h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is an entry on HIV-AIDS I wrote it to link in with another entry I wrote on Body piercing.

http://www.h2g2.com/A505487

Leanne

An excellent start, Leanne, but I believe you have only scratched the surface.
The first thing I did was perform a search for other entries on this topic, and was very surprised to find none edited.
There are other aspects of the AIDS tragedy which you have not touched upon, and I feel should be included.
Infected blood.
Children can "inherit" the infection through breast-feeding, from their infected mother.
The wife and child of Paul Michael Glaser {Starsky of Starsky & Hutch} both passed away, after Mrs. Glaser was given infected blood then unknowingly infected, breastfed her child.
You could also mention celebrities who have succumbed to this terrible disease.
I can think of Kenny Everett, Rock Hudson, Freddie Mercury, Liberace...just off the top of my head

I think the word should be "injecting" drug users;
Your last but one paragraph has no ending...
And, most importantly in my eyes, your comment about someone's testing negative repeatedly for the virus does NOT guarantee that they are uninfected.
The disease can be dormant for up to 6 months, at least that's what I think I heard.
Condoms deserve a mention here; surely the best protection from sexually-transmitted diseases, other than abstenance!

I remember the first case, a family with 2 haemaphiliac boys, as soon as they were diagnozed, their house was fire-bombed.
Such was the fear then.
Thank our lucky stars for education...

Add to your entry Leanne & I'll be back to review it again

Thanks for those tips Ill do some more research and amend the entry

I have made a few amendments to the entry anymore feedback is welcome

Bookmarking to read after I have finished greeting at the welcome mat.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A505487

New Link

HIV has a 3 month incubation period which means that take an HIV test is a two stage process the first test being followed by a second test 3 months later. During the three months between suspecting and being confirmed no one is certain of the outcome of the test. So very great care needs to be taken by anyone who suspects they may have been contaminated for quite a period of time (this is quite harrowing and worrying, especially if a new partner comes on the scene in the meantime).

Ive added your suggestion to my entry thanks for your help

Hard to believe that there's no Edited Entry on HIV-AIDS

I think that this could be the one. There are some minor typos, but the overall content of the Entry is very convincing. Well done!

Its shocking to realize that such a topic of world-wide importance has yet to have been covered by the Guide. Kudos for tackling such an important job!

A couple of comments.
1. There are several typos that need to be fixed.

2. There is some ambiguity in the area describing the symptoms of early AIDS and later AIDS. For example, "symptoms of people with the AIDS virus" is actually very misleading. People with the AIDS virus (i.e. HIV) may be symptomatic or not. It might be clearer to title this section differently.
It may be important to note that women's symptoms are frequently very different from men's. For example, frequent yeast infections are often a symptom for women. You failed to mention Karposi Sarcoma which is a very common ailment men with AIDS suffer.

3. It may useful to underscore the dramatic impact HIV and AIDS had had worldwide by citing the population studies which are available. The statistics for growth of the diseas in Africa, for example, is worthy of citation. A worthwhile note is that rates of infection are almost comparable among the African-American population in the USA and growing fastest among women of colour. Statistics and very informative articles are available on the U.S.' Center for Disease Control's web page.

4. At the most recent International AIDS convention, for the first time, some promising data was presented regarding an AIDS vaccine. While combination therapies have been the first real beacon of hope in physicians' and their patients' battle with this devastating disease, the progress several research groups have recently made in the arena of a vacine is really hopeful.

This is a daunting topic. I really commend you for undertaking it.
best,
Ariel

I nearly forgot!

Some useful links for further information would be a good addition! If you would like some suggestions I would be happy to provide a few.

cheers-
Ariel

Note taken when I have a spare 5 mins I will make some amendments

Hi, Leanne!

Are you still working on this one?

If so, here are some comments:

As far as testing goes, you actually need to get tested 6 months later after the first test to be sure, not 3.

Who is Freddie Mercury?

Your sentence on prevention:
No vaccine for HIV is available at this time......
Has some big grammar confusions, and is rathing difficult to read.

As far as the medications go -- I wouldn't bother mentioning them by name, it doesn't really add anything to the entry. There are also new ones licensed on a monthly basis. You also need to change the sentence where you say, "The taking of these combinations is to prevent the disease from progressing anymore and death." It incorrectly gives the impression that these drugs are 100% effective in preventing disease progression and death.

It's not referred to as "childhood inheiritance", but as "vertical transmission" (for scientists/doctors) or "mother-child transmission" (for lay people).

You also need to more thoroughly define the difference between HIV and AIDS.

AIDS wasn't acknowledged, it was detected.

The entry would also be greatly enhanced by some statistics and some links (as one of the earlier people suggested).

hope this helps some!


Mikey

Hey Leanne,

i've just stumbled across youe entry and first of all let me say congratulations on a great start. As many people out there know, this is a subject close to my heart and I have some feedback to give, most some of which will repeat what is said above, so forgive me in advance.

Fist of all, is Aids an epidemic? The rules governing what is an epidemic and what isn't is quite stringent, and i'm not sure whether HIV falls into this category throughout the world or not. (parts of Afric yes, Europe/USA I'm not too sure)

It might be worth mentioning that there are several strains of the virus - the western strains have been noted and analysed whereas many of the African/Asian strains are only now being looked at. The strain will also affect what combo of pills you take.

The issue of transmission through oral sex is a tough one - the jury is still out on that one. This may be a good place to look for links for and against this argument (I can email you with these if you like).

Under symptoms, mention thrush in the yeast infection part - it is usually the firsat noticeable symptom.


HIV is the virus that leads to full blown AIDS. It all has to do with T-cell counts.

A coma is ot a symptom, it is usually the result. The visible signs also include Kaposi Sarcoma - a kind of skin lesion - and body ulcers. It can also affect sight, balance, mobility - the list is endless and is dependent on the immune system of the patient.

In the section on Childhood Inheritance I would add web links onthis subject to allay any fears.

When you mentionthe pills, it is imperative to mention the side effects which can be devastating. Basically, the pills can make you exceptionally nauseous, give you crams and can feel worse than the illness itself. It can take months to get the correct balance. One thing I do remember is having to sort out Alex's tablets at the beginning of the week. he was given a tray marked Monday-Sunday and we had to fill up each compartment with dozens of tablets. it was a real hassle as some had to be taken before food, some after and some an hour after. it may also be worth mentioning the moral implications of medication. These medicines are produced privately and are very expensive - fine for the west, but how are developing nations going to afford them. Again maybe another link...

Although Freddie Mercury is worthy of a mention, Rock Hudson is a pivotal player in the history of the virus - many books ('And the Band Played' on by Randy Shilts is one) measure the history of the virus in terms of Pre- and Post Hudson. Before him, AIDS was a 'gay' disease. Rock was a man's man, hero to millions and also gay. He represented the epitome of 1950s masculinity and was dying of this disease. Why was he so pivotal - well he was a friend of the then President, Reagan. We usually help those who are closer to us.

One last thing is that if you think you have been exposed to the virus, you should abstain from all sexual activity until your test.

Hope that helps some and if you need any more help, I'm here

Cheers

Ashley

It might also be worth pointing out that it is possible to establish a loving lasting relationship with someone who is HIV+ and remain uninfected. All it takes is a little common sense

Further to my posts, here are a few links I found from BBC Online:


Vaccine Testing in Africa (Lots of links on page too)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/background_briefings/aids/newsid_275000/275411.stm#top

Babies, Aids and Breast Milk

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/background_briefings/aids/newsid_429000/429664.stm

What is Aids and What is HIV?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/awareness/worldaids.shtml#hiv

The Valley of Life or Death (Circumsion and Transmission)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/valley_hiv_transcript.shtml

Aids and Heterosexuals

http://www.bbc.co.uk/alert/spotlight/soc_0405_posit.shtml

An important entry to have. I'm not sure how relevant some of these points are, but still:

The AIDS virus is extremely ragile, and cannot survive outside of a host cell or at the correct temperature for more than a matter of minutes. I mention this as I recall several months ago a council worker scratched himself on needles that had been unused for several months, and yet he was not told this and had to go through the agonies of waiting for the (negative) results.

Carposis sarcoma is a very rare skin cancer, usually seen only in the elderly. It was the appearance of this on younger men that first alerted the medical community to the virus/disease.

"If you are worried that you may have contracted the HIV virus please do a test!." - no need for the full stop after the exclamation mark; the latter can act as the end of a sentence in itself.

"...significantly reduced to 1% infact." - rather suspect syntax, but that'll be picked up by the sub-ed, I'm sure, but 'in fact' is two separate words.

It is not carposis sarcoma but Kaposi's sarcoma (the guy was a Doctor called Kaposi)

Spelling: AIDS not AIDs

Some more links to go in depth would be great.

As a scientist I cannot get enough information, so obviously I am missing some lot of stuff here. On the other hand, people might want to know *briefly* what AIDS is and how to take precautionary measures, and not too much scientific chit-chat.

If there is need for facts, don't hesitate to ask me.

HELL

Yes, Leanne, a very important topic to write about, and I think you should include a bit more info. I will help - this is a topic that I'm interested in, I live in Africa where the disease is a big problem. You can get some info about the problem here on my userpage.

Hmmmmmmm.

We've had a long discussion about this article in-house, and we're not
convinced it's ready for picking yet. There are a couple of reasons for this: although quite a few people have commented on the article - either offering to help with the content or correcting some mistakes or misconceptions - Leanne hasn't touched it since March.

Also, because it's such a emotive topic, and one in which we can't really afford to spread misconceptions, we don't think it's quite ready for the Edited Guide.

The thread is now being moved to the writing workshop. It's certainly a great topic, but just needs a little more work. If anyone wants to help with it, that's where they can see it.