According to this article, HIVers who take ARVs can expect to live
forever, or at least "indefinitely."
<http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=515374>:
----- Begin Quote -----
Clinicians and scientists who work in the field of HIV/AIDS have been
witness to a transformation in disease management that is virtually
unprecedented in the history of medicine. Notably, anti-retroviral
drugs (ARVs) now enable HIV-infected individuals to survive
indefinitely with good quality life. In contrast, people who became
infected by HIV during the 1980s and early 1990s commonly suffered
rapid disease progression and died.
----- End Quote -----
It's worth reading that last sentence again.
Most of us can probably recall images from the 1980s of thin, weak,
people dying horrible deaths. But did, what we call, HIV really cause
that? There seems to be something very different about 'HIV' from the
1980 and 'HIV' today. As mentioned in this article, back then people
diagnosed with 'HIV' "suffered rapid disease progression." That's
certainly not the case with modern day HIV.
Many people may argue that ARVs are the reason for this difference,
however that argument is flawed. The HIVAIDS industry is constantly
talking up HIV numbers and produces "estimates" rather than real
numbers. We're told that millions of people have HIV and don't
realise it. Is that really the sign of a virus that leads to rapid
disease progression and death?
----- Begin Quote -----
....physicians now often proclaim that HIV disease has been converted
into a chronic manageable condition, and that the use of ARVs to
prolong life is akin to the use of insulin by diabetics or
anti-hypertension medications by people at risk of coronary disease or
stroke. There is a growing consensus that the new crop of ARVs can
even be used to stop the multiplication of viruses that have developed
resistance against earlier generations of ARVs and that all patients,
including those who experienced previous treatment failure, can now be
saved. This consensus is sup****ted by the fact that numbers of deaths
attributable to HIV disease have drastically dropped since the
introduction of the first successful combination regimens for
treatment of HIV/AIDS in the mid 1990s.
----- End Quote -----
Do HIVers adhere to their medication regimes? Most find the
side-effects of the drugs so horrendous that they don't stick to the
strict timetable of pill popping. 'Treatment holidays' are common
amongst HIVers, often without doctor's knowledge. Many HIVers are
badgered into starting drug plans by doctors and 'caring' family and
friends, but quietly flush the horrible pills down the toilet. I have
personal experience of being shut away in a room with a doctor telling
me I'm going to get ill and die if I don't start popping HIV pills. It
takes a lot of courage to say no to these people.
----- Begin Quote -----
However, it now appears as though these successes may be responsible
for growing numbers of new HIV infections among gay men, intravenous
drug users and disadvantaged individuals. HIV practitioners must now
confront the reality that success in ARV development has led to
complacency in regard to high risk ***ual behaviour, that, in turn,
has resulted in steep rises in numbers of new cases. As an example, a
recent re****t in the Wa****ngton Blade, a magazine that caters to gays
and lesbians, highlighted that HIV infection rates among gay men have
shot up by 30% or more during the last five years in the United
States, a stark contrast to the significant drops in numbers of HIV
infections that were seen in gay male populations between the
mid-1980s and mid-1990s.
----- End Quote -----
So what happened to the 'anyone can get HIV' message? Why is HIV
confined to the same groups of individuals--gays, drug users and
blacks--that it always has been? Isn't HIV simply an excuse for
homophobia, racism and demonising 'anti-social' activities?
--
<http://www.hiv-poz.co.uk/>
4,871 days and counting...
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