HIV/AIDS Some interesting Facts

Imtiaz Hafiz

Liaison Officer BMSS

Shaheed Monsur Ali Medical College

Prevalence

HIV is the world’s leading infectious killer.

Geographically, the worst AIDS epidemic is in sub-Sahara Africa, with approximately 65% of all cases located there. Almost 90% of children with HIV live in sub-Sahara Africa.

1. Where it came from?

HIV-1 strain made the leap to humans but the cause is never known; The most simple and plausible theory as to how HIV was transmitted from monkeys to humans is called the “Hunter Theory,” or “Bush Meat Theory.” In this scenario, the virus was transmitted in the 1930s from an ape or monkey to a human in Africa when a hunter or bush meat handler was bitten.

AIDS COMICS!!!

Hemo-Goblin was an HIV positive vampire used by a white supremacist group to infect minorities with the disease. He manages to transmit HIV to the ambiguously gay superhero Extrano before dying of AIDS himself, mercifully within a single issue of the comic.

Earliest CaseThe earliest confirmed case of AIDS in humans comes from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was identified from a preserved tissue sample from 1959.

Patient Zero

French Canadian flight attendant GaetanDugas (1953-1984) is notorious for being identified as “patient zero” for AIDS in the U.S. Dugas claims to have had over 2,500 sexual partners across North America.

Celebrities with AIDS

Plenty of famous people have succumbed to AIDS, with personalities as diverse as tennis star Arthur Ashe to Queen frontman Freddy Mercury. Perhaps the most famous case of a celebrity with HIV is Magic Johnson, who regularly appears on television sports panel shows, looking healthy despite living with HIV for over twenty years.

Intentional Infection

In the South African prison system, the dreaded “Numbers Gang” uses rape by AIDS infected inmates as punishment.

News of HIV Cure 1

The story of Timothy Brown is particularly hopeful; Brown had lived with HIV for over a decade. When he was diagnosed with leukemia, doctors gave him a bone marrow transplant, wiping out his full supply and then using marrow from a donor with the AIDS fighting mutation. Today, Brown appears free of HIV. Any trace of the disease he might have cannot infect his cells.

News of HIV Cure 2

In Mississippi, a baby born to a mother with HIV was apparently cured after being aggressively treated with antiretroviral drugs shortly after birth. The child is now nearly three years old, with no signs of infection

Bangladesh AIDS Scenario

With the latest figure, the government recorded people living with HIV stood at 3241 since the first case was detected in 1989.

In 2012, the new HIV infections were 338 while the number of patients with AIDS was 103. Some 65 patients died of AIDS last year.

HIV/AIDS in the Movies

1. Philadelphia

2. An Early Frost

3. A Mother’s Prayer

4. With Time Comes Progress

The case of Unusual Transmission!!!

There has been only one recorded case of transmitted HIV through open-mouthed kissing. This was between an HIV-infected man who had severe gum disease and his partner who also had severe gum disease

Previous names of AIDS

The CDC at one point had named AIDS the “the 4H disease” because it seemed to affect Haitians, homosexuals, hemophiliacs, and heroin uses. The general press used the term “GRID” which meant “gay-related immune deficiency." In 1982, the CDC started referring to the disease as AIDS

Some awkward facts!!!

1. In Botswana, life expectancy has dropped from 65 to 35 years old due to AIDS

2. AIDS is the most studied disease in history

3. South Africa has more people with HIV than any other country in the world, at 5.9 million.

4. South and Southeast Asia is the second most affected area. This region has around 4 million cases, or 12% of the population. Nearly 2.4 million of these cases are in India

Awkward facts (cont.)

5. Over 900 children become newly infected with HIV each day globally

6. Every 9.5 minutes, someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV.

International AIDS Society

The International AIDS Society is the world’s leading independent association of HIV professionals. A global movement of people working together to end the HIV epidemic, applying scientific evidence and best practice at every level of the HIV response.

http://www.iasociety.org/

International AIDS Conference

The International AIDS Conference, the world’s foremost international conference on HIV and AIDS, provides a critical platform for presenting new research, promoting dialogue and building consensus to advance the global response against AIDS. www.aids2014.org/

What Can we do as a Medical Student?

• Close the location gap—find out where the gaps are in your city or country.

• Close the education gap—get involved with and support a local AIDS organization.

• Close the HIV prevention gap

• Close the gap—full respect for human rights

• Close the gap—no more stigma

SCORA!!!!!!!

SCORA Transnational Projects

“Daphne” was created to launch a huge campaign against sexual violence to increase the knowledge awareness and effectiveness of prevention of violence. The project is addressed to medical students (future doctors) to prepare them for the correct response towards the issue of family violence.Transnational CoordinatorAnna SzczegielniakIFMSA – Poland

SCORA!!!

“Female Genital Mutilation” (FGM) awareness project is founded to fight against harmful practices that lead to serious damage and complications to mutilated females. This project is working in most of the poor developing countries due to religious and

cultural beliefs.Transnational Coordinator

Basant El-Banna

IFMSA – Egypt

THANK YOU