HIV/AIDS and the Flu
October 16th, 2009 at 8:30 am Posted by
The Dean knows it’s only October but flu season is on its way and it already causing quite a stir. That’s why The Dean’s wondering what about those with HIV/AIDS and the flu and what will come of them in the next few months.
According to information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, there are as many as 950,000 people infected with HIV living in the United States. The CDC suggests that people infected with HIV/AIDS are at a much higher risk of experiencing “serious influenza-related complications,” as compared to the rest of the population.
Ailments such as pneumonia, and heart and respiratory problems are the cause of death in individuals without HIV and that’s why any type of influenza is even more dangerous for the already weakened immune system of an HIV infected individual. It’s because of these reasons that the CDC recommends that “high-risk groups” should receive the influenza vaccine—the flu shot.
But everyone knows this year’s cold and flu seasons is unique because of the Swine Flu. Since vaccination with a flu shot has been shown to produce an immune response against influenza in some people infected with HIV, the question “What about Swine Flu?” arises.
Recent reports discuss that clinical trials are underway and are testing higher doses of the Swine Flu vaccine in the HIV positive population. As with typical season influenza, pregnant women, the elderly and younger children are believed to be more vulnerable to complications and the same seems true with HIV infected individuals and the Swine Flu.
As far as the United States Department of Health and Human Services is concerned, the CDC and FDA have issued emergency use authorizations of two antiviral treatments, Tamiflu and Relenza, which have previously been stockpiled and close to expiration. Near hysteria over stockpiled antivirals has created a situation where the government is saying it’s okay for the expired drugs to be used.
Although this might seem slightly off-base, The Dean has done his homework and knows that the H1N1 virus, its vaccine and availability are currently the topic of debate all over the United States. One report from Texas, urges both pregnant woman and young children to receive the vaccine. The article also suggests this population could suffer from severe complications if they are not put on Tamiflu or given the H1N1 vaccine immediately.
The report from Houston also claims that many pregnant women have died from H1N1 and originally tested negative for the virus. This puts pregnant women in a difficult situation and many are refusing to receive the vaccine.
With so much attention focused on HIV/AIDS and the Swine Flu virus lately, The Dean thinks it’s odd that HIV trial vaccines are not being used to boost an immune response in the HIV population, especially during this flu season.
Even though the Swine Flu poses a genuine health risk to the United States and other countries, The Dean believes that some efforts should be put towards trying a trial vaccine, such as $VRAL‘s VGV-1 injectable drug, to see its effectiveness in HIV infected and non-infected individuals who have the H1N1 Swine Flu virus.
