Thailand Aids Vaccine results

[Surfcrest]

For an HIV+ man to have inseminated and HIV- woman and conceived two HIV- children is a miracle. His sperm, HIV+ of course uniting with an HIV- egg, not once but twice is worthy of close scientific study. The assumption is that, the sperm still alive at fertilization was uninfected or for that matter cured of HIV virus by the egg or possibly something else in the reproductive tract.

Western reseach has for sometime now concluded that HIV treatment with anti-viral medication should commence when the CD4 count is at around 350 copies, some researchers are now suggesting at 500 copies but that is still being debated. Once the count drops below 200 illness can and does occur leading in some cases to death. A person who has access to the right drugs and starts taking them at the correct time can in most cases lead a normal life........

The side effects from anti viral medications were quite severe not all that long ago. So bad they were that people were giving up on the medications opting to die from AIDS related complications instead. When it comes to research, this is where most of the real gains have been made. The side effects from the new anti viral treatments for people just starting to take treatment are much milder now. This is why there is discussion now around starting the treatments sooner. The premise is that if you delay treatment until the CD4 count is too low, the immune system could become irreparably damaged or leave the patient vulnerable to infection. Viral load counts and CD4 counts should probably be done every 3 to 6 months after infection.

Once treatment starts, the viral load count can drop to the point of being undetectable for some for 20 or more years. Since the disease has only been around since the early-eighties and with improvements to anti viral treatments, this could stretch much farther than that. Let’s hope so!

[Beachlover]

That's a sobering string of stories.

I'm really shocked your ex's wife had sex to another baby with him... just astounding. You would think, with the fear they associate with HIV, she would not. I suppose the positive side of this story is that your ex has been able to have kids and start a family that would look after him. Great that the 2 kids don't have it.

Perhaps part of all this behaviour comes from the "when it's time to go it's time to go" and "not think to much" and thinking with emotions rather than logic attribute of many Thais. I'm not sure they're as concerned about death as most Westerners are. Denial probably plays a big role in it.

[Gone Fishing]

I'm really shocked your ex's wife had sex to another baby with him... just astounding. You would think, with the fear they associate with HIV, she would not. I suppose the positive side of this story is that your ex has been able to have kids and start a family that would look after him. Great that the 2 kids don't have it.

They did not have sex to have another baby - they had sex to have sex. The second son has been "adopted" and registered as born to parents who had no children of ther own; I have no idea of the specific circumstances or of any financial consideration involved, but this is not unusual here. Worringly, at least for any potenial adoptive parents, is that (as far as I know) HIV+ babies may not show any symptoms for up to two years even with full blood tests so it is possible that the second baby was HIV+, although I think it is very unlkely as I am sure I would have heard something about it had this been the case.

..... Perhaps it is the fear and stigma that still surrounds HIV/AIDS in certain communities. Some cases often arise in Western countries where individuals will not get tested for various different reasons, one being the "I don't want to know" attitude or "if I get sick I'll get treatment" theory.

I agree, but when I said so recently I was told that this was 2009 not 1990! In that post I also explained that my own reason for not being tested when logic and reason cried out that I should was simply fear - in my case not fear of death, but fear of dying hence my choosing the "I don't want to know" path.

For an HIV+ man to have inseminated an HIV- woman and conceived two HIV- children is a miracle. His sperm, HIV+ of course uniting with an HIV- egg, not once but twice is worthy of close scientific study.

It is also a miracle that after what must now be nearer to 10 years of being HIV+ and despite having an immune system weakened by a couple of decades of glue sniffing and heavy drinking/alcoholism he still shows no signs or symptoms of the virus.

[rocket]

It is also a miracle that after what must now be nearer to 10 years of being HIV+ and despite having an immune system weakened by a couple of decades of glue sniffing and heavy drinking/alcoholism he still shows no signs or symptoms of the virus

Maybe hes a long term non-progresser,they do exist but not too many of them.More than likely he will get sick fast and if he goes to a doctor his cd4 count will be well below 200.

[sanook]

Maybe hes a long term non-progresser,they do exist but not too many of them.More than likely he will get sick fast and if he goes to a doctor his cd4 count will be well below 200.

Yes, the percentage of non-progressers are very, very few and they, when known still confound the specialists. I personally know one European guy who was confirmed to be HIV + in 1992 and still, on his last test a few months back had a normal CD4 count of over 1000. None of his doctors can say for sure though that this high might dramatically drop or continue to stay reasonable high.