Swiss Doctors for HIV-Prevention

Swiss Doctors for HIV-Prevention


This homepage has been designed by the doctors of AIDS Information Switzerland.

It is the aim of AIDS Information Switzerland to supply those who are interested with thorough and comprehensible information about the HIV illness and AIDS, as well as to intensify the education on prevention.

Some of the texts originate from the American health authority, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has made them available to us. From the very start, the CDC has played an outstanding role at global level in the campaign against the HIV epidemic.

AIDS Information Switzerland is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) “in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations”.

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.

This is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease.

For more information view CDC's questions and answers on "HIV Science".

http://www.aids-info.ch/index_e.htm
http://www.aids-info.ch/ev1/hiv_aids/hiv.htm

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Camote or SWEET POTATO Health Benefits

How sweet it is for your health to eat sweet potatoes! Not only do they taste like dessert, here's the latest research on sweet potatoes surprising benefits.

Unique Proteins with Potent Antioxidant Effects

Sweet potato contain unique root storage proteins that have been observed to have significant antioxidant capacities. In one study, these proteins had about one-third the antioxidant activity of glutathione-one of the body's most impressive internally produced antioxidants. Although future studies are needed in this area, count on these root proteins to help explain sweet potatoes' healing properties.

A Sweet Source of Good Nutrition

Our food ranking system also showed sweet potato to be a strong performer in terms of traditional nutrients. This root vegetable qualified as an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. How do these sweet potato nutrients support our health?

An Antioxidant-Rich, Anti-Inflammatory Food

As an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene) and a very good source of vitamin C, sweet potatoes have healing properties as an antioxidant food. Both beta-carotene and vitamin C are very powerful antioxidants that work in the body to eliminate free radicals. Free radicals are chemicals that damage cells and cell membranes and are associated with the development of conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, and colon cancer. This may explain why beta-carotene and vitamin C have both been shown to be helpful for preventing these conditions.

Since these nutrients are also anti-inflammatory, they can be helpful in reducing the severity of conditions where inflammation plays a role, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

In addition, sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6, which is needed to convert homocysteine, an interim product created during an important chemical process in cells called methylation, into other benign molecules. Since high homocysteine levels are associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, having a little extra vitamin B6 on hand is a good idea.

If you or someone you love is a smoker, or if you are frequently exposed to secondhand smoke, then making vitamin A-rich foods, such as sweet potatoes, part of your healthy way of eating, may save your life, suggests research conducted at Kansas State University.

While studying the relationship between vitamin A, lung inflammation, and emphysema, Richard Baybutt, associate professor of nutrition at Kansas State, made a surprising discovery: a common carcinogen in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, induces vitamin A deficiency.

Baybutt's earlier research had shown that laboratory animals fed a vitamin A-deficient diet developed emphysema. His latest animal studies indicate that not only does the benzo(a)pyrene in cigarette smoke cause vitamin A deficiency, but that a diet rich in vitamin A can help counter this effect, thus greatly reducing emphysema.

Baybutt believes vitamin A's protective effects may help explain why some smokers do not develop emphysema. "There are a lot of people who live to be 90 years old and are smokers," he said. "Why? Probably because of their diet…The implications are that those who start smoking at an early age are more likely to become vitamin A deficient and develop complications associated with cancer and emphysema. And if they have a poor diet, forget it." If you or someone you love smokes, or if your work necessitates exposure to second hand smoke, protect yourself by making sure at least one of the World's Healthiest Foods that are rich in vitamin A, such as sweet potatoes, is a daily part of your healthy way of eating.

So, the next time you have the urge for something sweet, how about a thick slice of sweet potato pie? It's one dessert guaranteed to satisfy your whole body, not just your sweet tooth.

Description

Depending upon the variety, of which there are about 400, the skin and flesh of the sweet potato may range from almost white through cream, yellow, orange, and pink to a very deep purple, although white and yellow-orange flesh are most common. Sometimes this root vegetable will be shaped like a potato, being short and blocky with rounded ends, while other times it will be longer with tapered ends.

The intensity of the sweet potato's yellow or orange flesh color is directly correlated to its beta-carotene content. The beta-carotene in orange-fleshed sweet potato, which our bodies can use to produce vitamin A and is therefore called "Provitamin A," has been reported to be more bioavailable than that from dark green leafy vegetables. Purple-fleshed sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are a good source of anthocyanins and have the highest antioxidant activity among sweet potato varieties. In one study, the antioxidant activity in purple sweet potato was 3.2 times higher than that of a blueberry variety! Interestingly, the antioxidant activity in sweet potato skin, regardless of its color, is almost three times higher than in the rest of the tissue.

So ano? Kain na tayo ng camote! Mura na super nutritious pa.

http://www.belletoday.com/forum/diet-and-fitness/healthy-eating-and-nutrition/31036/sweet-potato-camote-health-benefits.asp

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DOLE issues guidelines on Hepatitis B in workplace

To prevent the spread of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the workplace without discriminating against infected workers, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued a seven-point guideline on dealing with the situation.

The guidelines, contained in DOLE Department Advisory No. 5, became effective on Tuesday, 15 days after it was published in a national newspaper.

“This is part of our efforts to ensure decent work. Workers should not only be provided just wages and benefits. They should also be protected from illnesses like Hepatitis B which may hinder their productivity and competitiveness," DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in an article posted on the government portal on Wednesday.

Under the advisory, all private workplaces will implement a rights-based policy and a program on Hepatitis B that incorporates human rights standards and principles.

The guidelines also cover all workers regardless of their employment status.

Hepatitis B

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) website, Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver.

The virus is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person but not through casual contact, WHO said.

About 2 billion people worldwide have been infected with the virus and about 350 million live with chronic infection.

An estimated 600 000 persons die each year due to the acute or chronic consequences of hepatitis B.

The HBV is 50 to 100 times more infectious than Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but it is preventable with a safe and effective vaccine, WHO said.

According to WHO, the symptoms of HBV include:
yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice);
dark urine;
extreme fatigue;
nausea;
vomiting, and
abdominal pain.

When infected, people can take several months to a year to recover from the symptoms, WHO said.

The disease can also cause a chronic liver infection that can later develop into cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.

Risks for workers

The DOLE advisory requires vaccination in all occupations with a conceivable risk of Hepatitis B transmission in the workplace such as health care workers and other workers whose occupation involves the potential exchange of bodily fluids.

DOLE encourages all establishments to provide Hepatitis B immunization for all its workers.

The advisory also requires firms to include a policy on non-discriminatory, confidentiality, work accommodation, and arrangements for workers with Hepatitis B status.

It specifically states the following:

1. There shall be no discrimination of any form against workers on the basis of their Hepatitis B status consistent with international agreements on non-discrimination ratified by the Philippines (ILO C111). They shall not be discriminated against, from pre- to post-employment, including hiring, promotion, or assignment;

2. They shall not be declared unfit to work without appropriate medical evaluation and counseling;

3. Workers shall not be terminated on the basis of the actual, perceived, or suspected Hepatitis B status;

4. Workplace management of sick employees shall not differ from that of any other illness. Persons with Hepatitis-B related illness should be able to work for as long as they are medically fit;

5. Job applicants and workers shall not be compelled to disclose their Hepatitis B status and other related medical information. Co-workers shall not be obliged to reveal and personal information about fellow workers. Access to personal data relating to a worker’s Hepatitis B status shall be bound by the rules of confidentiality and shall be strictly limited to medical personnel or if legally required;

6. Employers shall take measures to reasonably accommodate workers who are Hepatitis B positive or with Hepatitis B-related illnesses;

7. Through agreements made between management and workers’ representatives, measures to support workers with Hepatitis B are encouraged through flexible leave arrangements, rescheduling of working time, and arrangement for return to work.

Workplace policyTo assist employers and workers, Baldoz said the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), together with the Department of Health (DOH), will help companies formulate and implement their Hepatitis B Workplace Policy and Program.

She added that the DOLE will also develop a basic information package to educate workers and employees on Hepatitis B prevention and management.

Baldoz said the DOLE's regional offices, the DOH, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and local government units (LGUs), will monitor the compliance of private establishments on the implementation of the Hepatitis B workplace policy and program. – VVP, GMANews.TV

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10 new suspected HIV cases reported in Angeles City

ANGELES CITY, Philippines – City health authorities yesterday reported 10 new suspected cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) here.

Dr. Teresita Esguerra, chief of the social hygiene center of the city health office, also noted an eight percent increase in cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among thousands of women registered as workers in local bars and other tourist-oriented establishments.

She told The STAR that there are about 13,000 registered workers in local entertainment establishments who are all required under a city ordinance to undergo weekly smear tests at the social hygiene center.

“Since last July, the number of such workers coming for the tests has increased from an average of 700 to 1,200 daily,” she said.

Center nurse Lynne Velasco quoted the STD victims as saying that Koreans have replaced Americans as the suspected sources of their ailments.

Angeles earned the tag “sin city” as American soldiers stationed at the former Clark US Air Force base frequented the “red light districts” here for their “rest and recreation.”

The red light districts suffered a slump when the Americans abandoned Clark in 1991, but resurfaced a few years later when Clark was converted into a special economic zone.

Esguerra noted that since 1985, at least 100 locals, mostly women working in bars, have been confirmed to be HIV-positive.

HIV eventually leads to the fatal Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

“A rapid test we did recently revealed 10 more suspected HIV cases but we are not informing the concerned girls yet until we receive a confirmation from a laboratory in Manila,” she said.

Esguerra, however, said her office has lost track of most of the 100 confirmed HIV cases. “We got feedback that some went back to their provinces, while about 10 have already died of AIDS,” she said.

Velasco said the victims included three siblings, now aged two, four, and seven who were orphaned by parents who died from AIDS. These children are now under the care of a foundation in Manila.

Esguerra cited limitations provided by Republic Act 8524 of the Philippine National AIDS Law that prevent health authorities from tracking down probable sources of HIV in the city’s foreign community.

“We also cannot control the activities of the HIV patients. We cannot forbid them to return to the bars to work, neither can we warn the bars on the health of the patients,” she said.

Esguerra and Velasco said attempts to provide the patients with other forms of livelihood have failed.

“The cash given them just vanishes. It seems that their experience in bars has developed an outlook for easy money,” Velasco said.

She said six confirmed HIV patients are now under the care of the city government. Four of them are employed as “peer advisors” to other bar workers.

Esguerra noted though that compared to other major cities in the country, the local HIV situation is not as bad. “But we have to be vigilant,” she added.

Next month, she said random HIV tests would be done among registered and freelance entertainers as well as tricycle drivers, among whom STD cases have been reported to be significant.

“At least 300 from each group would undergo behavioral and blood tests,” she said.

Esguerra said her office is pushing the availability of condoms in nightspots to help prevent the spread of HIV and other STDs.

“The female entertainers, however, report that most of their customers refuse the use of condom. In gay bars, the male workers are embarrassed to admit having had sex with customers, so they refuse blood tests,” she said. –Ding Cervantes (The Philippine Star)

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