Comments on: Something Else To Apologize For: Neglecting AIDS in Black America http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/ Firedoglake weblog Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:25:53 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: mntleo2 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563480 mntleo2 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:43:19 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563480 <p>I am raising my grandniece whose parents, one white (my niece) and one black (her dad) are both HIV positive and she is HIV-exposed. She went through hell the first month of her life undergoing AZT treatment and additionally the first 18 months of her life with very painful tests, and she is not considered to be HIV positive. They treat this as if this is a given that she is free of HIV and will never get AIDS. </p> <p>However, when I ask them how do they know for sure, since this is relatively new as a way to treat these babies, no child undergoing this treatment has even reached maturity yet. Then they finally admitted they do not know for sure. I am afraid for her, she is the delight of everyone who knows her, and we have no way of knowing her fate. There is a kind of lackadaisical approach to this even in children. I feel so afraid for her because I fear we are sitting on a time bomb. Not once since and she has reached the age of three, has ANYONE even called me for follow up, are they even interested in seeing how she is doing? When I call them they say the testing time is passed (her last test was at 18 months but they said her 6 months test was the defining time), they say she is fine. Sometimes I think the prejudice is about just pretending everything is hunky-dunky, so they do not have to do anything. </p> <p>Cat In Seattle</p> I am raising my grandniece whose parents, one white (my niece) and one black (her dad) are both HIV positive and she is HIV-exposed. She went through hell the first month of her life undergoing AZT treatment and additionally the first 18 months of her life with very painful tests, and she is not considered to be HIV positive. They treat this as if this is a given that she is free of HIV and will never get AIDS.

However, when I ask them how do they know for sure, since this is relatively new as a way to treat these babies, no child undergoing this treatment has even reached maturity yet. Then they finally admitted they do not know for sure. I am afraid for her, she is the delight of everyone who knows her, and we have no way of knowing her fate. There is a kind of lackadaisical approach to this even in children. I feel so afraid for her because I fear we are sitting on a time bomb. Not once since and she has reached the age of three, has ANYONE even called me for follow up, are they even interested in seeing how she is doing? When I call them they say the testing time is passed (her last test was at 18 months but they said her 6 months test was the defining time), they say she is fine. Sometimes I think the prejudice is about just pretending everything is hunky-dunky, so they do not have to do anything.

Cat In Seattle

]]> By: Isaiah Poole http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563453 Isaiah Poole Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:22:44 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563453 <p>Let me give Kanye West <a href="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu9VbcpJIvhMBeEpXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEydjFqOHFwBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNgRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA0Y3NTRfOTc-/SIG=1205oqqld/EXP=1217643483/**http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv=GTjNInBA7JQ" rel="nofollow">the last word</a>: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”</p> Let me give Kanye West the last word: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

]]> By: Isaiah Poole http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563431 Isaiah Poole Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:01:14 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563431 <p>What I’ve seen of Obama’s statements on the issue tells me that he is acutely aware of the problem — a huge advantage over the regime in the White House now — and I think he will be appointing good people to the federal agencies responsible for HIV programs. I’m hoping that he won’t appoint the kind of ideologues that Bush has put in charge of HIV programs, who will be hamstrung (or allow themselves to be hamstrung) by obsessive abstinence-only, homosexuality-is-sin dogma.</p> What I’ve seen of Obama’s statements on the issue tells me that he is acutely aware of the problem — a huge advantage over the regime in the White House now — and I think he will be appointing good people to the federal agencies responsible for HIV programs. I’m hoping that he won’t appoint the kind of ideologues that Bush has put in charge of HIV programs, who will be hamstrung (or allow themselves to be hamstrung) by obsessive abstinence-only, homosexuality-is-sin dogma.

]]> By: Isaiah Poole http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563423 Isaiah Poole Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:53:30 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563423 <p>I wish the progressive movement would have a broader and louder discussion of health care disparities. We must as part of the dialogue on universal health care. With regard to AIDS in particular, there was an assumption that because the disease toll declined in the white gay community, that we had the problem more or less licked in this country. Of course, that was far from the case. I don’t let the black community off the hook — we have not demanded the level of attention to this issue that we should — but I have been disappointed that too few progressive activists have pressed this issue. We should have been looking at the budgets, talking to the front-line health workers and demanding to know why HIV-positive people in L.A. don’t get the same level of White House and Republican Party attention as those in South Africa. (Of course, we know why — the ones in L.A. might be “queers” — but we ought to force them to answer the question.)</p> I wish the progressive movement would have a broader and louder discussion of health care disparities. We must as part of the dialogue on universal health care. With regard to AIDS in particular, there was an assumption that because the disease toll declined in the white gay community, that we had the problem more or less licked in this country. Of course, that was far from the case. I don’t let the black community off the hook — we have not demanded the level of attention to this issue that we should — but I have been disappointed that too few progressive activists have pressed this issue. We should have been looking at the budgets, talking to the front-line health workers and demanding to know why HIV-positive people in L.A. don’t get the same level of White House and Republican Party attention as those in South Africa. (Of course, we know why — the ones in L.A. might be “queers” — but we ought to force them to answer the question.)

]]> By: LS http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563418 LS Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:34:20 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563418 <p>Yes. That is the main point. Anything else is just conjecture… thanks.</p> Yes. That is the main point. Anything else is just conjecture… thanks.

]]> By: Fern http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563416 Fern Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:30:05 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563416 <p>Lack of treatment based on race and social status? That I’ll buy.</p> Lack of treatment based on race and social status? That I’ll buy.

]]> By: LS http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563412 LS Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:22:43 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563412 <p>And, yes, I suspect why certain populations resulted in enormously higher rates of infection and lack of treatment…why? I don’t know.</p> And, yes, I suspect why certain populations resulted in enormously higher rates of infection and lack of treatment…why? I don’t know.

]]> By: LS http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563410 LS Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:21:11 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563410 <p>A certain population not getting action…</p> A certain population not getting action…

]]> By: LS http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563409 LS Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:20:27 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563409 <p>I was responding to #69…and, isn’t that what the post is actually about????</p> I was responding to #69…and, isn’t that what the post is actually about????

]]> By: Fern http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563406 Fern Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:14:56 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/something-else-to-apologize-for-neglecting-aids-in-black-america/#comment-1563406 <p>Are you saying that it is being deliberately “kept” or introduced into certain populations? </p> <p>If so, I seriously question that.</p> Are you saying that it is being deliberately “kept” or introduced into certain populations?

If so, I seriously question that.

]]>