

If you are asked to come in for a visit, do so – and bring a recording device.  During your visit, turn it on and lay it in plain sight so that both sides will know that the conversation is being recorded.
In some states and countries, it is illegal to secretly record someone.  If the device is sitting in the open, it should not violate any laws.  If you’re not sure, turn it on and say clearly that you are recording your conversation “because what they will say is important and you don’t want to misunderstand anything they’ve said.”  If they refuse, leave the recorder on and re-state that they want the recording device off.  Then leave the clinic, go home and write another letter.
If the doctor happens to respond in writing and identifies the test used, you’ll probably find the test in this list.  If he doesn’t identify it, pick one test, and ask if he used that test.  Mail your certified letter.
Your follow-up letters should ask exactly how he conducted his diagnosis.  He should explain exactly how he ruled out each of the 100+ conditions that are known to “cross-react” to HIV tests – conditions that include flu, tetanus and hepatitis shots, pregnancy, colds, the flu, physical injuries, and so forth.  Your doctor should be able to list ALL OF THE KNOWN CROSS-REACTIONS and explain exactly how he ruled out each one.  If he fails to answer this simple test, it suggests that he did not conduct a competent diagnosis.
Just as a policeman must rule out gunshot wounds, stoke, diabetic shock or other ailments before arresting someone for drunk driving, your doctor must identify and all of the known conditions that cause false positive test results and explain exactly how he ruled them out.
Your objective is to pin down the doctor.  Don’t let him play “hide the penny” with you.
Once you’re satisfied that your first letter and follow-up questions have been answered, move to second letter.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

New diseases that can indicate HIV risk revealed

Let just say everyone has the "HIV" virus and be done with it?
New Delhi: A European HIV initiative has suggested that a number of new diseases should be included on the list of risk indicators for persons suspected of carrying the virus.

HIV in Europe, a pan-European HIV/AIDS initiative coordinated from Copenhagen, said heterosexuals in Europe are at risk of carrying HIV for so long that they remain undiagnosed until their immune system begins to fail, and they fall ill.



An international study led by the initiative shows that diseases, including herpes zoster and certain forms of cancer, should be on the list of indicators for having HIV, which in turn could prompt health care professionals to suggest an HIV test to their patients.

This could aid in earlier diagnosis and treatment of HIV, which attacks and weakens a patient’s immune system, the initiative said, and help improve European response to treatment and care of HIV patients, English.news.cn reported.