HIV women take photos to document their lives

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but for women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, a picture can help them deal with the challenges of living with the virus.

A University of Missouri researcher is completing a pilot project during which women living with HIV take photos to document their lives. The photos are used to engage women in critical discussions about their lives, identifying both social, mental, and physical challenges and possible solutions for the women. The photos will be presented at two special events. The first event will be held on March 3-6 in Columbia at the True/False Film Festival. The second event will be held on March 19 in St. Louis at the Regional Arts Commission to commemorate National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day..


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http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110301/HIV-women-take-photos-to-document-their-lives.aspx

Tests for H.I.V. Reach a Record

The number of American adults tested for H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, reached a record high in 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

Nonetheless, about 55 percent of all adults — and about 28 percent of all people who are at higher risk for getting infected — have still never been tested.

Starting in 2006, the disease centers began urging doctors to order H.I.V. tests as part of routine blood work for all patients. Success has been modest; the percentage of all adults who have ever had a test rose only to 45 percent after years of holding steady at 40 percent.

Almost one-third of people who learn they are infected find out only when they fall seriously ill, the disease centers said, meaning they have presumably infected others during that time and have also missed the opportunity to get treatment.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/health/02aids.html