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AIDS at 25: Co-infection worries soar; Homosexuals compared to prostitutes



Bill Weintraub

Bill Weintraub

AIDS at 25: Co-infection worries soar; Homosexuals compared to prostitutes

8-17-2006

Two exercises in cynicism by AIDS Inc:

Edmonton Journal (Alberta)

August 15, 2006 Tuesday

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A6

Superinfections compromise vaccine development

BY Sharon Kirkey, CanWest News Service

TORONTO - HIV superinfections, where a person is infected with multiple strains of the AIDS virus, are occurring more often than had been believed, a worrisome finding that calls into question extensive vaccine development, U.S. and Canadian scientists say.

Eight cases of superinfection have been found among 57 HIV-infected women in Mombasa, Kenya, researchers reported Monday at the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto.

Many of the women became infected with a second strain of HIV within the first year of their first infection, but others have occurred up to five years later.

The new research "is suggesting that superinfection -- that is re-infection by a second partner -- is occurring more than we had originally expected," says Julie Overbaugh, associate program head at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Wash.

While the study is believed to be the largest of its kind, "We're still talking about only 57 women and eight cases," she cautioned.

It's not known whether the risk of superinfection is nearly as high as first infection, but "the data are starting to suggest that's an issue," Overbaugh said.

There is also a "hint" becoming re-infected makes a person progress more rapidly to AIDS.

There have been sporadic reports of superinfection over two decades of the AIDS epidemic, but Canadian AIDS doctors say this is the first to estimate how frequently they occur.

The study may have important implications for "Internet partner" and "sero-sorters" -- HIV-positive men who seek other HIV infected partners for unsafe sex. Overbaugh says they may be at risk of getting re-infected.

"It means that even though the person already has HIV infection, they're still susceptible and they still have health to lose from getting exposed again," says Dr. Bill Cameron, professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital.

He said even among sexual partners who have HIV it's important to practise safer sex to avoid having "ping pong" infections back and forth between them.

In some studies of sex workers in South Africa, as soon as they find they are HIV positive, they have two different viruses.

"It may be that they got them from one partner, but it looks like they probably got sequentially infected," Overbaugh said in an interview.

That means re-infection can occur early. But her team found it can occur late, too, "meaning that that's the time when the person has had the first virus, they've got an immune response to it and yet they still are receptive to infection by a second virus."

That could be discouraging news for vaccine development. Current vaccines -- there are 23 in clinical development -- are built on trying to mimic a natural HIV infection to churn out neutralizing antibodies.

But the study suggests "the kind of immunity you look for in vaccination is not present in natural (HIV) infections," says Cameron.

To date, around 65 million people have been infected with HIV, and AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was recognized in 1981.

[emphases mine]

Bill Weintraub:

Just a few years ago, gay males who sero-sorted -- that is chose their sexual partners on the basis of HIV status -- were accused by the pc crowd of practicing "viral apartheid."

Now, sero-sorting is all the rage among the politically correct, since it's seen as preserving "sexual freedom" while protecting those few "men into anal" still uninfected.

In other words, the AIDS establishment has, cynically in my view, endorsed sero-sorting because it's a way to keep those soaring and oh so embarassing rates of new HIV infection if not down, at least more manageable -- from a public relations point of view.

Since, if a guy who's poz gets reinfected -- it's not a new infection, is it?

And it doesn't show up in the stats.

In reality, however, say the docs, "HIV-positive men who seek other HIV infected partners for unsafe sex ... still have health to lose from getting exposed again."

Which means, once again, there's NO safe way to do anal.

But the AIDS establishment doesn't care.

Since MSM condom campaigns have failed so miserably -- and I'll soon be posting some new stats from UC Berkeley epidemiologist James Chin about just how ineffective those campaigns were even back in the 80s -- the solution of AIDS Inc. is to throw the guys who are already poz to the wolves.

Let them keep re-infecting each other is the thinking.

At least they're not infecting guys who are negative.

Once again, there's a shocking and cynical disregard for the lives of the men these "AIDS professionals" are supposed to be protecting.

Next up:

AIDS Inc strives to re-link homosexuality with prostitution

Reuters Health

August 16, 2006

Sex workers march for rights at AIDS conference

By Maggie Fox

TORONTO (Reuters) - Sex workers and their supporters from 21 countries marched on Wednesday through the 16th International AIDS Conference to demand their own place not only at the conference, but in their own societies.

Wearing turquoise T-shirts, they marched from a gauze-draped bed in the Toronto conference's Stiletto Lounge, one of the exhibits at the meeting, through art displays, exhibits about prisoners with AIDS and around booths offering information to drug users and religious groups.

"Sex work is work. Sex workers are workers," said Philal Sri Kumzaw from Thailand, standing amid pillows and sex toys in the Lounge. To cheers from a crowd of around 200 people, she demanded health insurance, paid vacation and job security.

The AIDS epidemic has launched homosexual men not only into open society, but made them some of the most prominent advocates for research and care. Now the sex workers want their share of the action.

..

[emphasis mine]

Bill Weintraub:

Prior to Gay Liberation, "homosexuals" were routinely lumped in with other "deviant groups": most prominently prostitutes and drug addicts.

One of the goals of Gay Lib and the subsequent gay rights movement was to give gay men a measure of "social dignity" by pointing out that they weren't prostitutes or drug addicts, but just ordinary people living ordinary lives.

And thus to separate them from these very marginalized people.

No more.

Now, thanks to the buttboys and their unerring devotion to anal penetration, gay men are once again routinely lumped in with prostitutes and drug addicts.

Way to go ANAL Inc!

Moreover, let's be clear: the "legitimization" of prostitution is a feminist issue.

Like transgenderism, prostitution has nothing to do with the lives of the vast majority of ordinary Men who Love Men.

What's going on, however, is that feminists are calling upon their gay male allies in the AIDS establishment to support them on this one.

And making explicit comparisons between the gains gay men paid for with the lives of their lovers, and what might be achieved by prostitutes.

While the gay establishment seems perfectly okay with the idea.

We'll just re-link men who have sex with men -- with sex workers.

But there's a huge difference between selling your body for money -- and choosing to have sex with another man.

Bill Weintraub

© All material Copyright 2006 by Bill Weintraub. All rights reserved.


Robert Loring

Re: AIDS at 25: Co-infection worries soar; Homosexuals compared to prostitutes

8-18-2006

And so it appears that yet another campaign is underway to yet again demonize gay men! Why am I NOT surprised?? Most men who love men are NOT prostitutes, that's a fact, but it seems that elements in our society wish to throw up yet another smoke screen of deception and yet again blur the Truth. And elements in the gay community are going along with all of this?? They somehow relish the idea of being lumped together with drug addicts and prostitutes? I think they have their priorities and perceptions CONFUSED!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, "When you demonize someone or some group it dehumanizes them in the mind of others and makes it easier for others to attack that person or group." I really wonder when human beings will stop demonizing other human beings. I really wonder when the human race will GROW UP and stop having this psychotic "need" to always have an "enemy." The real Enemy is within our ownselves, I think, and once we realize that we can confront that "inner demon" and perhaps as humans get on with our Divine business of becoming all that we can become.

Someday we as a race of beings have got to stop demonizing each other and start allowing compassion to rule instead of fear which now rules over most of the human race. We seem to have a "need" to demonize those people/groups we fear so we go a-lookin' for "demons." Most of us, however, need to realize that when we go a-lookin' for Demons we SELDOM need to really look beyond our OWN SELVES!

Get a clue humanity!!!!


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