Optimism in UNAIDS Report on AIDS Epidemic

UNAIDS today distributed extremely hopeful data reflecting years of tireless, challenging work to change behaviors, formulate new medicines, level the playing field on treatment cost and availability, reduce stigma, keep the money flowing and never, never give up the fight to end AIDS.

Still... too many deaths, no cure, more work needed to end discrimination & treatment inequity, complacency causing return to old, unsafe behaviors and spread of misinformation. Be vigilent, stay informed and contribute to the hopeful trend.

Global summary of the AIDS epidemic, 2008

View more presentations from UNAIDS.

India quickly posted this easy-to-digest summary of the data via livemint.com

Obama Ends US Travel Ban on People with HIV-AIDS

Unlike bird flu or swine flu or various other respiratory ailments, HIV is not an airborne virus. Though widely accepted for many years, America remained one of the last dozen countries in the world banning people with HIV/AIDS from cross-border travel. I applaud President Obama and the advance work of the Bush Administration for finally bringing an end to this practice in the U.S.

Obama Ends U.S. Travel Ban On Visitors, Immigrants With HIV-AIDS - Political Punch

Of course, if you read the comments appended to the linked story, you'll get a sense of why these popular bans stick around long after science proves them unnecessary. Fear and hate continue to fuel discrimination in many forms. While free to express it, such discrimination has no place in public policy.

Impatient Optimism

Bill and Melinda Gates just finished their live webcast "We Are Living Proof". The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation boldly stepped into the growing global health funding gap to significantly bump progress that's generated hope and optimism where none had previously existed. Watch this video and spark the hope in you:


Yet we are impatient. Even the richest man in the world can't do it all alone and has told the US Government as much. Among other advances, a new rotovirus vaccine and immunization expansion are now saving millions of lives. HIV vaccine research is a noble but singular path to eradicate the AIDS pandemic, and I'm impatient...

The first investing rule is diversify, diversify, diversify. Be proud to support safe sex education, services & treatment for those infected by HIV, vaccine research and innovate science that seeks to take on HIV from a different direction. Fuel your optimism and demand that everyone stay in the game. It's making a difference.

BINGO!

Bicycles, 45, lined up against the wind, rolling over 4 states, carried by ferry & bus, winding past National Monuments, moving us along.

Inclusive. Men & women. Young & not so young. HIV positive & negative. Crew & cyclists. Mothers, sons, fathers, daughters, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, friends. Gay & straight. Scientists, office workers, students, doctors, laborers, engineers, artists, job seekers. Riding for one & riding for all.

Needing to unravel the mystery to defeat HIV.

Giving every ounce of strength, time and energy.

Open hearts, open minds, opening your pocketbooks.

! To win a victory over HIV and end AIDS.

The winning combination that was the NYCDC AIDS Research Ride,
four days in September, 2009.

Click for photo album, in progress

Here Comes the Sun

Day 4 - Boarding the Patriot to cross the Chesapeake, then on to DC!