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HIV infection estimated at 1.1 million in U.S.
Charlotte Observer, Friday, October 3, 2008 — New estimates of the prevalence of HIV infection among adolescents and adults in the United States put the total number of cases in 2006 — diagnosed and undiagnosed — at about 1.1 million. The figure means the infection rate is nearly 550 people for every 100,000 in the population. The total is similar to 2003 estimates, but officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say improved surveillance and new methods for calculating the estimates mean the two can't be directly compared. …
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Report: Young black men have highest HIV/AIDS increase
Florence, SC Morning News, Thursday, October 2, 2008 — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report recently that said young black men had the highest increase of incidences of HIV/AIDS in 2006. Some of the other groups with higher than average rate increases included black women and Hispanic men. In the Pee Dee, Mulamba Lunda, director of program services for HopeHealth, said the new information is proof of a disturbing trend. "Basically, for us, the statistics are just alarming for us," she said. "It just means we are going to have to do more canvassing in the community. This disease has great consequences and people need to get tested." According to DHEC, blacks account for only 30 percent of the state's population, yet they make up 73 percent of the HIV/AIDS cases recently diagnosed within the state. …
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HIV on rise among self-injecting drug users: study
Yahoo! News, Tuesday, September 23, 2008 — The rate of HIV infection among people who inject themselves with drugs appears to be rising, according to a study published on Wednesday. An estimated 3 million self-injecting drug users worldwide may be HIV positive, said the analysis of peer-reviewed studies and data from United Nations agencies and international experts. It identified injected drug use in 148 countries and found HIV infections among these kind of users topped 40 percent in nine nations: Estonia, Ukraine, Myanmar (Burma), Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, Argentina, Brazil and Kenya. "The new data do suggest increases in both the number of injecting drug users and the prevalence of HIV in users," Kamyar Arasteh and Don Des Jarlais of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York wrote in a commentary about the study published in the medical journal Lancet. …
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'A Lot of Unknowns': Growing Old with HIV/AIDS
Newsweek, Wednesday, September 24, 2008 — There was a time when Lee Chew was so sick, he'd lost all feeling in his lower body — forcing him to wear diapers and get around by wheelchair. At 6 feet 2 inches, the once-robust actor was a skeletal 135 pounds, with severe pain in his hands that prevented him from even holding a fork. It was 1996, nearly 10 years after his diagnosis, and AIDS was all around him: friends, lovers, even his doctor, all died of the disease. Funerals were a monthly ritual. "In a way, living through the AIDS crisis of the 1980s was like living through our own version of the Holocaust," he says. "It was a nightmare." Chew slowly began to wake from that nightmare with the approval of a new antiretroviral drug, Crixivan, that would help nurse him back to health. Slowly but surely, he went from wheelchair to walker, walker to cane, and finally, back to the gym. Today, Chew, a New Yorker, by way of Roanoke, Va., is happy and healthy, tan and fit. At 59, he looks about 40. "I can be pretty vain," Chew jokes. "I like to make sure my pecs look good. …
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Pattie Maney Art Show Benefiting Big Bend Cares
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 — 1123 @ Midtown is hosting an art show to benefit Big Bend Cares on Friday, October 3rd from 6-9 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy the unique art of Pattie and experience an eclectic shopping excursion. Once there you'll find furniture and accessories for your home and one-of-a-kind gift items, including jewelry hand crafted by Katherine Hamilton. Stop in and see our new arrivals and don't forget Thursday evening beading classes where you can make your own jewelry. …
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JOIN US OCTOBER 12 at Tom Brown Park for Tallahassee AIDS Walk 2008! Last year's event was a huge success, and with your help, we can do even better! Walk as an individual; walk as a team. Just WALK! For more information, contact Melissa Walton at 850-656-2437, extension 225, or e-mail mwalton@bigbendcares.org.
»Visit the Web site for more!
BIG BEND CARES LOVES ITS VOLUNTEERS! We have tons of opportunities this fall for volunteers to roll up their sleeves and help out in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
»Visit the Web site for details!
KNOWING IS BETTER, SO BE POSITIVE YOU ARE NEGATIVE! Big Bend Cares offers free, walk-in HIV testing during regular business hours (weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time). No appointment is necessary. Big Bend Cares uses oral swab HIV tests — no needles required! For more information, please call 850-656-2437, or come by our offices at 2201 South Monroe Street. Now it's easier than ever to B+UR-.
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