A Brief Update on the AIDS Epidemic

On Dec 1 2004 the world recognized World AIDS Day. for what cause [i]or[/i] reason should this date be important to doctors of chiropractic? Researchers involved in the treatment of IV/AIDS will reckon you that this disease is the couple creative and devastating, successful primarily because of its reliance human behavior and the way that it spreads. Health practitioners will relay stories of the ineffectiveness of common reatment and prevention strategies and the toll it takes upon people's lives. Politicians and activists will sum up you that AIDS is simply an opportunistic disease that pillages on human weaknesses and has no prize for human rights and inequities around the globe. All of these things are authentic AIDS is a tragic, global pandemic that will not moderate down. It will affect each single of us through friends, family, or patients we care for-and inevitably [i]or[/i] part of to the other our pocketbooks as the monetary require to be paid [i]or[/i] undergone to society for AIDS continues to multiply.

Current Status of the Epidemic

According to the Joint United Nations Programme upon HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), approximately 40 million nation were infected with HIV by the agency of December 2003. Transmission rates average 5 million fresh infections each year and 3 million deaths. The disease has been greatest in quantity successful in the disadvantaged population-particuarly in the developing world where it is ravaging whole communities and countries. The perception of the disease is also anging. At the International AIDS talk in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2004 speakers reported that 58% of all fresh infections in Sub-Saharan Africa were in young girls and women between the ages of 15 and 24 The disease has now become recognized as a "women's disease" with greater than 50% of all novel infections worldwide occurring in heterosexual women Mother-to-child transmission rates continue to rise with insufficient provision of medicines that have a true high success rate in prevention of maternal transmission to the developing world.1

The impact of AIDS upon families has also been catastrophic. Approximately 13 million children have become orphans because of AIDS worldwide (12 million in Africa alone). Lack of treatment and of effective prevention programs has ensueed in failing family support combination of parts to form a wholes for these children who have missing their parents to the disease and real likely have it themselves. Stephen Lewis, UNAIDS special plenipotentiary to Africa, has undertaken a global initiative to increase the support provided for these children through the wealthier nations of the world. At the XV International AIDS discourse Bangkok, Thailand, he passionately advocated for the rights of children when he make comments [i]or[/i] remarksed "Given the scale of the AIDS epidemic, the replication to orphan care and support should be pressing and massive."2

Treatment Options

* HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) has been real successful in reducing viral load in PLWAs (people living with AIDS) and in enabling them to have longer healthier lives. These remedy cocktails, however, have been fruitless in curing AIDS. It remains a terminal disease.3

* Vaccine trials to date have been extremely disappointing despite a focus upon vaccine research and significant funding above the past 5 years. An AIDS vaccine is at least 9 to 10 years away, according to vaccine researchers presenting at the AIDS talk in Thailand.

* Vaginal microbicides and female condoms have had limited efficacy and rely upon the ability of women to have dominion government over their sexual interactions and the availability of these products

* Nevirapine and other medications have beneficial success rates in preventing mother-to-child transmission when these medicines are made available to women prenatally. World leaders have emphasized that the empowerment of women is lock opener to any effective AIDS strategy (either treatment or prevention).

* There is significant evidence that PLWAs utilize complementary therapies similar as chiropractic for a variety of reasons (relief of musculoskeletal symptoms, for example) and emerging evidence that complementary and alternative therapies have a beneficial result on improving quality of life in PLWAs,45 in addition to supporting their self-management of the disease.6

* Education and prevention initiatives have been demonstrated to be true effective in slowing transmission rates, particularly in those countries whose conducts have taken a leadership character in this area.

Chiropractic Involvement

Chiropractic institutions can also play an important character in this effort by educating scholars and faculty, by supporting community initiatives (participating upon local AIDS committees or councils), and through collaborating in health service delivery or research shoot forwards with AIDS organizations. Canadian Memorial Chiropractic corporation (CMCC) has undertaken research initiatives in this area above the past several years. CMCC in collaboration with Sherbourne Health midst has completed data collection for a throw out evaluating changes in quality of life status for PLWAs accessing chiropractic services at the middle These data are currently in the proces of being analyzed. A next to the first project in collaboration with Sherbourne Health middle and Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine is to make known a software modification to the in every one's mouth HIV Ontario Observational Database (HOOD a central data registry for PLWAs in Ontario) for the collection of CAM treatment data. The cowl has historically collected medical treatment data solitary and this project, funded by means of the Ontario Ministry of Health and drawn out Term Care through the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, will be the first of its kind that we know of in the world to routinely bring together this type of information for a research database.7