How close are we to a cure for HIV / AIDS?
When I began work on this month’s project, I contacted a clinician, a case manager, and a scientist to get their perspectives on how we’re making progress fighting HIV and AIDS. I’ve introduced you to the clinician and the case manager, but not the scientist. Dave Wessner doesn’t actually study AIDS, but he’s written a [...]
A visit to an HIV clinic: Part II
“I like your watch,” pharmacist Jin Jun tells me as I’m sitting down to interview him. I have a plastic runner’s watch, nothing special, but I see Jun is wearing something similar. “Do you run?” I ask him. Jun is a tall, personable man who runs marathons, it turns out, and he enthusiastically invites me [...]
How HIV works
In order to understand how to fight HIV, you need to know how it works. As a reminder, here’s a schematic of an HIV virus from my post two weeks ago: Remember I told you the HIV virus hijacks the host cells to reproduce? Here’s how that happens. First, the GP 120 protein on the [...]
Study reveals importance of adhering to the drug regimen for AIDS patients
Yesterday I mentioned that a key aspect of fighting AIDS is staying on the drug regimen. Charles pointed out that this is more difficult than it might seem: the drugs are constant reminder of your condition, and taking them can revive horrible memories. But how important is it to maintain adherence to the regimen? A [...]
The Daily Routine of Fighting AIDS
There is no cure for AIDS. Once you are diagnosed, the diagnosis stays with you for the rest of your life. For Charles, this means he must take a complicated cocktail of pills every day. He sent me this photo of a month’s supply: For his antiretroviral therapy he takes four drugs: Lexiva twice a [...]
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The Daily Monthly is Dave Munger's multi-layered exploration of ideas and issues affecting all of us today.
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