I'm well aware of the advances and the difficulties. I certainly didn't intend to slight the efforts and dedication of the researchers, who did and continue to do extraordinary work.
I'm thinking of the fact that your former governor, Ronald Reagan, as president didn't think AIDS was worth mentioning for far too long; communities sat on their hands instead of working on awareness; and funds for research were not that high a priority to start with. It's a whole 'nother side of the story, a very ugly one. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, doctordumbass@... <no_reply@...> wrote: > > The scientists working on AIDS are making huge advances in treatment, and > have been fiercely dedicated to slowing the spread of AIDS, since it first > appeared. Treatment, at least in California, has been, and is, widely > available, and income sensitive. The most difficult issue has been that HIV > is a virus, and so it is both well protected, and very difficult to eradicate > from the body. > > Considering the brief space of time since the epidemic began, it is nothing > short of a miracle, to me, that it is no longer considered 100% fatal, and > lifespans of those infected have greatly increased. > > Back in the late '80's, AIDS = death, automatically, and conclusively. > Anti-viral drugs were just being introduced, and they were quite toxic. That > is no longer the case, and that is amazing. > > I am all for further and faster advances, but there has been no shortage of > resources put into this battle. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Ann" <awoelflebater@> wrote: > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <authfriend@> wrote: > > > > > > Let's put this discussion on a more factual basis (John, > > > this is for your information as well): > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Ann" <awoelflebater@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > So did his [Liberace's] Jyotish reading indicate he was > > > > > a risk taker? A sexual risk taker in particular or just > > > > > someone like any other person who is willing to climb > > > > > a mountain, jump big jumps on horses, become a Fireman, > > > > > join the military, become a prostitute - all risky > > > > > behaviour? Of course, gay sex is not necessarily riskier > > > > > than hetero sex > > > > > > At the time, it was *much* riskier because the incidence > > > of HIV infection among gay men was much greater than it > > > was in heterosexuals. But it isn't known when Liberace > > > became HIV-positive. It's been reported that he was > > > already symptomatic in 1985. If so, it means he could > > > have contracted the virus in the very early days of the > > > epidemic before enough was known about the disease for > > > him to have even been aware that gay sex was risky. > > > > > > The earliest report of AIDS in a medical publication > > > was in 1981, when the CDC described a cluster of five > > > men in Los Angeles who had died of Pneumocystis carinii > > > pneumonia, one of the otherwise-rare opportunistic > > > infections to which people with depressed immune > > > systems are vulnerable. Of course the disease causing > > > the immune deficiency hadn't yet been identified as > > > such, and it would be awhile before it was realized > > > that it could be spread via sexual contact. > > > > > > One of the reasons AIDS was able to spread as it did > > > before it was recognized as a new disease is that the > > > *average* time from infection to illness is eight to > > > ten years. > > > > > > - just ask those Doctors treating > > > > > millions of people with AIDS in Africa, for example. > > > > > Patient 0 in North America just happened to have > > > > > been a gay man. > > > > > > > > Worse, because it contributed to the ongoing prejudice > > > > against gays, a gay man who was also a rather promiscuous > > > > flight attendant. He became a one-man pandemic, a Typhoid > > > > Mary for our times. > > > > > > Well, no, actually he didn't, as it turned out. He would > > > have infected more than a few men, but the idea that he > > > started the epidemic in North America all by himself has > > > been found to have been a myth. A number of gay men like > > > him, who traveled a lot and were promiscuous, were > > > responsible for their own clusters of infection, from > > > which the virus subsequently spread widely. > > > > > > Moreover, it has since been discovered that the first > > > death from AIDS in the U.S. occurred in 1969, and that > > > HIV may have been responsible for even earlier deaths. > > > > > > > Had the AIDS virus infected Warren Beatty, who claims > > > > to have had sex with hundreds and perhaps thousands > > > > of women (he can't remember), would the virus have > > > > been called in its early days "the movie star plague" > > > > instead of what it WAS called, the "gay plague?" > > > > > > Wonderful example of Barry's slovenly thinking. > > > > > > > I think not. Homophobes keep associating AIDS with > > > > gay sex because that fuels their hatred of gays and > > > > gives them more justifications for keeping that > > > > hatred alive. They have no similar hatred towards > > > > movie stars. > > > > > > AIDS was called the "gay plague" (including by gays) > > > because most of the cases of it in the U.S. were in > > > gay men. There's no way to sugar-coat this: gay men > > > were particularly vulnerable because in those days > > > gay men were particularly promiscuous. > > > > > > But then one has to ask: Why were they so promiscuous? > > > There's an excellent case to be made that it was a > > > reaction to social prejudice against homosexuality. > > > Having many sexual partners was one thing a gay man > > > could do to boost his self-esteem in defiance of the > > > condemnation. Society didn't allow gay men a lot of > > > other options. > > > > > > Plus which, social disapproval of homosexuality > > > resulted in significant delays in awareness and > > > research and treatment. Bottom line, many thousands > > > more gay men died of AIDS in the U.S. than would have > > > been the case in the absence of homophobia. > > > > For me this is the greatest part of this tragedy. If all AIDS sufferers had > > been blond haired, blue eyed Caucasian children sired by parents with > > annual incomes over $100,000 per year this disease, initially, would have > > been tackled a lot earlier and more aggressively and with many more > > resources. > > > > > >
