Sock Puppets

This my friends is an old idea that needs to come back into the spotlight of arts and crafts.
Today my Greek Professor decided we needed some motivation to study. Seeing as how we were already 3 minutes past the bell and the subject was on studying more...no one was too let's say enthusiastic about staying longer.
My professor then preceded to pull a large blue table cloth from his satchel and cover the front table. After which he crouched be hind the cover and two animated white tube socks appeared.
I cannot even describe with written words how humorous it was to watch the two "Greek students" Gallant and Goofus interact with fervor about studying Greek (even over Thanksgiving Break).
But that got me thinking.
When I was oh so little Nanny and I used to LOVE to make sock puppets.
Heroic ones, silly ones, ones with one eye (mostly because we ran out of google eyes)
It was an art we perfected, or as perfect as a 3 year old could make.
Before I left for college my mom pulled out a box of old stuff--like mothers usually do--and inside was a few sock puppets I had made. It was awesome! I had forgotten how much I loved gluing little felt ears to a long white tube sock and calling it a bunny.
In fact I think I will make some over Christmas Break!
Pictures to come!

Beating Homesickness

So let's talk college.
It seems appropriate. I mean New school, New life, New friends, New blog.
Well I'm currently sitting in the study room on the Fourth Floor of Brentano--a.k.a B-4--because Dimi (my new best friend who will probably be mentioned a handful of times later down the road) is on the phone with her mother.
She was supposed to go out tonight for a change of scenery and food (actual non-cardboard-tasting food) when a sudden overwhelming dose of homesickness hit.
I don't consider myself an expert at reading emotion but when she came into the room I could see tear streaks on her face and she was holding back another round of tears. I felt helpless. I didn't know what to do except give her a giant best friend type hug.
But...now that I'm sitting by myself in a small concrete walled room...well it's starting to hit me too. I miss my family. I miss my mother, my father, my sisters, and even my kitty.
I've been here approximately three months--a lifetime for me. The longest I have ever gone without my family is three weeks when I went to stay with my aunt and uncle in Pennsylvania one summer.
So instead of wallowing in sadness all night I decided to think of ways to overcome homesickness.
Results:
1. Tea
While that initial dose of depression hits boil some water add a chamomile tea bag let seep for three waves of sobbing add a teaspoon of honey and let the steam and warmth melt away the feeling of isolation.
2. Food
I'm not encouraging you to eat your emotions. Instead think of your favorite home-cooked meal and head to the store. Fix it up because hey you deserve a little motherly touch to dinner.
3. Friends
Invite friends over so you are alone. Having people around will remind you that you do have people that love you and are here for you.
(This step may be applied to Step 2. Having people over for dinner will make the night more enjoyable. I recommend asking each person to cook their favorite home-cooked dish and share with each other)
4. Hot Water Bottle
Yes. Go out and buy one if you don't already have one. Besides being great for relieving pains such as a headache or cramps, it also can act as a comforter. Snuggle up next to one of these loving pockets of warmth and all night long you will feel loved.
Four easy steps. I'm not the kind of person who like complexity so four is all you need (Believe me I've tested it out on more than one occasion).
Just remember that Christmas Break is only seven weeks away. A blink of an eye. Or at least it's nice to think so. All I have to do, and Dimi as well, is hold on until Christmas Break and then I can sidle on into the loving hugs I know I will receive from my family when I see them at the airport on December 15.

Together As ONE

Today I decided to take on the task of addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic sweeping across Africa.
Heavy I know.
But this isn't just completely random. I have been working on this topic for an assignment in my PSCI 160 course...or more normally known as International Relations.
The prompt goes something like this:
Pick a controversial international topic and write a position paper. You are limited to five (5) pages.

Well holy cow. Is there even a definite number on how many controversial issues are out there in the world? Probably something like 7 with 15 zeros following. With that plethora being available to me...I chose HIV/AIDS.
Why?
Well I have this thing for Africa. Especially for the issues in Africa. When looking at schools I almost decided to go into the medical field just so I could help with HIV/AIDS research. It's such a huge issue but so many people neglect to realize that it affects each and everyone of us in one way or another.
The main question now, though, is how to stop it. And instead of rambling on repetitively I will just insert my paper and let it do the talking for me. Also I highly recommend going to One.com to create your own quilt square to show the world how united we are against AIDS. Enjoy!

Attacking Both Ends: Treatment as Prevention in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

In her article “Leaving Denial Behind, South Africa Ramps Up AIDS Fight,” Celia Dugger quotes, African native, Michel Sidibe, as saying, "In my village, when we want to kill the snake, we don't hit the tail, but the head." Sidibe is the executive director of Unaids, the United Nations AIDS agency, and the snake he alludes to is the HIV/AIDS pandemic attacking the 33 million men, women, and children across the globe. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has swept across all continents, affecting, as well as infecting, millions of people. Africa is the leading nation in diagnosed HIV cases consisting of 22 million of the 33 million HIV/AIDS cases (Bearak). Many organizations have realized serious implications of this issue and have taken action. The question the world faces now, however, is whether treatment should be emphasized over testing and prevention in combating the AIDS pandemic in Africa.

         When the world came to terms with the fact that this outbreak was killing a high percentage of the inhabitants of Africa, and infecting thousands more daily, the medical field took action to help treat those who were infected. However, South Africa, in particular, while under leadership of President Thabo Mbeki, was still resisting the idea that this disease was taking control. Barry Bearak in his article, “Even with Prevention, H.I.V. to Spread in South Africa,” writes, “South Africa is in the midst of a rapid expansion of its AIDS programs, attempting to overcome years of denial and delay when former President Thabo Mbeki questioned whether HIV caused AIDS. He suggested that antiretroviral drugs were harmful, and his health minister recommended remedies of beet root and garlic” (Bearak). South Africa was not yet ready to admit that such a horrible disease, incurable by traditional, natural methods, could be infecting the country, but once the country came to acceptance under a new president, Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe, the AIDS awareness and prevention groups kicked into gear--especially the United Nations General Assembly. Their approach was to slowly eradicate the disease through the treatment of those who were currently infected. The United Nations funded treatment research and facilities with most of the funding coming from other countries--the United States being the highest donor giving $620 billion (Bearak). 

One of the approaches to treatment was antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). Ian Sample, in his article, “Worldwide Drug Drive ‘Could Wipe Out AIDS,’” writes, “In general epidemics, a person with HIV infects between five to ten others before succumbing to complications of AIDS. Treating patients with ARVs within a year of them becoming infected can reduce transmission tenfold, enough to cause the epidemic to die out” (Sample). The idea was that if patients took ARVs on a regular basis, as prescribed, the levels of the virus would fall by 10,000 times to a level at which it would be unlikely for those patients to pass on the disease (Sample). 

The only problem with this plan was that a majority of infected people do not have access to ARVs. Scientists measure that only 12 percent of infected patients are receiving the drugs .  Experts estimate that, in order to fund this treatment, the world will have to spend at least $30 billion a year to fund the treatment of AIDS  (Sample).

         Because of the unavailability for treatment and the high cost involved, many people believe that prevention is key in eradicating this disease. Many scientists and organizations have dedicated their time and money into finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. After years of research three different tactics emerged as the most effective for prevention--financial aid, a vaginal gel, and antiretroviral drugs. The first two were put into clinical trials as recently as 2010. 

The first examination was that of the financial aid. Under the funding from the World Bank, 1,900 uninfected women were given up to five dollars a month for staying abstinent. Another 1,900 uninfected women were given no financial stimulation but were encouraged to stay abstinent. After 18 months data concluded that 1.2 percent of the paid group had contracted HIV in comparison to the 3 percent who received no money (Maugh). The studies concluded that financial aid stimulation has high potential in preventing unprotected sex and reducing the percentage of HIV contractions each year. 

The effects of a new vaginal gel containing a microbicide proved similarly successful. This gel placed control into the female’s hands. She could now make the decision to use protection without the consent of the male, whereas before it was up to the man to consent to wearing a condom or not (Maugh). The odorless, colorless gel, distributed in a plastic applicator, contains one percent of the antiretroviral drug tenofovir. The husband and wife team of Drs. Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Salim S. Abdool Karim organized the clinical trials at the Center for the AIDS Program of Research in Durban, South Africa. Half of the 889 sexually active women received the gel with the microbicide and the other half received a placebo. They were instructed to use the gel 12 hours before they expected to engage in sex and 12 hours after. To monitor compliance the researchers collected the plastic applicators. The husband-and-wife team reported that the test reduced new HIV infections by 39 percent and genital herpes--which can lead to HIV--by half. The drug however would have to yield an 80 percent success rate before being approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States (Maugh). 

Out of the three preventative treatments, the most common and most effective course of action has been through antiretroviral drugs. Accidental pregnancies are common in Africa as is the spread of HIV from mothers to babies in the birthing process. To prevent the baby from contracting HIV during vaginal birth, the mother is given a single pill and a syrup for the baby. This process reduces HIV transmissions by more than half (Timberg). The only drawback to this process is that “studies show that only about one in ten infected African mothers has access to the drugs” (Timberg). Because this lack of access severely limits the success of HIV/AIDS prevention, Africa has taken action to make the drug more available. To get the movement started, “The government has trained the hundreds of nurses now prescribing the drugs--formerly the province of doctors--and will train thousands more so that each of the country's 4,333 public clinics can dispense AIDS medicines” (Dugger). The availability of this procedure will reduce the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child ten fold. By preventing HIV/AIDS the need for treatment will be eliminated.

         Although treatment and prevention have proven effective as means of curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS, the third and best option for controlling the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a method known as treatment as prevention. Ideally, as more people receive treatment, the lower the transmission rates become and eventually the disease will die out, thus preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Through the use of Antiretroviral Treatment this ideal can be achieved. Antiretroviral drugs do not cure HIV; rather, they repress the amount of virus in the blood to help boost the infected host’s immune system and ultimately aid in recovery. The idea of Hyper Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) uses a combination of three or more antiretroviral drugs to suppress the virus level in the blood to a point that it is no longer transmittable. In order for the process to be effective, the patient must take these pills daily for the rest of his or her life. To lessen the burden of this process, scientists created fixed-dose combinations--multiple antiretroviral drugs combined into a single pill. There are currently eight classes of antiretroviral drugs based on the phase of the retrovirus life-cycle it inhibits; the levels range from entry into a cell to the final stage in gag processing. 

The debate, however, should not be whether treatment or prevention is more prevalent. It should not be a question of whether to kill the snake by attacking the head of the snake or the tail of the snake, but rather a decision to attack both ends at once. This is the effectiveness behind treatment as prevention. Enough time has been wasted on debates over which end of the snake is more vulnerable--both ends are lethal. Instead coming at the snake from both ends will lead to its death sooner. The people currently living with HIV/AIDS should not just be treated to help deal with symptoms or lessen pain; they should be treated to lessen their pain as well as to protect future partners from contracting HIV with by use of antiretroviral drugs. If the levels of the virus in their blood stream are reduced to low enough numbers, the victims cannot transmit the disease to others. 

In many areas in Africa, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, women fall victim to this disease at a higher rate than men because they have little to no say in sexual relations. Sub-Saharan Africa is among the leading regions with the highest rate of rape. Many times a woman is forced into heterosexual relations without a chance to defend herself. Many times this copulation takes place without contraception. Many times this act results in the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and many times the conception of a child. When it comes time to give birth, the odds of the mother passing the disease on to her child double. By treating the mother with antiretroviral drugs in her third trimester of pregnancy, she is less likely to infect her child in labor, thus saving another life from being infected with HIV/AIDS. Correspondingly, the majority of statistics comes from areas without access to adequate facilities. By making these drugs available to the isolated regions, the number of cases and deaths by HIV/AIDS would fall exponentially. The focus of time and money the world spends should not be on treating victims or preventing future cases; the world’s money and time needs to be spent on treating victims to prevent future cases and thus weeding out the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Already so much time has been lost on nonsical debates. It is time to move rapidly forward. The debate should no longer be over whether treatment or prevention is more effective. The focus should be on treatment as prevention. As the world has become more aware of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and has seen the its damaging effects, international organizations and medical communities are rallying to fight against it. The most effective way to battle back against HIV/AIDS is to use treatment as prevention. Treating victims now means time, money, and lives saved in the future.

WORKS CITED

Bearak, Barry. "Even with Prevention, H.I.V. to Spread in South Africa." New York Times. 20 Nov 2010: A.9. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Oct 2011.

Dugger, Celia W. "Leaving Denial Behind, South Africa Ramps Up AIDS Fight." International     Herald Tribune (Paris, France). 27 Apr 2010: 5. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web.            17 Oct 2011.

Maugh II, Thomas H. "2 Tactics May Slow HIV in Africa." Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles,     CA). 20 Jul 2010: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Oct 2011.

Picard, Andre. "AIDS Parley Stresses Treatment As Prevention." Globe and Mail (Toronto,   Canada). 04 Aug 2008: A7. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Oct 2011.

Sample, Ian. "Worldwide Drug Drive 'Could Wipe Out AIDS'." The Guardian (London,        England). 22 Feb 2010: 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Oct 2011.

Timberg, Craig. "'Best-Kept Secret' for HIV-Free Africa." Washington Post (Washington, DC).          16 Dec 2007: A26. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Oct 2011.