iT HAPPENS ALL OVER THE WORLD, and another thing, while AIDS education is very important, sex is a wonderful thing that should be enjoyed between two people who made sure that they got tested first.

Its reckless people who spread it to innocent people resulting in the epedimic we have today.

Innocent people get it to because of a murderer not letting the uninfected person know there infected status but again, as long as you are responsible, you are 99% safe as no one is safe if the have sex, its a matter of trust,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,NO RESPONSE NECESSARY PROUDPLP :)

over here... hookin up is the norm...and sadly without condoms...:realmad:
It is sad that ppl still play Russian roulette with their lives!!

Then my next question is do many Bahamians get annual physicals? Even if asymptomatic, if these tests are standard shouldn't one know their status sometime before stage 4 HIV?
Each insurance policy I took out, I also had to be tested......does this mean then that he has no insurance coverage.... life or medical? If so, it must be difficult knowing the kind of treatment and expenses that he & his family will incur and not have coverage.


No...most Bahamians do not get physicals...Why? because most Bahamians are uninsured ...Why? because they can't afford it and it is not mandatory for their employer to provide it.

One of the saddest things about working at home was seeing so many people in the advanced stages of many diseases that could have been avoided with a simple, inexpensive test. Many patients do not seek treatment until thet see symptoms and by then it is uaually to late. Also, they is very little education and awareness among the Bahamian public with regard to preventative heath care.....

This is one of the reasons I'm not home now...but thats another story...this topic breaks my heart

No...most Bahamians do not get physicals...Why? because most Bahamians are uninsured ...Why? because they can't afford it and it is not mandatory for their employer to provide it.
One of the saddest things about working at home was seeing so many people in the advanced stages of many diseases that could have been avoided with a simple, inexpensive test. Many patients do not seek treatment until thet see symptoms and by then it is uaually to late. Also, they is very little education and awareness among the Bahamian public with regard to preventative heath care.....
This is one of the reasons I'm not home now...but thats another story...this topic breaks my heart


Ya teenk the MOE reading dis thread and the reality of mandatory SEX EDUCATION classes in all schools :confused::dgi:

wow 14 yrs and had no clue thats scary.

for what ever reason the carribean is so sexual charged and we dont teach our kids from a young age either about the perils of sex.

yeah there needs to be education in the schools pictures videos and in person interviews with people that cuaght STD's or got preggers in their teens. they need to put a face to the problem, simply saying wear a condom doesnt cut it, i know in the usa sex ed classes actually bring in a banana and a condom to show them how to put it on.

people also need to stop being so slutty (men and women), stop boinking someone after knowing them for all of ten minutes and wrap it up even when having oral intercourse and women if you cant get off with a finger thats ur bad i wont be follin lil kims advice by throwin lips to it.

you just dont know.

so who thinks we will ever find a cure or are we are close as we ever will be

wow 14 yrs and had no clue thats scary.
for what ever reason the carribean is so sexual charged and we dont teach our kids from a young age either about the perils of sex.
yeah there needs to be education in the schools pictures videos and in person interviews with people that cuaght STD's or got preggers in their teens. they need to put a face to the problem, simply saying wear a condom doesnt cut it, i know in the usa sex ed classes actually bring in a banana and a condom to show them how to put it on.
people also need to stop being so slutty (men and women), stop boinking someone after knowing them for all of ten minutes and wrap it up even when having oral intercourse and women if you cant get off with a finger thats ur bad i wont be follin lil kims advice by throwin lips to it.
you just dont know.
so who thinks we will ever find a cure or are we are close as we ever will be




The doctors, pharmacists and more importantly the F.D.A will never allow a cure to be made known to the public, they day that happens it will be anarchy, trust me......

The doctors, pharmacists and more importantly the F.D.A will never allow a cure to be made known to the public, they day that happens it will be anarchy, trust me......
I take personal resentment to this statement. I am doing my phd dissertation research in a lab that specializes in autoimmune/ immocompromised populations (HIV/AIDS). I am working on the autoimmune aspect, but i can say with out a doubt that we scientists invest a lot of effort, intellectual, financial, and labour intensive, in trying to fight diseases that ravage the population. In my laboratory we are working very hard to study the biology of b-cell vaccine responses in HIV, in an attempt to create vaccine modalities that are antibody based,along with several other centers at the university focusing on creating synthetic peptide vaccines, hence providing a preventative method of disease eradication. I know that governments are capable of some very vile things, but have a little respect for the scientific community. HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and cures are high on the list of priorities.

I take personal resentment to this statement. I am doing my phd dissertation research in a lab that specializes in autoimmune/ immocompromised populations (HIV/AIDS). I am working on the autoimmune aspect, but i can say with out a doubt that we scientists invest a lot of effort, intellectual, financial, and labour intensive, in trying to fight diseases that ravage the population. In my laboratory we are working very hard to study the biology of b-cell vaccine responses in HIV, in an attempt to create vaccine modalities that are antibody based,along with several other centers at the university focusing on creating synthetic peptide vaccines, hence providing a preventative method of disease eradication. I know that governments are capable of some very vile things, but have a little respect for the scientific community. HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and cures are high on the list of priorities.

up north u shudda see my face when i read what that person said.

to suggest that people who are intrested in saving lives wouldnt want a cure to be found so they could make money.

i mean looking at how the treatment has evolved and you can tell that is not the case.

i am very happy u responded.

so whats this b cell vaccine? i read an article a few yrs back talking about china (i think) was close to a vaccine.

a friend (a med student) who i shared it with said that was impossible becuase the hiv virus mutates so there will never be a cure. i know the virus mutates but does that mean a cure is impossible.

has there been any other decease in mankind that mutated and we found a cure?

also vaccines are really the deceases them selves correct? so a vaccine for hiv will be based on hiv?

so if you think a cure is one the horizon how far away are we, ten yrs fifteen? i know its hard to say but just an educated guess.


thanks for your hard work

I take personal resentment to this statement. I am doing my phd dissertation research in a lab that specializes in autoimmune/ immocompromised populations (HIV/AIDS). I am working on the autoimmune aspect, but i can say with out a doubt that we scientists invest a lot of effort, intellectual, financial, and labour intensive, in trying to fight diseases that ravage the population. In my laboratory we are working very hard to study the biology of b-cell vaccine responses in HIV, in an attempt to create vaccine modalities that are antibody based,along with several other centers at the university focusing on creating synthetic peptide vaccines, hence providing a preventative method of disease eradication. I know that governments are capable of some very vile things, but have a little respect for the scientific community. HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and cures are high on the list of priorities.


Livingupnorth, let me show you a wibe, I am as much interested in finding a cure for AIDS as much maybe even more than you because of the fact that I lost two family members and friends to it, along with a few friends who are still living with it and the people at the All Saints Camp who I work and help every other oppurtunity I have.

But unfortunately Livingupnorth, its nothing personal, but AIDS IS A TRILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY FROM THE TREATMENT AND THE FUNDING TO FIND A CURE, "MONEY", THATS WHAT ITS ABOUT, and based on your post, you and a lot of other genuine persons who want to find a cure are not included but THINK ABOUT IT AIDS DID NOT SIMPLY DROP OUT OF THE SKY (WELL MAYBE BUT WHO KNOWS) AIDS WAS CREATED BY MAN, WE MAY NOT KNOW HOW BUT AIDS WAS NOT AROUND BEWFORE THE 50'S, LOOK AT SARS, WHERE AND WHEN DID SARS COME FROM, WHAT WENT WRONG WITH SARS, SARS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ANOTHER AIDS BUT IT WAS KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE TO SOON AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT DISSAPPEARED, BUT WHERE DID IT GO LIVINGUPNORTH?

I WOULD PUT IT LIKE THIS, IF I HAD A CHOICE TO GIVE UP MY LIFE FOR A CURE OF AIDS FOR THE 600+ MILLION PEOPLE WHO HAVE IT, AFTER EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WAS PROVEN CURED, I WOULD WANT A CURE TO BE FOUND SO BAD THAT I WOULD GIVE MY LIFE FOR INNOCENT PEOPLE, THATS HOW SERIOUS I AM BECAUSE OF THE PAIN IT HAS NOT ONLY CAUSED ME AND MY FAMILY BUT THE MANY PEOPLE I SEE WHO LIVE WITH IT EVERYDAY MY BROTHER/SISTER.

UNFORTUNATELY THOUGH, AIDS ON THE OTHER HAND PROVIDES COUNTLESS JOBS FOR PERSONS AND I FEEL THERE IS NO WAY THE FDA WOULD MAKE THE KNOWLEDGE OF A CURE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, I DONT THINK YOU WILL NEVER SEE IT UNLESS ITS A PERSON WHO IS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY. I DONT LIKE IT BUT JUST AS MUCH AS WE WANT EQUALITY IN THE WORLD, UNTIL JESUS COMES, WHEN, HOW?

AIDS HAS INDIRECTLY ROBBED ME OF MANY LOVED ONES AND PERSONALLY I AM ONLY BEING REAL, YOU THINK THE FDA OR ANY OTHER GIANT COOPERATION WILL ALLOW THEIR TRILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY FROM TREATMENT TO SIMPLY DISSAPPEAR?

up north u shudda see my face when i read what that person said.
to suggest that people who are intrested in saving lives wouldnt want a cure to be found so they could make money.
i mean looking at how the treatment has evolved and you can tell that is not the case.
i am very happy u responded.
so whats this b cell vaccine? i read an article a few yrs back talking about china (i think) was close to a vaccine.
a friend (a med student) who i shared it with said that was impossible becuase the hiv virus mutates so there will never be a cure. i know the virus mutates but does that mean a cure is impossible.
has there been any other decease in mankind that mutated and we found a cure?
also vaccines are really the deceases them selves correct? so a vaccine for hiv will be based on hiv?
so if you think a cure is one the horizon how far away are we, ten yrs fifteen? i know its hard to say but just an educated guess.
thanks for your hard work


NO NEED TO GET UPSET WITH ME BAHAMABOY, MONEY IS THE REALITY, I AM NOT SAYING THAT PEOPLE LIKE LIVING UP NORTH ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SAVING LIVES, I AM TALKIN ABOUT GIANT TRILLION DOLLAR COOPERATIONS WHO COMPROMISE, IF I WERE TO FIND A CURE, I WOULD GIVE IT AWAY FOR FREE EVEN IF I WAS A TRILLIONAIRE AND HAD TO BUY THEM, IT WOULD BUY IT AND GIVE IT AWAY FOR FREE.


LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING, WHY SHOULD PEOPLE HAVE TO PAY FOR TREATMENT, BETTER YET, WHY SHOULD PEOPLE HAVE TO PAY FOR A CURE IF IT WAS RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC? try to put yourself in the shoes of the big cooperations profiting from the treatment from another perspective.....

Livingupnorth, let me show you a wibe, I am as much interested in finding a cure for AIDS as much maybe more than you because I lost two family members, and friends to it, along with a few living with it and the people at the All Saints Camp who I work and help every other month.
But unfotrunately Livingupnorth, its nothing personal, but AIDS IS A TRILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY FROM THE TREATMENT AND THE FUNDING TO FIND A CURE, MONEY, THATS WHAT ITS ABOUT BECAUSE THINK ABOUT IT, SARS WENT WRONG, SARS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ANOTHER AIDS BUT IT WAS KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE TO SOON BUT WHERE DID IT GO?
AIDS ON THE OTHER HAND PROVIDES COUNTLESS JOBS FOR PERSONS LIKE YOURSELF AND THERE IS NO WAY THE FDA WOULD MAKE THE KNOWLEDGE OF A CURE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, YOU WILL NEVER SEE IT. I DONT LIKE IT BUT JUST AS MUCH AS WE WANT EQUALITY IN THE WORLD, UNTIL JESUS COMES, WHEN, HOW?
AIDS HAS INDIRECTLY ROBBED ME OF MANY LOVED ONES AND PERSONALLY I AM ONLY BEING REAL, YOU THINK THE FDA OR ANY OTHER GIANT COOPERATION WILL ALLOW THEIR TRILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY FROM TREATMENT TO SIMPLY DISSAPPEAR?
Sadly we are going to have to disagree on this point. As for SARS, there are still people out here working on that disease, as a matter of fact there is a group at my university that is working on creating a vaccine. Secondly, all i can tell u is what I know. think about it. a few years ago , influenza (the flu), tuberculosis, all were death sentences. now they are perfectly treatable, and in the case of influenza, perfectly preventable, diseases. Yes i have to acknowledge that there is money to be made in the treatment and management of HIV, and in the research to a cure, but that does not stop progress. There are still people working on finding better therapies for Influenza. progress does not stop with treatment. all i can say to you is to trust me, and the integrity of my colleagues, this war shall be won, we have the record to show so

up north u shudda see my face when i read what that person said.
to suggest that people who are intrested in saving lives wouldnt want a cure to be found so they could make money.
i mean looking at how the treatment has evolved and you can tell that is not the case.
i am very happy u responded.
so whats this b cell vaccine? i read an article a few yrs back talking about china (i think) was close to a vaccine.
a friend (a med student) who i shared it with said that was impossible becuase the hiv virus mutates so there will never be a cure. i know the virus mutates but does that mean a cure is impossible.
has there been any other decease in mankind that mutated and we found a cure?
also vaccines are really the deceases them selves correct? so a vaccine for hiv will be based on hiv?
so if you think a cure is one the horizon how far away are we, ten yrs fifteen? i know its hard to say but just an educated guess.
thanks for your hard work

so whats this b cell vaccine?
well it is based on the fact that b-cells in the body make antibodies as a response to pathogen's. basically it takes advantage of the bodies capabilities to protect against foreign protein's"

Well the thing is a vaccine is not a cure, it would be a preventative measure. it will allow the body to build what is term "immunological memory", in essence you will have an army waiting for the HIV so that if a person becomes infected, the body will be prompt to respond and destroy the cells infected with the HIV before it has a chance to change the machinery of the cell to a viral producing "factory"; well this is the theory.

also not all vaccines are "killed" forms of the viruses. for example the work in my lab will take advantage of some of the known surface protein's on the virus' surface, and use the protein's to develop antibodies in the lab that can then become therapeutic. another approach actually uses those virus proteins to cause b-cells to develop antibodies against the viral proteins. so if those proteins are ever encountered in the body (i.e. HIV infection) then those antibodies will target the protein on the virus, hence target the virus/virally infected cells for destruction by the immune system

and yes HIV does have the ability to mutate, the mutations are due to its low replication fidelity (when the virus copies its genome, it doesn't copy it "correctly", it makes mistakes in the replication), therefore increasing the chances of developing new strains. but i guess the thought is that if you have a memory response that is quick enough you can destroy the virus before it has a chance to replicate so much that it develops a new strain.

how far we are from a cure? i have no idea, but i do know that in 20 odd years since the first case the scientific community has developed extremely effective therapies that are causing people to live healthy lives. i do believe that everyone in this field are working very hard to see some sort of preventative therapy with-in our lifetimes. in the mean time, we need to pay close attention to the public health aspect, and create awareness and have widespread education. there are a lot of misconceptions out there.

Sadly we are going to have to disagree on this point. As for SARS, there are still people out here working on that disease, as a matter of fact there is a group at my university that is working on creating a vaccine. Secondly, all i can tell u is what I know. think about it. a few years ago , influenza (the flu), tuberculosis, all were death sentences. now they are perfectly treatable, and in the case of influenza, perfectly preventable, diseases. Yes i have to acknowledge that there is money to be made in the treatment and management of HIV, and in the research to a cure, but that does not stop progress. There are still people working on finding better therapies for Influenza. progress does not stop with treatment. all i can say to you is to trust me, and the integrity of my colleagues, this war shall be won, we have the record to show so


so whats this b cell vaccine?
well it is based on the fact that b-cells in the body make antibodies as a response to pathogen's. basically it takes advantage of the bodies capabilities to protect against foreign protein's"
Well the thing is a vaccine is not a cure, it would be a preventative measure. it will allow the body to build what is term "immunological memory", in essence you will have an army waiting for the HIV so that if a person becomes infected, the body will be prompt to respond and destroy the cells infected with the HIV before it has a chance to change the machinery of the cell to a viral producing "factory"; well this is the theory.
also not all vaccines are "killed" forms of the viruses. for example the work in my lab will take advantage of some of the known surface protein's on the virus' surface, and use the protein's to develop antibodies in the lab that can then become therapeutic. another approach actually uses those virus proteins to cause b-cells to develop antibodies against the viral proteins. so if those proteins are ever encountered in the body (i.e. HIV infection) then those antibodies will target the protein on the virus, hence target the virus/virally infected cells for destruction by the immune system
and yes HIV does have the ability to mutate, the mutations are due to its low replication fidelity (when the virus copies its genome, it doesn't copy it "correctly", it makes mistakes in the replication), therefore increasing the chances of developing new strains. but i guess the thought is that if you have a memory response that is quick enough you can destroy the virus before it has a chance to replicate so much that it develops a new strain.
how far we are from a cure? i have no idea, but i do know that in 20 odd years since the first case the scientific community has developed extremely effective therapies that are causing people to live healthy lives. i do believe that everyone in this field are working very hard to see some sort of preventative therapy with-in our lifetimes. in the mean time, we need to pay close attention to the public health aspect, and create awareness and have widespread education. there are a lot of misconceptions out there.






LIVINGUPNORTH, I REALLY HOPE SO CAUSE ITS NOT ONLY AIDS, BUT DIABETES AND CANCER TOO WHICH IS ALSO RAMPANT IN MY FAMILY.

MY THING AGAIN IS THIS TO YOU AND BAHAMABOY, THE FORCES FIGHTING AGAINST YOU BOTH FROM FINDING A CURE IS NOT ME YA KNOW, ITS PEOPLE WHO ARE ONLY FOCUSED ON MAKING MONEY. OFF COURSE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE SINCE THE FIRST MOMENT AIDS WAS DISCOVERED BUT MY POINT TO YOU AND BAHAMA BOY IS THIS, IF ITS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY, AGAIN TWO QUESTIONS:

AS EVERYBODY ON THIS PLANET WHO IS SANE KNOWS THE SEVERITY OF AIDS, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ONE CHARGE FOR TREATMENT AND FOR A CURE (IF A CURE IS MADE KNOWN TO THE PUBLUC). OTHER ILLS THAT ARE CUREABLE, FINE, A SMALL CHARGE FOR THEM, BUT A SURE DEATH SENTENCE, WHY CHARGE PEOPLE AND OFF COURSE, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WITH AIDS ARE POOR BUT WHY CHARGE FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE A LONGER LIFE THAT WHAT BE SHORTENED IF THEY HAVE NO MONEY?

Some of ya'll crack me up sometimes. It seems as if you're taking for granted that sex is one of our primal drives.

Primal is powerful.

When I was 16 I knew more about sex than many adults in this country. I read every book I possibly could and even was the "supplier" of condoms for my boys at that time. By the time I hit college-age though, all of that EDUCATION didn't stop me from engaging in some really risky behavior with some of the gals I "knew". Even after being a Resident Director and actually winning awards for some of the sex ed programs I would have for my students, I still engaged in risky behavior up until as recently as several years ago.

Yes, you know the risks, but sometimes...

(Anyone who has ever crossed that line can finish that sentence)

Obviously every time I went for a test I was quite preoccupied with mental replays of what, if any, outrageous behavior I had indulged in since the last time I was tested. The difference was that I was fully aware and ready to take responsibility for my actions, unlike some people who just go around, praying for the best.

Luckily I've escaped unscathed to this day, but I more than KNOW that there are certain points that once they are crossed will make it extremely difficult to reign oneself in. And yes, at that point religion, morals, personal beliefs, spouse and all the sex education in the world will NOT stop you from proceeding in an unsafe manner, if the environment and the variables are right.

Many times when I went to the Aids Foundation to fix their computers I would tell Wellington Adderley (MHSRIP) that they needed to change up the way they educated Bahamians. Some in this thread are spouting the same sort of stuff they are - "Protect yourself", "Diseases are out there", "Don't engage in unsafe sex". Here's an observation - Those messages when said like that always seem to be given by persons in a way that displays an undertone of disdain for the sexual experience. This makes it sound like those saying such things don't really have good sex in the first place. Which in turn makes the listeners go, "Do you even know how it feels? Are you out there having sex? I'd doubt it. So, why should I listen to you?"

People who are not having really good sex and/or who are not putting themselves out there on the "casual sex " market perhaps are not the best role models to preach safe sex, because everyone knows that they are not really screwing like the rest of us are.

Another point I would like to make is that using victims as spokespersons has been overdone. Who in perfect health truly relates to someone who has HIV? As insensitive as it may sound, there is an obvious disconnect.

It's time to get real about sex in this country. On one side you have the people who are preaching that it's sinful, so don't do it. Then, on the other side you have persons who are using messages/education that the youth don't relate to.

Things have to change.

LIVINGUPNORTH, I REALLY HOPE SO CAUSE ITS NOT ONLY AIDS, BUT DIABETES AND CANCER TOO WHICH IS ALSO RAMPANT IN MY FAMILY.
MY THING AGAIN IS THIS TO YOU AND BAHAMABOY, THE FORCES FIGHTING AGAINST YOU BOTH FROM FINDING A CURE IS NOT ME YA KNOW, ITS PEOPLE WHO ARE ONLY FOCUSED ON MAKING MONEY. OFF COURSE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE SINCE THE FIRST MOMENT AIDS WAS DISCOVERED BUT MY POINT TO YOU AND BAHAMA BOY IS THIS, IF ITS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY, AGAIN TWO QUESTIONS:
AS EVERYBODY ON THIS PLANET WHO IS SANE KNOWS THE SEVERITY OF AIDS, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ONE CHARGE FOR TREATMENT AND FOR A CURE (IF A CURE IS MADE KNOWN TO THE PUBLUC). OTHER ILLS THAT ARE CUREABLE, FINE, A SMALL CHARGE FOR THEM, BUT A SURE DEATH SENTENCE, WHY CHARGE PEOPLE AND OFF COURSE, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WITH AIDS ARE POOR BUT WHY CHARGE FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE A LONGER LIFE THAT WHAT BE SHORTENED IF THEY HAVE NO MONEY?

well i dont know why there will be a charge, but you have to remember it take money to do the science to find the treatment, it takes money to create the therapies and it takes money to implement them. secondly, if the people can't afford the therapies, as is done in the bahamas, it should be the responsibility of the governments to provide the means for treatment of this population. i am sure your concerns are valid, but i am sure that there will be a way for treatment to reach all people.... think about it, there are initiative now to provide medicines to those who need it most in african countries. and also.. we are also working on diabetes and cancer.... well not my lab, but there are many others here at my university and universities all over the world