Clinton AIDS

 In his post-presidential life, Clinton has been rushing day-by-day to touch as many lives as he can. Among his countless organizations is one that improves AIDS treatment. Here he spoke at the International AIDS Conference. The National Geographic reports:

Mexico City--President Clinton addressed the International AIDS Conference here.

Reacting to the recent announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that there are 56,000 more new HIV infections a year than had previously been reported in the U.S., Clinton said: "For Americans, this should be a wake-up call. Even as we fight the epidemic globally, we must focus at home. And I intend to do so with my foundation."

Is it possible if he decided to devote his fame to one cause, he could help that one cause significantly more than all the proverbial pies he is trying to stick his finger in? Much like Al Gore dedicated himself to the spread of awareness for global warming, Clinton could create so much more help for individual causes. If he one day does decide to do so, hopefully he chooses AIDS. Then again, it's possible that he has enough fame for all the causes that he is promoting.

Tracking AIDS

 Theories of the 'quasi-origins' of AIDS are slowly coming around to prove true. The main theory, that AIDS traveled from Africa to Haiti to the United States are showing genetic truths. National Geographic reports:

HIV went directly from Africa to Haiti, then spread to the United States and much of the rest of the world beginning around 1969, suggests an international team of researchers. The findings settle a key debate on the history and transmission route of the deadly virus, the scientists say.

When AIDS was officially recognized in 1981 in the U.S., for instance, the unusually high prevalence of the disease in Haitian immigrants fueled speculation that the Caribbean island was the source of the mysterious illness. Another theory held that the AIDS epidemic spread from the U.S. in the mid-1970s after Haiti became a popular destination for sex tourism.

Scientists led by Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona, Tucson, tried to solve the puzzle by tracing back the family history of the virus subtype blamed for the epidemic in North America.

Although this news may not prove useful to an 'outsider' of AIDS at first glance, this has much genetic value behind it. It has been proven that a certain percent of the human population is immune to the HIV virus which triggers AIDS. If the spread of AIDS is genetically traced and these immune genes are identified, it could mean the end of AIDS as we know it.

Text Aiding AIDS

As AIDS continues to magnify its victim count, South Africa has turned to an unusual resource for help. Texting could be the future of AIDS treatment. Those who believe they have symptoms and those who have been diagnosed can text their questions and concerns to doctors for advice. National Geographic reports:

As South Africa reels from the HIV/AIDS epidemic, health workers are turning to cell phone technology to get the word out about testing for the virus. An ambitious text messaging campaign is expected to reach a million South Africans daily with information about HIV/AIDS counseling services and testing centers throughout the country.

The effort, called Project Masiluleke—which means "hope" and "warm counsel" in the South Africa's major language, Zulu—"is one of the largest ever uses of mobile phones for health info," according to Andrew Zolli, executive director of Pop!Tech, which helped coordinate and fund the project.

The initiative was announced this week at the annual Pop!Tech technology conference in Camden, Maine, and is expected to officially launch in South Africa next February.

This could revolutionize early treatment for the AIDS victim society. A simple quick text could prove life-saving, not only physically but mentally too. Many myths about treatment could quickly be put to rest by this new method, protecting many possible future patients. AIDS texting should be employed as soon as possible.

AIDS Vaccines To Improve In the Future

New York Times

An experimental AIDS vaccine tested on some 2,500 drug users in Thailand failed to protect them from becoming infected with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, the vaccine's developer said on Wednesday.

The poor results were widely expected because the developer, VaxGen Inc., said earlier that its vaccine had not worked in a larger North American study.

Two dozen other vaccines are being tested on 12,000 human volunteers, but none have advanced as far as VaxGen's.