The A Word

We've Moved! AIDS Calgary becomes HIV Community Link

2014-02-27T11:13:00.001-07:00

On December 1, 2013 AIDS Calgary Awareness Society became HIV Community Link.

The rebrand brings to a close over twelve months of introspection and evaluation. The new name connects our geographic locations and puts our work at the center of helping people; linking and connecting to prevention, support and advocacy services. The new organization honours AIDS Calgary’s past, the agency founders, their tenacious spirit, and the loss experienced by people living with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones.

The rebranding process included community consultation, key informant interviews, online surveys, environmental scans and most importantly, consultation with our clients. This change is not just about a new logo or website, but also a reorganization of programs to best meet the changing needs of our clients.

We couldn’t have reached this point without your support and involvement, and we aren’t stopping now. We are committed to keeping you connected as we lead the way in HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C awareness and support for all regions we serve.

Please take a moment to visit our new website www.hivcl.org where you'll find our new blog!

For more information email info@hivcl.org

Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week

2013-11-20T20:33:00.003-07:00

It was one of the hardest groups we had to talk too. The group of aboriginal high school students sat quietly in their seats. Few made eye contact and looked down at the HIV/AIDS literature I handed out around the circle. I often found it easy to hand out literature during the condom demonstration because many of the students found it embarrassing or difficult to watch a condom being put on a wooden replica of a penis. The biggest success was that no one left the room, one or two had enough courage to ask a question in regards to HIV/AIDS transmission, most quietly sat or giggled. After the barrier demonstration the most important part of our presentation began, the story from an aboriginal person living with HIV.

Bill had been living with HIV for 28 years. Now 72 years old Bill still had a drive and determination to talk about his story to the aboriginal community. Bill always express that there was a need to talk about HIV, especially when there was an increase in HIV diagnosis in the aboriginal community, mostly with youth and women. Bill also enthusiastically shared his story for the Strong Voices graphic novel as one of the four true stories of aboriginal people living with HIV.

We had been doing HIV presentations together for about a year. Every time we had a group Bill always manage to end the session with his favorite motto, “It’s not negative to be positive”.

I work with the Strong Voices Aboriginal Program for AIDS Calgary, and Bill has been an active member in the HIV/AIDS Community long before I joined the AIDS Calgary crew. For the first time AIDS Calgary will be hosting a Strong Voices Gathering in recognition of Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week, Bill has accepted to tell his story at the gathering.

In partnership with Tipi of Courage (Red Cross) and the Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiative, Strong Voices will be hosting a gathering on Thursday December 5, 2013 at the Coast Plaza Hotel.

There are various events and activities happening across Indian country in recognition of aboriginal people and HIV/AIDS which could be seen on the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network website www.caan.ca. The goals for Aboriginal AIDS Awareness week include:

· Increase awareness and knowledge about HIV/AIDS.

· Establish ongoing prevention and education programs in Aboriginal communities.

· Address common attitudes that may interfere with prevention, care and treatment activities.

· Reduce HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. (Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network)

Other speakers include Pam Heavy Head (Tipi of Courage), Denise Lambert (Tree of Creation) and Scott Calling Last (Elbow River Healing Lodge).

Please come and join us for our day of learning about HIV/AIDS and the aboriginal people. It is free, space is limited, and it is family friendly. To register or learn more you can email education@aidscalgary.org or phone 403-508-2500 ext. 113/115

Source: Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network. (n.d.). Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week. Retrieved November 11, 2013, from Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network: http://www.caan.ca/projects-and-programs/aboriginal-aids-awareness-week/

New Study Suggests Link Between Depressive Symptoms and Medication Adherence in Men Living with HIV

2013-11-02T20:19:00.002-06:00

A study completed by Mount Royal alumni Tyler Faulds in partnership with AIDS Calgary Awareness Association and the Southern Alberta Clinic suggests that levels of depressive and anxious symptoms may influence medication adherence behavior in Albertan men living with HIV.

The study, which was completed as an undergraduate thesis spanning nine months, was an attempt to shed light on two key statistics. First, people living with HIV are far more likely to experience anxiety and depression – some estimates include up to 10x more likely. Secondly, at any given time 30% of people undergoing HAART therapy are not perfectly precise with their medication – a behavior which has potentially dangerous health effects for the individual. The possible connection between these two factors has been studied extensively, most usually assuming that depression leads to poor motivation, or to learned helplessness. That is, someone with HIV just learns to give up over time. Both of these approaches ignore the strength and the diligence of the HIV and AIDS communities, and so Faulds proposed inner speech as a more likely mediating factor.

Inner speech or the voice inside all of our heads that narrates, comments on, and reflects on our day to day interactions plays a more important role than at first glance. Inner speech may actually influence our motivations, feelings, self-concepts, attitudes, and relationships. This voice – that can do everything from remind us to walk the dog, put ourselves down, and focus on our own failures – is a finite resource; only so much can be thought about at any one time. The link proposed by Faulds is that a person living with HIV has more varied and more numerous things to think about than a comparable person without HIV. While someone without HIV may talk to themselves about their goals or their plans for the evening – a person living with HIV might do all of the same things but also think about their health, their partner’s health or their own mortality. They might think about how others see them, an activity magnified by the stigma that HIV+ persons still face. Add on concerns about depression and anxiety – which can include sadness, nervousness, uneasiness and more, and the amount of inner speech available quickly diminishes. Previous studies have shown that the most frequent function of inner speech in the general population is to help plan out future tasks, and to remind people about those tasks and to complete them. Perhaps when someone living with HIV also suffers from depression and anxiety the first place that they lose inner speech capacity is when thinking about future tasks. Without as many cognitive resources to devote to planning out future tasks and reminding us to complete them, a person living with HIV simply does not have the capacity left to remember to take their medication.

Equal groups of HIV+ and HIV- men took part in the study to examine this potential relationship. They completed measures of depressive and anxious symptoms, provided basic demographic information, and also provided ten examples each of their own past inner speech. Participants were asked to recall ten times they had talked to themselves in the recent past and to input them into the online survey. An example response given by a participant was “I thought about past relationships and the reasons that they did not work out”. Each response was coded for its content (what the speech was about) its function (what was the purpose of the speech) and its frequency (how many times a similar inner speech instance was provided). All of these factors were considered for both groups and were then compared.

HIV+ men scored higher on measures of depression and anxiety than HIV- men. When their inner speech patterns were compared some key differences became evident. The graphic of these frequency, function and content comparisons is shown below:

While HIV+ men were consistently more likely to think about their sexuality, their own behavior, their health and the health of others – men who do not have HIV were more concerned with their jobs and their educations. The most interesting comparison of all, and the one with the largest disparity between groups was on how often the groups talked to themselves about planning future tasks to complete. While HIV- men considered this inner speech function nearly 20% of the time, HIV+ men only utilized this function 5% of the time. This difference supports the hypothesis– that men living with HIV are far more preoccupied with other concerns, and consequently have less inner speech time to devote to planning out future tasks.

The next link in this chain of investigation would be to repeat the study but directly report the adherence behavior of its participants. If this could then be correlated to the existing comparison – that as levels of depression and anxiety increase the amount of time devoted to planning out future tasks decreases - then the link would be solidified. In the meantime this study offers a few key recommendations and cautions.
For cautions – the results of this study suggest a connection but cannot concretely prove one. If you are someone living with HIV, it does not mean that you are bad at remembering to do things. It also does not mean that you are depressed. One of the most inspiring things about the HIV+ community is how diverse the experiences of its members are. This study looked at general trends only.

For recommendations – especially to service providers, there are two. First, make the psychological health of your clients as important as their physical health. One often overlooked detail is that besides working on ways to keep the body healthy, the mind is an organ which needs to be taken care of as well. Secondly, programs which try to teach proper adherence behavior need to alter their approaches. Rather than hitting a nail on the head with “Remember, remember, remember,” consider that other concerns may be in the way. Once they are dealt with, adherence may come much easier.

For any questions or comments regarding the study, readers are encouraged to contact the researcher directly. Feel free to do so at tfaul473@mtroyal.ca

References:

Canadian HIV Legal Network. (2011). HIV/AIDS policy and law review.
http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/interfaces/downloadFile.php?ref=2022
Accessed November 2012.

Crepaz, N., Passin, W. F., Herbst, J. H., Rama, S. M., Malow, R. M., Purcell, D. W., &
Wolitski, R. J. (2008). Meta-analysis of cognitive-behavioral interventions on
HIV-positive persons’ mental health and immune functioning. Health Psychology,
27(1), 4–14. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.27.1.4

Du Bois, S. N., & McKirnan, D. J. (2012). A longitudinal analysis of HIV treatment
adherence among men who have sex with men: A cognitive escape perspective.
AIDS care, 24(11), 1425–1431. doi:10.1080/09540121.2011.65067

Gonzalez, J. S., Penedo, Antoni, M. H., Durán, R. E., McPherson-Baker, S., Ironson, G.,
& Schneiderman, N. (2004). Social support, positive states of mind, and HIV
treatment adherence in men and women living with HIV/AIDS. Health
Psychology, 23(4), 413–418. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.23.4.413

Johnson, J. G., Alloy, L. B., Panzarella, C., Metalsky, G. I., Rabkin, J. G., Williams, J. B.
W., & Abramson, L. Y. (2001). Hopelessness as a mediator of the association
between social support and depressive symptoms: Findings of a study of men with
HIV. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69(6), 1056–1060.
doi:10.1037/0022-006X.69.6.1056

Morin, A., Uttl, B., & Hamper, B. (2011). Self-reported frequency, content, and functions
of inner speech. Procedia-Social and Behavioural Journal, 30, 1714-1718

Morin, A. (2005). Possible links between self-awareness and inner speech. Journal of
Consciousness Studies, 12(4), 115–134.

Uttl, B., Morin, A., Faulds, T., Hall, T., & Wilson, J. (2012). Sampling inner speech
using text messaging. Poster presented at the CSBBCS conference (Kingston,
ON) on June 7-9, 2012.

Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll!

2013-10-27T20:04:00.002-06:00

From the title I’m assuming you know exactly which generation I’m referring to. That’s right! The Baby Boomers. Born between 1946 and 1964, boomers were teenagers more interested in having a good time than the potential health risks they were putting their bodies through. Unless they were worried about becoming a baby daddy, it was quite doubtful teenage males wore a condom. Not only was it not on their mind, but it was a humiliating process. Condoms could only be purchased at the local drug store; where there was a pretty darn good chance the person working behind the till knew you or your parents (that’s the last thing you wanted to be seen buying). With sex come drugs. Drugs were readily available and used with little or no thought behind it. Home piercings and tattoos were also very common. Often multiple piercings would take place with the use of only one needle… yikes. It was a carefree generation. However, as the boomers continue to age, the behaviors of the past may come back and haunt them as seniors.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and hepatitis C are both blood borne pathogens and therefore both need to be considered if any at risk behavior has taken place. Little did they know that that one time they shared a needle or had unsafe sex, boomers put themselves at risk.

According to Dr. David Wong, director of the liver clinic at Toronto Western Hospital, “they’re now trying to say if you’re born between 1945 and 1965 you actually have a reasonable chance of having hepatitis C in North America.”

Hepatitis C is most commonly spread through infected needles and can cause inflammation of the liver, scarring of the organ, cirrhosis and other complications, including liver cancer. The scary thing is, “symptoms don’t occur until there’s liver failure about 20 to 30 years later,” said Wong.

Not only did this carefree mentality affect baby boomers as teenagers but it would appear the same way of thinking is prevalent in aging seniors. Francoise was infected with HIV at the age of 67. She had just begun a relationship with a man a few years after the death of her husband. It had not occurred to Francoise to protect herself from HIV. Even though there is plenty of access to free condoms and the chances of knowing the store clerk have drastically declined (if you do and you’re embarrassed, go to another store or come to AIDS Calgary and we’ll gladly stock you up) seniors often don’t associate themselves as at risk for HIV. The matter of fact is no matter what your age, you need to take steps to protect yourself from HIV.

One of the reasons that people think seniors are not at risk of contracting HIV is because they don’t think seniors are sexually active. Dr. Marc Ganem, president of the World Association of Sexology explains, “With divorce increasing commonplace, drugs available to treat erectile dysfunction, and changing sexual mores, seniors have been encouraged to have full sex lives.” You might want to rethink the sex talk before dropping grandma off at the retirement home… just sayin’.

In Canada, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is spreading to demographic groups previously not as affected. As the baby boomers move into their fifties and sixties, could they be the next group most at risk of contracting the virus?

It’s highly encouraged that any boomers make Hep C and HIV testing a part of their yearly physical exam as neither virus discriminates or gives any generation a free pass.

They might not be able to stand rock and roll music anymore but there’s a pretty high chance they’re still into sex and drugs (even if it is just the prescription kind).

References:

CBC News Calgary

Canadian Public Health Association - Seniors and HIV/AIDS: it’s time to start talking

HIV has always been there

2013-10-17T22:33:00.000-06:00

For me, HIV has always been there.

When it comes to being a young gay man, HIV IS my issue. The virus has, throughout history, disproportionately affected the communities that I live, work, travel and play in. However, were it not for HIV being unabashedly non-discriminatory in who it affects, it would likely have remained as aloof and irrelevant as it was made out to be during high school sex education.

When you work in the field, the opportunity to sit down and talk to someone living with HIV is an incredible moment. Lucky for me, these moments happen on a daily basis. Sometimes they are conversations about hearing a diagnosis for the first time, and sometimes they are conversations about how a person has managed their health and relationships over the last 25 years of being positive. These are the moments that hit me the hardest. For me, HIV has always been there.

Sitting across from someone who has been living with HIV for longer than I have been alive, and trying to identify with the emotional, physical, and psychological toll that the virus has taken on them is not always easy. I have never taken a picture with my friends in which I am the last person standing. I have never been told that I had three months to live… two decades ago. I have never feared catching a cough and I have never been shunned for just being me. For me, HIV has always been there.

My biggest fear as a young man is knowing that I could have all too easily never become aware of HIV or the stigma that we so easily perpetuate. I did not live through the years of GRID or Stonewall, of Patient Zero and of endless loss, but I am certainly reaping the benefits of the communities that have driven HIV prevention and awareness from long before my time. For me, HIV has always been there.

I feel lucky to have fallen into an abundance of HIV knowledge, and a community that is both supportive and challenging in the ways in which we move HIV awareness and education into our community. What it means to be a young gay man working in an AIDS service organization now is the chance to know a history of the people who have brought the field of HIV as far as it has come. Rarely are we invited to be such an integral part in both making and sustaining history, so I take great pride in being able to support the work that AIDS Calgary does for me as a young person, as a gay person, because for me, HIV has always been there.

We Are Diverse-City

2013-10-10T19:58:00.000-06:00

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual, Queer (GLBTQ) community is often marginalized and at risk for harm and discrimination. However, there are limited opportunities to link individuals to services and support that exist in Calgary. Through focus groups, partnership collaborations, community engagements, and input from the HEAT Advisory Committee it was determined that an event showcasing GLBTQ services and supports would be of value and interest to the community. With all of this said we are now planning and developing the outline and activities for “We Are Diverse-City”.

“We Are Diverse-City” is an exciting event that will take place on Sunday November 24^th, 2013 at the Arrata Opera Centre. The AIDS Calgary HEAT Program, in partnership with some Calgary GLBTQ groups, services, businesses and organizations will be hosting this two part full day event which includes a family friendly, all-ages, Resource and Information Fair during the day (11:00 am to 4:00 pm) and an adult (18 yrs.+) Sex Positive dance party, fashion show, drag numbers and other adult themed activities between (6:00pm and midnight) for the GLBTQ and allied communities.

The goals for this event are threefold. First, create a safe, welcoming environment for Calgary’s GLBTQ community, their families, friends and guests of all ages to learn, share and support each other. Second, create a space where Calgary GLBTQ and allies can have fun, dance, laugh and celebrate their diversity. Lastly, we want to recognize AIDS Calgary’s 30th anniversary of service to the Calgary GLBTQ community.

11:00 AM to 4:00 PM - Resource Fair (free admission for public) is designed to bring together GLBTQ inclusive community groups, professionals, resources and businesses to promote their services in a safe and supportive venue open to all ages. Workshops, film presentations, games and other fun activities will be included.

6:00PM to Midnight – Dance Party (paid admission for public) will see the venue switch to an adult only event with DJ, dance floor, bar, entertainers, prizes and silent auction to name a few evening activities. For more information click here and for tickets click here.

We invite all interested GLBTQ friendly and inclusive sponsors, donors and contributors along with GLBTQ groups, businesses and organizations to become involved in making this day a success and ask you to consider being a part of making “We Are Diverse-City” a truly unique event for all communities to take part in.

For more information on “We Are Diverse City” please contact: Mark Randall, HEAT Program Coordinator at (403) 508-2500 extension 129 or email heat@aidscalgary.org

2013 Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life

2013-10-08T20:11:00.002-06:00

On September 22nd, walkers joined us for our 19th annual Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life. It was magical to see the smiling faces and the huge crowd swarming Eau Claire in support for AIDS Calgary. This summer has been one of the most inspiring times in my life. Since the flood, I have seen Calgary communities come together in a way I wasn’t sure they could and I have seen our event surpass what we had anticipated. We at AIDS Calgary have a lot to be thankful for and we wanted to take this opportunity to recognize a few individuals who have helped to make this day such a great success!

For our walkers, thank you so much for participating in the walk, raising awareness and donations. We are thrilled to announce our current total, with sponsorships and donations is just over $104,217 (and still counting)! This will support AIDS Calgary’s prevention, education and outreach services.

On the day of the walk we were able to award prizes to a few individuals and teams who made large contributions to the walk. Our top corporate team was MAC Cosmetics and the top Community team was SAC (Southern Alberta HIV Clinic). Our top individual fundraiser prize was awarded to Jeff Kapler who raised over $5700.00! Our top adult was Shannon McLeod $4500.00, our top child was Emily Berkenkamp-Kellett, and our top youth was Emma Rose! Thanks again to all of you for your fundraising efforts!

We also owe a huge thank you to our volunteers! On the day of the walk we had 106 volunteers on site assisting with everything from food and beverage, stage set, cheering people on at route stations, organizing kids’ activities, and assisting with banners, and registration just to name a few. These amazing people supported multiple positions and the event could not have been so successful without their adaptability and enthusiasm!

Now it’s time for us to start planning and getting ready for another great Walk in 2014! We look forward to seeing you at next year’s walk. We hope you will join us again as a walker, donor, sponsor, or volunteer!

From everyone at AIDS Calgary Awareness Association, we are very thankful and appreciate the support from the community so that we can continue to provide the services that we do.

Until next year,

Dawn Wheeler
Event Manager

One Drop

2013-08-29T14:08:00.002-06:00

I love to paint my fingernails. It’s my favourite way to unwind and a great way to express myself – soft pink, bold red, vibrant blue. It is not uncommon to see me with three different colours within a one week period.

Last night I was painting my nails a deep red that is full of life. This particular polish was a little bit runny and a drop fell onto my fingernail. As the drop ran down my finger it looked like a drop of blood. A combination of thinking about the upcoming AIDS Walk and the reflective space I enter when painting my nails got me thinking about HIV. As the drop of “blood” rolled down my finger I started thinking about what it would mean if I had HIV in my blood.

In that one drop I saw fear and stigma and discrimination.

Shortly after I started working at AIDS Calgary, I met someone new and had the “what do you do?” conversation. When I told him I worked for AIDS Calgary, his response was “eww”. I have always worked with people who are open-minded, compassionate, and caring, so I was surprised by the response. I was so taken aback that my response was “Did you really just say “eww” to me?” He stammered. His next question was “Do you have it?”. That is absolutely a fair question if we are about to engage in a risk activity, but definitely not appropriate when discussing our places of work.

So, in that drop, I saw the fear and discrimination and stigma that people living with HIV must face every day – health care professionals taking a step back when they learn their new patient is HIV positive; being harassed in their apartment buildings because someone illegally outed them to their neighbours; the surveys people complete before receiving HIV education stating that they wouldn’t share a plate or a hug with someone living with HIV.

In that drop I also saw lost love and lost opportunity.

When I came out as a lesbian I learned what it felt like to have to come out on a regular basis and I knew that some people were not supportive of my sexual orientation. I experienced discrimination, homophobia and homo-negativity. But, once I met someone I was interested in, I never had to question whether they would still be interested if I had this virus in my blood. I never had to worry about the right time to come out. If I were HIV positive meeting someone new would be terrifying to me. Do I wait until we get to know each other to disclose? Do I tell them right away? Do I trust that they will maintain my confidentiality?

In that drop, I realized how much I take for granted.

At AIDS Calgary, we have 100% staff and board participation in the AIDS Walk. Some of us are living with HIV and some of us aren’t. Some of us have lost loved ones, family and friends and some of us haven’t. But we all care and we all have our reasons for Walking.

I Walk because I firmly believe in the work of AIDS Calgary. I Walk because I care.

Why will you Walk?

Please join us on September 22nd, for the 2013 Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life. Register here.

This article was submitted by Tamrin Heardt, Senior Development Officer at AIDS Calgary Awareness Association.

Under the Mango Tree

2013-08-14T21:12:00.000-06:00

Our African Communities Project is bustling with activities these days. Here’s a few recent events/publications that might be of interest.

Under the Mango Tree- A show of sisterhood!
The African Communities Project had another successful get together and in true African spirit –a sign of sisterhood with a mission on Saturday, July 20th.

At the event, aptly coined Under the Mango Tree, 15 women representing 8 African Communities learned information about HIV transmission, testing and harm reduction.
In true camaraderie and laughter, the women also did craftwork where each woman either beaded or sewed a red ribbon in memory of a friend, family or relatives who has either passed on of AIDS or is living with the virus.

Communities represented at the event included Cameroon, South Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, Namibia, Madagascar and Zimbabwe, Japan and Canada.

New Swahili Language Reading Material
The African Communities Project has added Swahili as the 8th African language in our collection of Calgary-specific HIV information brochures! At the beginning of the Project we hoped to have materials translated into a few African languages – today we have far exceeded expectations and have a total of 8 languages including: Amharic, Oromo, Arabic, Nuer, Tigrinya, French, English and now Swahili.

Brochures include information about HIV transmission, common myths and misunderstandings, information about immigration and human rights, and where in Calgary to receive testing, treatment and support.

Swahili is spoken in East Africa - mainly in Kenya, Tanzania, parts of Congo and some Ugandan groups. Thanks to our dedicated volunteers from diverse African communities who have made this possible!

Women, HIV and stigma

2013-08-08T14:36:00.002-06:00

The stigma associated with HIV has existed since the epidemic’s beginning. Stigma is a mark of disgrace, a characteristic of shame or dishonour. HIV stigma comes from a fear of the illness, becoming HIV positive, the risk activities connected with transmission and/or from the lack of information around HIV. Stigma can be found in the general public, with friends and family, social service and health care professionals. It is prevalent, it is pervasive, and it greatly influences the daily lives of those living with HIV.

All people living with HIV experience stigma, and women are no exception. In 2009 women accounted for 26.2% of all HIV positive test results in the country, a significant increase in comparison to the rate of 11.7% prior to 1999.

Recently, the Times Colonist (a Victoria newspaper), ran this article about one woman’s battle with HIV related stigma. Of course the woman featured in this article was so fearful of stigma that her name had to kept anonymous. “Having this stigma is so anguishing” she shared, “it takes away some of the quality of life”. Not only her own quality of life, the woman expresses concerns about the possible quality of life for her family. As sole breadwinner her employment is critical and she would not run the risk of informing her boss about her status.

These concerns are comment among women living with HIV and we cannot talk about women without talking about the impact that HIV related stigma has on their families. What happens to women also happens to their families, and passing the stigma associated with being HIV positive onto their family can be a key concern for positive women. Women may also worry about the stigma associated with having children as an HIV positive women, and their reproductive choices might be challenged as family, friends or professionals limit their options to conceive.

The stigma associated with HIV is underpinned by many factors, and women, as an already marginalized group, experience unique overlapping levels of stigma. Stigma limits access to treatment and supports, increases isolation and decreases the overall health and wellness of those living with HIV.

Each person living with HIV will have a distinctive experience and understanding of the way stigma has influenced his or her life. So, how can we help combat stigma? One of the easiest and best ways to fight stigma is to simply be informed. Arm yourself with knowledge about HIV and how it is transmitted. The next step is to be prepared to share that information with others. AIDS Calgary has lots of resources, if you want to know more about anything HIV related please get in touch.

References:

CanadianAIDS Society

Stigma and coping strategies among HIV-positive women are complex and overlapping

An avoidable transmission

UNAIDS: https://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/dataimport/publications/irc-pub06/jc999-humrightsviol_en.pdf

Alberta MLA scandal?

2013-07-29T08:52:00.000-06:00

An Alberta MLA made headlines recently following his arrest for the solicitation of prostitution during an American business trip. The arrest has lead to calls for his resignation, a dismissal from his party, and a public shaming in the media.

Sex is bought and sold all over the world every day, and most of it goes largely unnoticed. It often takes high profile stories to bring the topic of purchasing sex into the public discourse. The story is a thermometer, reading the public “temperature” about how we view the buying and selling of sex.

Many colleagues have commented publicly on this MLA’s arrest, with varying degrees of disappointment and outrage. Some have gone as far as to say they are “disgusted” by the MLA’s conduct. These comments are largely representative of the public perception of sex work and those who purchase sex.

While it may be scandalous and inappropriate for an elected official to solicit for paid sex on a business trip in a foreign country, are these actions disgusting? If we remove the political sensationalism from the arrest, we are left with a reportedly unmarried man looking for paid sex. Is it “disgusting” for him to purchase sex? If so, why?

If we can agree that sex is a basic biological drive, is there anything inherently wrong with an adult attempting to meet this need through a consensual transaction? Would the same sense of disgust be directed towards a man who uses a nightclub or internet dating sites to look for casual sexual encounters? The consensual exchange of sex for money between two consenting adults is arguably no more harmful than consensual sex between any two consenting adults. Financial compensation in itself does not change this dynamic.

In Canada, the exchange of money for sexual services is completely legal (and always has been). Communicating about this exchange, however, is not. The majority of arrests related to prostitution (of both the sex sellers and sex buyers) are related to this charge. If this MLA were arrested in Canada, he would have been arrested for discussing his desire to purchase sex, not for the sexual transaction itself. The public response to sex work-related arrests is almost always based on our feelings about sex work in general, not a strong response to the specific acts that the current laws apply to.

Another way emotion-based responses manifest in the public discourse is through a strong focus on the exploitation and trafficking of women. The comments made by the arrested MLA’s colleagues referenced both of these topics, although the case itself did not involve exploitation or trafficking.

Public attitudes around sex work are largely shaped by images of street based sex work, addictions, and exploitative “pimping” relationships. While these harsh realities of the sex industry do exist, it cannot be understated that these images represent one segment of a very large, very broad sex industry.

Many of the women working in the sex industry are choosing this work as a legitimate means of employment, at times even leaving middle-income “mainstream” jobs for this work. It is inaccurate to speak about sexual exploitation and human trafficking as the rule, rather than the exception, when speaking about sex work. Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding sex work allows very few opportunities for those who choose to do sex work to share their experiences with the public in a safe way. Stories of human trafficking and exploitation, however, will always make the news.

AIDS Calgary Awareness Association supports the decriminalization of sex work. This means that we do not support the arrest of those selling sexual services, or those purchasing them in our country. We support the right of adults to choose their employment, as well as their right to be able to do this work safely. We also support the rights of adults to choose to pay for consensual sexual services. Click here for our detailed position statement.

Condom Your Cowboy - Mixed Reviews

2013-07-18T20:02:00.000-06:00

The Condom Your Cowboy campaign runs during Stampede, promoting safer sex during this infamously sexy time. Condom Your Cowboy gets condom packs on the street, in bars, and on party buses, putting safer sex front and centre. After seeing all the great work everyone did on this year’s campaign, I was excited to see a photo (above) of the Condom Your Cowboy condom packs on Instagram.

The comment thread for this photo was disheartening, to say the least. Words like “gross” have been used in relation to sex far too often, leaving folks too ashamed to talk about how to stay safe. Comparing fee condoms to strategies for facilitating cheating is just plain depressing. These comments paint a picture of the stigma condoms still carry. It’s fascinating to see how people my own age (mid to early 20’s) are still influenced by sex-negativity.

So, do we agree with the old adage that any press is good press? Should we view this social media conversation as a success? This Instagram photo shows that we are getting out in the community and sparking discussions! What do you think we, as a sexual health agency, can do to better promote safe sex during Stampede? Has our attitude towards condoms and sexuality really improved?

(Condom Your Cowboy is a partnership project with the Calgary Coalition on HIV/AIDS)

This blog article was written by Samantha McCarthy’s, AIDS Calgary Shift Case Worker and Condom Your Cowboy project member.

Happy Penis Condom?

2013-07-11T13:53:00.001-06:00

Gearing up for a sexy time? Making the most of those last few Stampede parties? Don’t forget to Condom Your Cowboy this Stampede!

Fact: condoms are the single best protection we have against unplanned pregnancy and STI transmission, including HIV. Condoms come in all shapes and sizes! Condoms are made for men or women, latex or polyurethane, ribbed, studded, flavoured (oh my!), glow-in-the-dark, extra-small or extra-large. St- Patrick’s Day themed? Yes please!

For every penis in the world, there is a condom that will fit it. Even if you have statistically anomalous sized genitals, you can get custom sized male condoms here, so everybody can have a well fitting condom. Using the “that condom won’t fit my junk,” just doesn’t hold true friend.

But (here comes the but) even though we know that using a condom can protect ourselves and our partners, we still don’t roll one down every time we have sex. Why not?

Depending on who you’re asking, that list can be extensive. According to the Gates’ Foundation, it’s pretty straightforward: it just doesn’t feel as good.

“The primary drawback from the male perspective is that condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom, creating a trade-off that many men find unacceptable, particularly given that the decisions about use must be made just prior to intercourse.”

Gotcha. So in that moment right before you’re about to achieve intercourse (i.e. the moment that condom needs to get on), you’re probably not thinking totally rationally. This leads us to the question of the day: how do we get more condoms on more penises!?

According to the Gates’ Foundation, it’s to make penises happier in condoms! There’s $100,000 USD grant to develop a male condom that “significantly preserves or enhances pleasure.” And if it’s good, there’s up to $1M in other funding to make that happy-penis condom. It will be interesting to see what ideas folks come up with.

Until we see that condom breakthrough (pardon the pun), I’m afraid we’ll have to rely on the usual methods of protection. Do you have a favorite? Share your tips on how you rock the condom!

References:
Grand Challenges in Global Health, (2013). Develop the Next Generation of Condom. Retrieved from: www.grandchallenges.org/Explorations/Topics/Pages/NextGeneration CondomRound11.aspx
Centre for Disease Control (CDC), (2013). Condoms & STDs: Fact Sheet for Public Health Personnel. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/latex.htm

Vancouver to Host AIDS Conference in 2015

2013-07-04T20:43:00.000-06:00

The 8th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention will be hosted in Vancouver in 2015. The IAS conference is the world's largest HIV open forum for health experts to come together and discuss advancements in cutting edge HIV research and health management.

As one of the world's leading organization of HIV experts, it is exciting to have such a diverse group of skilled specialists concentrated in our own nation. It was announced that a partnership with the University of British Columbia Division of AIDS, Providence Health Care, had been established and will be organizing an event that is expected to draw in a staggering 6000 people.

“Canada has a long history of leadership in HIV and AIDS, particularly in the implementation of prevention strategies and in research surrounding antiretroviral therapy. We believe that IAS 2015 delegates will benefit from hearing successes and challenges specific to this country which has an evidence–based approach to HIV based on human rights and gender equality.” said Professor Chris Beyrer, International Chair of IAS 2015, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (source: www.iasociety.com).

With the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS estimating approximately 65,000 individuals in Canada living with HIV; bringing together talent in science, medicine and community leadership to share knowledge and current HIV research is critical. Conferences such as these are opportunities for local community agencies to gather up to date news on current research on HIV/AIDS and use this information to create better informed programs and policies.

For more comprehensive information on the IAS 2015 conference, click here.

This article was written by Volunteer Blog Writer Beverly F. Spencer. If you are interested in being a writer for The A Word, please visit:http://www.aidscalgary.org/getinvolved/volunteer/volunteeroverview.cfm

Strong Voices: Stories of Struggle & Strength Living with HIV

2013-06-17T12:13:00.000-06:00

Our graphic novel ‘Strong Voices: Stories of Struggle & Strength Living with HIV’ is now available!

Working with very tight timelines to put this project together, our first step was to find 4 Aboriginal people living with HIV who were willing to share their story. We also needed to recruit 4 Aboriginal artists to develop these stories into picture form. Most importantly, we had to find one writer who was able to bring these stories together into a single book.

The first thing we did was put up posters calling for Storytellers. This was not an easy task - as in many communities, HIV is stigmatized and people are not always comfortable talking about their experience.

Bill, who works with Peer Support and as a speaker for AIDS Calgary, had volunteered before the project had even started. As a long-term survivor with 28 years living positive, Bill shares his story of how he became an advocate for awareness in Aboriginal communities. Bill is from a Métis settlement in northern Alberta. Keegan Starlight, a local artist from Tsuu T’ina, provided the artwork.

Michelle was one of the first people to call about participating in the project. From southern Saskatchewan, Michelle was raised in the city where she attributes her introduction to hard drugs at an earlier age. In and out of prison for most of her life, Michelle was able to reconnect to Aboriginal teachings through prison programs. She attributes her healthy lifestyle to Native spirituality and her family. Grant Smith from Edmonton provided the artwork for Michelle.

Aaron, a young man from Saskatchewan was adopted as a baby into a non-native family. Growing up he travelled across Canada and the states by hitch-hiking and train-jumping. While living in Vancouver he found out he was HIV+. With support of his family he is able to have a positive attitude and hopeful outlook. Tank Standing Buffalo provided art work for his story.

For the final interview we contacted Krista, an HIV+ mother who has given birth to HIV- children after her diagnosis. Krista is an advocate for HIV+ mothers, having faced discrimination and stigmatization in the medical system herself. Krista shares how she got to where she’s at and how her family has been her support and source of strength. Lydia Prince from Prince George illustrates her story.

With the guidance of the Strong Voices Advisory Committee and a local Blackfoot Elder/Cultural resource, we were able to include the medicine wheel teachings and provide examples of these teachings throughout the book.

The goal of this book is to bring awareness of HIV to the Aboriginal communities, where HIV is currently considered an epidemic. Due to social determinants and stigma, Aboriginal people are often diagnosed with HIV at a younger age and at later stages (with an AIDS diagnosis for example). Since 25% of Canadians who have HIV do not know it, our goal is to promote testing and harm reduction approaches while building awareness and support for those affected by HIV.

For a copy of the book (hard copy or digital) contact us at info@aidscalgary.org

Progress in HIV Vaccine Research Leads to Insight on Disease Mechanism

2013-06-05T08:42:00.000-06:00

This article was written by Volunteer Blog Writer Beverly F. Spencer. If you are interested in being a writer for The A Word, please visit: http://www.aidscalgary.org/getinvolved/volunteer/volunteeroverview.cfm

For years Scientists at the Oregon Health & Science University have been experimenting with potential HIV vaccine developments in hopes of better understanding how HIV functions within the human immune system. Ascribing to its highly elusive nature, it has proven to be no easy task to effectively target the disease. However, recent discoveries published in the May issue of the Sciencejournal, have shed light on a promising new candidate that appears to behave both as a prophylactic and antidotal entity.

Coming back to this elusory quandary, this issue has been one of the major road-blocks which scientists have been challenged with, in their pharmaceutical strategies. T-cells, particularly CD8+ T-cells, serve to identify and manage virus-infected cells through short viral peptide recognition which are found on the surface of these cells. Once these peptides are marked, the T-cells execute a cytotoxic reaction to eliminate the infection. Here inherently lies the elusory element. CD8+ T-cells have a limited number of short viral peptides which they can sufficiently determine and respond to and while some of the highly vicissitudinous HIV viral peptides do become the subject of target, the ones critical for cell survival evade detection.

The name of the game, then, seems obvious: to cast the net wide and capture these vulnerable viral peptides. In theory, widening the scope of detection markers would eventually lead HIV to fall prey to cell destruction. By allowing CD8+ T-cells to recognize a larger variety of these short viral peptides, they should be able identify the crucial peptides needed to render the virus incapacitated.

Ironically, it is through another virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), which may serve to accomplish this task. Using SIV, an animal mirror-virus of HIV, researchers were able to reconstruct CMV to produce SIV-specific proteins which showed surprising results. SIV-specific T-cells emerged which contained a recognition breadth of viral peptides that far exceeded what regular T-cells could do independently including the attempts of prior vaccines. What was even more interesting about this engineered response was that it was able to target viruses which had previously evaded extermination which means this vaccine may prove to be useful in a two-front powerhouse attack on the endeavor to eradicate HIV.

Although the concept of a customizable therapeutic agent, such as the CMV vehicle, may create potential for a viable future vaccine to hit the market, there is still a long way to go before human clinical trials can begin its initial phase. However, the new information has proved useful as the research findings in themselves gave the medical community an invaluable perspective on the relational functionality between the human immune system and the HIV disease. This will hopefully improve the interim therapeutic model until clinical trials can be brought to the agenda.

References:

Science Daily. (2013). Promising Strategy to Help Vaccines Outsmart HIV. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130524122012.htm

Appay, V., Nixon, D.F., Donahoe, S.M., Gillespie, G.M.A., Dong, T., King, A., ... Rowland-Jones, S.L. (2000). HIV-Specific Cd8+ T Cells Produce Antiviral Cytokines but are Impaired in Cytolytic Function. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 192 (1), 63-76. doi: 10.1084/jem.192.1.63

Sex Worker Knowledge

2013-05-28T09:17:00.002-06:00

I consider it a daily honor to work with Shift clients. Sex workers have become my favorite group of people, in all their diversity and strength. The idea that I, as a social worker, am the expert helping the deficient client does not tend to apply to my clients. I learn a tremendous amount from them, and would like to share with you some of the things my clients have taught me during my first 9 months at Shift.

Sex workers have a rich history of using tactics to stay safe on the job. Criminalizationof sex work actually prevents sex workers from keeping themselves as safe as possible. Not being able to talk to potential dates in public means they can get a feel for the guy before they get into his car or apartment. Not being able to see clients in their own home means they have to go to the client’s place where they have less control and never know if someone else is hiding in the closet. Sex workers are unable to hire bodyguards or drivers to keep an eye out for them while on a call because those drivers would be charged with pimping.
But sex workers are an adaptable bunch, and they do not let these laws hold them back from trying to maintain their safety. When the john’s started up review boards online to rate escorts, the escorts made their own online reviews of the johns. This way, they can keep each other posted on who was a nice fellow, who was a creep, and who was violent and should be avoided at all costs. Sex workers have their own ways of screening potential clients to see if they safe, and some choose to work during the day to avoid the party crowd. The most surprising safety tactic I have seen in my clients is a sense of humor. Laughing off awkwardness, being charming and easy to get along with helps sex workers not only stay safe but connect with johns. Being happy and funny all the time takes work, especially when you have had a long day of putting on the smiles, as anyone in the service industry can relate.
The main thing I have learnt about sex workers is that they are the most diverse group of people you could encounter. I may spend my morning helping a street based sex worker apply for AISH due to a disability, getting her food and helping her find shelter space, and the afternoon talking to a ‘high end’ escort about how to manage her money so she can buy a condo and the new car she has always wanted. Some people in sex work are tired of it and so we talk about how to find different work and make a plan. Some clients spend half their session telling me about how much they love the freedom, high compensation, and flexibility of escorting and then spending the rest of the session talking about how much they hate their office job because they get paid so little and have to work 9-5 every day. I see people of all genders, of diverse ethnic backgrounds, and of a wide age range. I can confidently tell you that there is no grand sweeping statement you can make about sex workers, because no two sex workers are the same.

Every day I am so proud of the Shift program and am so glad I get to work with sex workers. To learn more about sex work and the Shift program, consider attending our Shifting Perspectivesworkshop.

It’s Different Now

2013-05-14T16:18:00.000-06:00

Yes, it is different now. It wasn’t until my final year of University that I was required to take a computer course; now one needs a computer to take a course. I recall phone booths (yes, the kind from which Superman sprang forth to save the world) cost ten cents, and then twenty-five cents, then thirty-five cents, then I didn’t see as many telephone booths on the streets, though I did see virtually everyone on the street with their own telephone……Ooops, I mean, ‘cell phone’. It’s different now. My years at University prior to the year of the computer course were spent in a building known as a ‘library’. With the internet today, most space on the planet can become a ‘library’ by activating the ‘Power On’ button and typing (‘key boarding’ in today’s terms) an ‘IP’ address (which is not a street address!), then get all the information you could possibly imagine about any subject on Earth. I remember computer ‘bulletin boards’, which are now ‘Ethernets’ and a billion times faster!! Things are changing so fast! Yes it’s verydifferent now.

With most everything today, it is different than it was. But not so much in all things. Take HIV for example. We’ve witnessed the healthcare onslaught over time for women to be cognizant about the risk of breast cancer; we’ve seen ‘Nutrition Facts’ labels appear on foods to help us choose the products we’re consuming; we see constantly on television ads for medications to relieve one thing or another; doctors’ offices are awash with information about how to stay healthy and how to exercise. Today it seems there is little difference from 32 years ago regarding HIV. People in the city of Vancouver, BC however, are beginning to narrow this HIV knowledge schism. Specifically, the STOP HIV/AIDS Project (http://www.cfenet.ubc.ca/stop-hiv-aids) involving the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV & AIDS, Vancouver Coastal Health, and Providence Health Care (an independent healthcare provider in the Vancouver Coastal Health region) have combined forces to accelerate finding ways to slow HIV transmission and normalize the HIV health issue. HIV is different than it was at the start of the epidemic.

Unfortunately, for many, the beliefs about HIV are not so different than 32 years ago. Things are different today because we’ve learned what works, what doesn’t; what’s true, what isn’t; what’s right, what’s wrong. Healthcare workers and activists in Vancouver have learned lots about this epidemic virus and are sharing it with the world. With HIV things are becoming noticeably different than they were. We know more about risks. We know more about testing. We know more about treatment. And we know the prognosis for HIV infection is that it’s possible to live a long, healthy life, full of goals and aspirations set in future years. We know these things because of research having been done and research that continues being done.

One such piece of research is the Vancouver STOP Project (Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention). Now we need to stop for a moment here. Think of the world we live in. Think of the destruction, the wars, and the senseless violence that seems never to end. With a title like ‘Seek and Treat’, military references come to mind. Some have suggested this language makes the approach sound like an offensive against people living with HIV. It is not. It is, though, an offensive against HIV itself, not those living with the virus. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, 25% of those living with HIV don’t know they are living with the virus and may be unknowingly transmitting it to others. Let’s agree to look at STOP without attacking the semantics of the title. Rather, let’s use what STOP has given us and reduce the HIV schism even further.

The concept is simple: encourage people to be tested for HIV. This is not based on any preconceived notions of who might, or might not, be at risk for acquiring HIV. Instead, making HIV testing a routine part of our personal health care as well as having hospitals and doctors offering HIV testing, with informed consent, to all their patients should be encouraged and routinized for all who enter the health care system. Second, if a positive test result surfaces, then post-test counseling and the discussion about treatment can occur. Note the word ‘discussion’. Next, taking HIV medications is a personal choice based on all possible information available to the individual. The human right to decide whether or not to accept treatment is an individual’s alone. Third, if all people who test positive for HIV are offered treatment (and many decide to be treated), individual viral loads will drop and the probability of forward HIV transmission will be significantly decreased. Finally, as this process unfolds more people will have lower and, hopefully, an undetectable viral load which means fewer infections in the community over the long-term. The idea is logical. The implementation process is already under way, and the results are encouraging. Another tool in the toolbox to reduce HIV in our own communities and in humankind overall - can we justify not giving it a try?

It’s our turn; we need to realize ‘it’s different now’. Like previous movements in history, change for the good of all works best when ‘you’ and ‘them’ becomes ‘me’ and ‘us’. Routine testing, numerous medications from which to choose, and the prognosis of a long, healthy, goal-pursuing life are the differences from 32 years ago. Today we can help make HIV non-stigmatizing for ‘me’ and ‘us’. It’s different now, it’s our turn.

By: A person living with HIV and a believer in the concept of “test and treat” when it is implemented within the parameters of law and human rights.

Harm Reduction and Health Promotion; a Bathhouse Three way!

2013-05-03T10:37:00.001-06:00

The AIDS Calgary HEAT Worker, in partnership with The Texas Lounge and Goliath’s Saunatelmanagement and staff and the Alberta Health SAFEWORKS team, work together to provide HIV/STI and hepatitis C testing and other health services, supports and referrals to Calgary and area Gay and MSM through an onsite outreach testing and health service in the bathhouse every Friday evening between 4:00 – 6:00 pm.

I have noted over the last couple of years an increasing number of men coming in for testing, connecting with workers with questions and checking in with workers at this location recognizing the professionals providing the services are of value, respectful and culturally competent to provide clear non-judgmental services to Calgary and area Gay and MSM.

This did not happen overnight, in fact it took a full year of building trust and understandings between ourselves the workers and the men who were accessing Goliath’s to recognize that we were not the sex police and harpers of safer sex only messaging. In fact we are about informed choices and understanding of the risks associated with certain behaviours between Gay and MSM that place them at higher risk for HIV and other STIs.

A bath house is known as a “safe” place where men can meet other men for mutual pleasure, relaxation and conversation and provides Gay/MSM with a place to meet other likeminded men. As such the bath house makes for a perfect point of care site to offer HIV/STI testing services that are otherwise offered at the STI clinic or through a family physician.

Many have commented their appreciation for having the service available on site and wonder why it is not offered more often at the bath house. The reality is money and resources currently do not allow for the expansion of this program however we are doing our best to address this gap and need through the addition of a regular Wednesday clinic on the main floor of the Sheldon Chumir Health Centre between 1:00 and 3:00 pm specifically for anyone with a history of addiction, homelessness, involved in sex work, street youth and Gay/MSM.

For those of you who may not already know this, the AlbertaHarm Reduction Conference will be hosted in Calgary at The Coast Calgary Plaza Hotel May 22-23. 2013.

AIDS Calgary, as one of the partner organizations for the Alberta Harm Reduction Conference has encouraged staff to submit abstracts on programs and services we offer that highlight our commitment to harm reduction and health promotion.

HEAT & SAFEWORKS will be presenting an abstract on this partnership entitled “Three Way in the Bathhouse”.

African Women on HIV/AIDS --- AWOHA!

2013-04-23T15:58:00.001-06:00

The adage that African women are the conduits of change was at play during the dinner hosted by the Right to Know African Communities Program. The event saw over 25 African women come together to celebrate and to support the Right to Know project.

The dinner was a social event for Calgary’s African women from different countries to share their ideas and experiences with HIV and AIDS. This group of women, representing 13 African countries and ranged in age from 21 to 70, enjoyed a fun filled evening in a casual manner. These women discussed how their communities are responding to the HIV messages that AIDS Calgary is sending to them through the Right to know project.

The collective support of the project was expressed by most, if not all. A 70 year old grandmother and retired teacher from Zimbabwe challenged the women that, “It takes women to change social and cultural beliefs of our communities. If we do not learn enough about this disease and teach our families on how to protect themselves, the burden will ultimately fall squarely on us as wives, mothers and grandmothers to care for the members of our families that will be affected through lack of knowledge. In our African culture, women are the ones who take care of all the family members when they are healthy or when they fall sick”.

A young Sudanese woman pointed out the belief by most youth that the disease is for older people and also mentioned that youth think they are invincible.

Another member of the group recommended that doctors and nurses in health delivery system receive training on HIV because “most of them know very little about the disease. We as Africans are often getting a raw deal when we visit health care centres. They always assume we are infected because we are from endemic countries. The Canadians are also at risk because they have communities where there are high rates of drug use. We should all be urged to go for testing. This is not a blame game. The disease does not care who you are or where you are from. Collective responsibility is called for here and we all should fight this disease together” she emphasized.

The group of women suggested another get together in summer. They wish to share more information on HIV and AIDS while doing beadwork and exploring art work from their different countries.

Hepatitis: what you should know about the ABCs

2013-03-25T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hepatitis has a staggering toll on the health of people around the world, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is largely unknown, untreated, and undiagnosed. It is also 100% preventable. July 28 is this year’s World Hepatitis Day. The theme of the event is this is hepatitis. Know it. Confront it. No time is too early to start talking about it.

Hepatitis just means inflammation of the liver, in fancy-pants medical terminology; the ‘hepa’ part of the word means liver (it comes from the Greek root hepar), and ‘itis’ means inflamed. This can be caused by a variety of factors, including viruses, such as hepatitis A, B, and C.

Who cares!?
There are about 1.4 million cases of hepatitis A in the world, every year—that’s more than the entire population of Calgary. An estimated 500 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B or C worldwide. Even more shocking is the World Health Organization’s estimate that 2 billion people globally have ever been infected with hepatitis B. These viruses cause acute and chronic liver disease, and can lead to liver scarring, cancers, or even death.

What does my liver do anyhow?
The liver is the largest organ in the human body, and can weigh up to four pounds. That’s like four blocks of butter hanging out in the lower right part of your ribcage! The liver is like the factory of the body—it filters the blood, breaks down toxins (including alcohol), helps break down the food that you eat, and takes the nutrients from digestion and packages it into forms that can be used or stored for later. Scientists say that the liver performs over 500 individual functions, and you can’t live without it.

Okay, so how can I get viral hepatitis?

Hepatitis A is transmitted by fecal-oral routes—this just means that you have to eat or drink something that has been contaminated. It’s a gross thought—who wants to eat poop, right?—but it can be as simple as having somebody make your burger who hasn’t properly washed their hands after going to the bathroom. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, and can also cause liver failure. The good news is there’s a vaccine! Talk to your doctor about getting vaccinated, if you haven’t already gotten it. Although hepatitis A can make you sick, and it affects an estimated 1.4 million people a year, it doesn’t cause chronic liver disease like B and C.

Hepatitis B and C are both transmitted blood-to-blood. So in order for you to get it, somebody’s blood containing hepatitis B or C has to get into your bloodstream. Some of the most obvious ways are through sharing needles or having unprotected sex. It can also be transmitted through sharing personal hygiene items such as razors, toothbrushes or nail clippers. A relaxing day at the spa can be riskier than we think: manicures and pedicures done with improperly sterilized equipment are high risk for transmission. Hepatitis B and C can cause chronic liver disease, and the liver just can’t do its job—this can lead to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancers: this can be fatal. So the good part is that there’s a vaccine for hepatitis B. Unfortunately, hepatitis C doesn’t have a vaccine yet—but it is treatable!

So the toilet seat’s safe, right?
It sure is! You cannot get viral hepatitis from a public toilet seat. Neither can you get it from hugging, kissing, tears, sweat, or sharing a drinking glass, or eating off the same plate as an infected person. Getting a blood transfusion in Canada isn’t a high risk, as Canadian Blood Services began screening blood for viruses in 1989.

How do I know that I have it?
You need a blood test. You can’t tell if somebody has hepatitis just by looking at them. Some people can have hepatitis C for decades before their liver gets damaged enough to stop working properly. Talk to your doctor and get a blood test.

Well, I’m vaccinated, and can’t possibly have hepatitis C!
Think so, eh? It might be true—but there are lots of people who get infected with hepatitis C and have NO IDEA about how they got it. You don’t need to be young to get it: in fact, the highest risk group in Canada for hepatitis C infection is the baby boomers! If you were born between 1945 and 1965, you’re much more likely to be infected than any other demographic in the country. Check out this short video from the Canadian Liver Foundation for an illustration for at-risk demographics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ap0GPgHT5jo

How to prevent and treat it

Get vaccinated for hepatitis A and B, and do things that help protect yourself from hepatitis C. Avoid unprotected sex or sharing needles, and try to avoid sharing personal hygiene supplies like toothbrushes and razors. Get tested! If you do have hepatitis A, B, or C, they’re treatable. Talk to your doctor. Treatment can be a long process, but it’s worth it for a healthy liver!

Sources

Canadian Liver Foundation. (2012). How the liver works. Retrieved from http://www.liver.ca/liver-health/how-liver-works.aspx

Public Health Agency of Canada. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hepc/index-eng.php

World Hepatitis Appliance. World Hepatitis Day 2013. Retrieved from http://www.worldhepatitisalliance.org/WorldHepatitisDay/WHD2013.aspx

World Health Organization. Global Alert and Response (GAR): World Hepatitis Day 2012. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs164/en/

World Health Organization. (2012). Media centre: Hepatitis C Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs164/en/

'Functionally' cured of HIV

2013-03-11T13:57:00.000-06:00

There seems to be a lot happening in the world of HIV and I wanted to take a minute to share this with you. My usual online navigation rarely brings me anything of interest, but the latest information on the baby who was curedfrom HIV was worth a double take.

Apparently in Mississippi a baby was born to an HIV positive mother who only found out about her status due to a rapid HIV test while she was in labor. The baby received a stronger than normal dose of HIV medications as the mother was not on any HIV meds throughout the pregnancy. Now the child is two years old and appears to be ‘functionally’ cured of HIV. Functionally cured? What does this even mean? If a person is functionally cured it means that the virus is suppressed, without the use of ongoing medications and treatments. Some of you may remember the story of the Berlin patient, TimothyRay Brown, who received a bone marrow transplant from a donor with genetic immunitiy to HIV(known as the Delta 32 mutation). As a result he is ‘cured’ from HIV and any segments of the virus still in his system are dead. Moving back to the story of the baby… There are a lot of questions still unanswered when it comes to this case.

Does the fact that the baby was born prematurely have an effect on HIV and treatment?

What, if any correlation is there due to the fact the mother was not on medication?

Is this a viable cure for HIV in newborns?

How can this be translated into a potential cure for people already living with HIV for several years?

Isn’t this just the same as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)?

Were/was the parent(s) provided with proper informed consent when it came to administering a combination therapy to the newborn?

What services (medical and financial) are in place to monitor the health of the child and family?

Is this really the first time that a combination therapy has been administered to a newborn? What happened in the other attempts to suppress the virus of newborns?

Why did the child stop receiving medication?

What other factors have been influencing the decision making of the parent(s)? Poverty, stigma, lack of accessible health care, rural setting, etc.

There are still several people who are skeptical when it comes to this ‘latest’ breakthrough. For some people, there is nothing new about this treatment and it does not appear that it will create a cure as quickly as we would like. Additionally, there are concerns about the portrayal of the mother in the media, as she has been blamed for not taking the steps to ensure that proper prenatal care was in place. Let’s not forget that the USA does not have the same standard of medical care that we have in Canada, and that there may be several factors which have not been released to the media. Before we are quick to blame the mother, it is important to look at the environment that an individual is living in. What is exciting is that HIV and the possibility of a cure are once again in the media’s spotlight. This can lead to changes in policy and opportunities for future education and discussion around HIV/AIDS. Sounds like this will be something to keep an eye out for in the world of HIV. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for all the latest news on HIV and updates on the ‘functionally cured’ baby.

Keep Calm and Carry Naloxone

2013-02-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Recent media reports highlight new research calling for increased access to naloxone as a safe, effective and evidence-based public health strategy. Distribution of naloxone, often referred to by the brand name Narcan, has been described as a cost-effective method to “cut the death rates from overdose nearly in half” while reducing long-term public health spending on overdose related interventions^1,2.

What is Naloxone?Naloxone is a non-toxic, non-addictive medication that works as an antidote to opioid overdose. Opioids include commonly used drugs such as heroin, oxycontin, and morphine. Naloxone works to “reverse” an opioid overdose by counter-acting the often fatal depression of respiratory and central nervous systems. If there are no opioids in a person’s system, naloxone has no effect. Naloxone is administered through injection or nasal spray.

Is Naloxone a new development?Naloxone has been used in clinical settings across Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States for over 40 years. The World Health Organization has included naloxone on its List of Essential Medicines³ .

Who has access to Naloxone?In some countries, naloxone is available over the counter, but in Canada it is controlled under the Food and Drug Act as a prescription-only medicine. Naloxone has been available through Edmonton’s Streetworks Program and at Insite in Vancouver. Take-home and peer-based naloxone access programs are gaining support in a number of areas across the world.

Why is Naloxone access important? According to a 2012 article in the British Columbia Medical Journal, “the current lack of naloxone availability outside primary care, hospital, and ambulance settings limits its lifesaving potential”. The article “seeks to increase physician awareness about the safety, effectiveness, and evidence that increasing access to naloxone saves lives” and describes how access initiatives “can provide an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue and empower people who use opioids to take responsibility for themselves and others” ⁴.

Sources

1. Szalavitz, M. Wider use of antidote could lower overdose deaths by nearly 50%. Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/05/wider-use-of-antidote-could-lower-overdose-deaths-from-by-nearly-50/#ixzz2LZAjnyda

2. Coffin, P., Sullivan, S. (2013). Cost-effectiveness of distributing naloxone to heroin users for lay overdose reversal. Annals of Internal Medicine. 158(1). Retrieved from http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1487798

3. World Health Organization. Model lists of essential medicines. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/medicines/publications/essentialmedicines/en/index.html

4. Buxton, J. et al. (2012). Increasing access to naloxone in BC to reduce opioid overdose deaths. BCMJ. 54(5). Retrieved from http://www.bcmj.org/bc-centre-disease-control/increasing-access-naloxone-bc-reduce-opioid-overdose-deaths

Valentine’s Day is the Day of Love

2013-02-14T09:32:00.001-07:00

Valentine’s Day is the day of love. 2013 Valentine’s Day is alsoCalgary’s Fifth Annual Valentine's Day Women's Memorial March for Murdered and Missing Women (Press-Release: Calgary Memorial March, 2013)

The Memorial March is in recognition of the disproportionate numbers of Aboriginal women who have never been found or have been murdered.

Alberta has the second highest cases of murdered and missing Aboriginal woman in Canada. Most of those are murder cases. (Native Women’s Association of Canada, 2012)

HIV

Aboriginal woman not only have high numbers of murder and kidnap, but they are disproportionately high at being diagnosed with HIV.

Statistically, Aboriginal woman are being diagnosed in the advanced stages of HIV which may lead to the AIDS label. They are being diagnosed at younger ages than their non-native counterparts. Majority of HIV diagnoses are from IDU use (Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, 2011) or through heterosexual intercourse. (Emily Bridges, 2007)

Why such high numbers?

These statistics are an indicator of how Canadian society treats Aboriginal woman. Aboriginal woman are more likely to experience: “poverty & low socioeconomic status; gender-based violence; historical trauma; biological susceptibility; gender imbalance & inequities; colonial depiction of Aboriginal Women; racism; stigma; discrimination and sexism; unresolved trauma related to sexual abuse; social exclusion; unequal opportunities for education; and unequal opportunities for access to healthcare.” (Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, 2011)

How does this tie together?

Aboriginal woman may have difficulty accessing or trusting health care providers which delays testing and treatment. Condom negotiation becomes difficult for those who are in abusive relationships. They may have a lack of education and/or access to education about HIV and diseases. Attending distant social/ceremonial gathers increase unprotected sexual contact. (Emily Bridges, 2007)

As woman…how do we help ourselves?

Conversations of healthy sexual decision, by parents, is proven to delay first sexual experience and increase the use of contraceptives when engaging in sex.

Self-efficacy (the measure of one's own ability to complete tasks and reach goals)helps develop healthy boundaries.

Being academically focused.

Having a positive native identity and belonging has a very strong effect with good sexual health.

Valentine’s Day

Aboriginal woman in Canada face a very hard road, and to have our hardships recognized on such a beautiful day is very appropriate. It’s giving back to the woman who went on before us and showing ourselves and others that, yes, we are human and, yes, we deserve the right to be loved and respected. Recognizing murdered and kidnapped Aboriginal woman is essential to our healing. We also need to protect ourselves, not only physically, but sexually.

The Memorial March takes place Thursday, February 14, at 6 p.m. at Scarboro United Church, 134 Scarboro Ave. S.W., Calgary, Alberta.

Bibliography

Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network. (2011). FACT Sheet: Aboriginal Woman and Girls. Vancouver: Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network.

History. (n.d.). Valentine's Day. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from The History Channel Website: http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

Native Women’s Association of Canada. (2012). Fact Sheet: Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls in Alberta. Ohsweken: Native Women's Association of Canada.

Press-Release: Calgary Memorial March. (2013, February 12). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from Marketwire: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/calgary-march-for-murdered-and-missing-women-set-for-february-14-1755905.htm

Black History Month

2013-02-11T09:05:00.001-07:00

February is Black History month and it is a time to celebrate the history of African descendants in North America and to showcase their art and skill.

AIDS Calgary’s African Communities Project, in partnership with Afrikadey!, has several events lined up for this very important period on Calgary’s black calendar.

A symposium showcasing the arts will be held at the Public Library on MacLeod trail. The performers will portray different genres of black art including music, spoken word, drama and dance. This event will be on Friday, February 15 at 6 p.m. and admission is free.

On Sunday, February 17, Olympic Plaza will be the venue for a fun filled event called Africans on Ice. This event will give new immigrants an opportunity to check out their skill on ice. New immigrants will have an opportunity to go where none of their grandparents have gone. This is an opportunity for them to learn how to skate and have fun on ice. They will also party with their friends and will be music provided by a DJ.

This event which starts at 2 p.m. and skates will be provided at no cost to all participants.

African Communities Project will have booths at both events and will give out reading material in six languages on HIV and AIDS.