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What my grandmother’s death taught me about black women and the stigma of HIV

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Courtesy of Larada Lee

The last words my grandmother said to me before she left this world were: “Put your socks on” and “I love you.” I followed her instructions without hesitation, knowing that her words carried the weight of the law. Raised by her from birth, I had the honor of being raised by a girl of unwavering strength and pride. Her no-nonsense attitude and unflappable spirit left an enduring impression on me, instilling in me a desire to emulate her resilience. Throughout our time together, she taught countless lessons, but none were more profound than those who emerged after her death.

My grandmother’s battle with HIV clearly exposed the insidious nature of stigma to 14-year-old me. Despite five years of ordeal full of doctor visits and misdiagnoses, the true cause of her symptoms remained elusive. Only a fall and a broken arm revealed the true state of her health: she had been living with HIV for years. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was made too late, and she died lower than six weeks after receiving it, at the age of 69, weighing only 71 kilos, falling right into a coma. As I kept vigil at her side, alongside her hospice nurse, she witnessed the devastating impact of HIV stigma visible in every labored breath she took.

Reflecting on my grandmother’s experiences, I’m struck by the profound impact of stigma, discrimination, racism, and systemic health disparities on her premature death. Her death is a poignant reminder of the many systems that failed her, ultimately resulting in her preventable death. If the health care provider had simply asked about her HIV test status, she might still be with us. Instead, I witnessed years of medical enlightenment as her illness was wrongly attributed to alcoholism, which further deepened her suffering.

What my grandmother's death taught me about black women and the stigma of HIV
Courtesy of Larada Lee

As the days drew closer to her death, my grandmother’s health continued to deteriorate. I started to tackle intimate caregiving tasks: changing diapers, helping with bathing, and feeding the woman who had cared for me since birth. With her health deteriorating, I got here down with a chilly and was unable to be in close contact together with her as a result of her weakened immune system. When I finally managed to reconnect together with her, I leaned in to kiss her brow, a gesture of love and affection ingrained in our relationship. To my surprise, she expressed gratitude for my care, though she suffers from “this disease.” In that moving moment, I spotted the profound impact the stigma of HIV/AIDS had on her self-esteem. My grandmother, known for her honesty, couldn’t even pronounce the name of the disease that ravaged her body, a testament to the pervasive influence of stigma and its role in stripping her of her dignity in the final days of her life.

The glaring disparities in HIV infection rates amongst Black women underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions and equitable access to health care resources. Despite making up a smaller share of the population, black women bear a disproportionate burden of HIV disease, with rates much higher than white and Latino women.

The latest data from the CDC paints a disturbing picture: While the overall rate of HIV infections amongst black women stays regular, disparities in the number of recent HIV infections persist and, in some cases, are widening. This stark inequality highlights the inadequacy of current prevention efforts to effectively goal and meet the specific needs of Black women.

A key obstacle is the lack of tailored HIV prevention campaigns and health care messaging initiatives that reflect the experiences and realities of Black women. Despite advances in HIV prevention and treatment, these initiatives often overlook the complex intersectional aspects that contribute to Black women’s increased vulnerability to HIV infection, including systemic racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and socioeconomic disparities. Addressing these challenges is critical to successfully combating HIV amongst Black women and improving health equity in our communities.

Although significant progress has been made in reducing infection and mortality rates over the past 4 many years, the belief that “HIV is no longer a death sentence” is usually invoked to combat stigma. However, for a lot of Black women living with HIV, like my grandmother, this statement doesn’t reflect their reality. Social stigmas and systemic inequities persist, presenting significant challenges for Black women with HIV. These people often face barriers to accessing quality health care, face discrimination in health care settings, and struggle with social isolation as a result of pervasive misconceptions and stigma surrounding HIV. As a result, the virus stays a serious and potentially life-threatening problem for a lot of Black women, underscoring the ongoing need for comprehensive support, advocacy, and education to handle the complex challenges of HIV/AIDS in marginalized communities.

After my grandmother’s death, I discovered solace in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and advocating for justice. Turning my grief right into a catalyst for motion, I set out on a journey to honor her memory by promoting awareness and fighting for equal access to health care. While I could not change the course of my grandmother’s life, my mission is to make sure that her narrative empowers and protects others, especially Black people battling HIV. Through my advocacy efforts, I even have gained deep insight into the intricate web of HIV stigma and have had the honor of working with passionate and strong Black HIV advocates and activists. Together we attempt to dismantle barriers, challenge stereotypes and cultivate a more inclusive and supportive environment for all people affected by HIV/AIDS.

What my grandmother's death taught me about black women and the stigma of HIV
Courtesy of Larada Lee

If I could give a message to my grandmother or any Black woman living with HIV, she would echo the heartfelt phrase: “You are loved, protected, and worthy of tender care.” This statement is of great importance, especially on National Women and Girls with HIV/AIDS Day, since it highlights the critical need for awareness, empathy and proactive health practices in our communities.

On this necessary occasion, it will be significant to not only offer words of support, but in addition take concrete steps toward empowerment and advocacy. By promoting regular testing, spreading knowledge about HIV/AIDS prevention, and ensuring equitable access to health care services, we will make significant progress in improving public health and well-being. Through collective efforts and removing systemic barriers, we affirm the inherent value and dignity of one and all affected by HIV/AIDS, especially Black women who face unique obstacles and stigma. Reproductive justice values ​​emphasize bodily autonomy, access to comprehensive health care, and the right to make informed decisions about one’s body and health. For Black women living with HIV, these values ​​are essential to their well-being and dignity.

This journey towards collective empowerment and health equity requires ongoing commitment and motion. By strengthening awareness initiatives and creating inclusive spaces of dialogue and support, we honor the resilience and strength of people affected by HIV/AIDS. Together we will create a future where one and all receives the respect, care and resources they deserve, regardless of whether or not they are HIV positive. It is a journey marked by compassion, solidarity and hope – a journey that honors the legacy of those we’ve got lost and elevates the voices of those that tirelessly advocate for justice and equality in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Jury awarded $310 million to parents of teenager who died after falling on a ride at Florida amusement park – Essence

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Sun Sentinel/Getty Images

The family of Tire Sampson, the 14-yr-old who tragically died on an amusement park ride in Orlando, Florida, in 2022, has been awarded $310 million in a civil lawsuit.

Tire, who was visiting ICON Park along with his family on March 24, 2022, fell from the FreeFall drop tower. Although he was taken to a nearby hospital, he didn’t survive his injuries.

Now, greater than two years later, a jury has held the vehicle manufacturer, Austria-based Funtime Handels, responsible for the accident and awarded the Tire family $310 million. According to reports from local news stations WFTV AND KSDKthe jury reached its verdict after about an hour of deliberation.

Tyre’s parents will each receive $155 million, according to attorney spokesman Michael Haggard.

Attorneys Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson, who represented Tyre’s family, shared their thoughts on this landmark decision via X (formerly Twitter). “This ruling is a step forward in holding corporations accountable for the safety of their products,” they said in a statement.

Lawyers stressed that Tyre’s death was attributable to “gross negligence and a failure to put safety before profits.” They added that the ride’s manufacturer had “neglected its duty to protect passengers” and that the substantial award ensured it could “face the consequences of its decisions.”

Crump and Jackson said they hope the result will encourage change throughout the theme park industry. “We hope this will spur the entire industry to enforce more stringent safety measures,” they said. “Tire heritage will provide a safer future for drivers around the world.”

An investigation previously found that Tyre’s harness was locked through the descent, but he dislodged from his seat through the 430-foot fall when the magnets engaged. Tire’s death was ruled the result of “multiple injuries and trauma.”

ICON Park said at the time that it could “fully cooperate” with the authorities.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Tireless HIV/AIDS advocate A. Cornelius Baker dies

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HIV/AIDS Advocate, A. Cornelius Baker


A. Cornelius Baker, a tireless advocate of HIV and AIDS testing, research and vaccination, died Nov. 8 at his home in Washington, D.C., of hypertensive, atherosclerotic heart problems, in response to his partner, Gregory Nevins.

As previously reported, Baker was an early supporter for people living with HIV and AIDS within the Nineteen Eighties, when misinformation and fear-mongering in regards to the disease were rampant.

According to Douglas M. Brooks, director of the Office of National AIDS Policy under President Obama, it was Baker’s Christian faith that guided him toward compassion for others.

“He was very kind, very warm and inclusive – his circles, both professional and personal, were the most diverse I have ever seen, and he was guided by his Christian values,” Brooks told the outlet. “His ferocity was on display when people were marginalized, rejected or forgotten.”

In 1995, when he was executive director of the National AIDS Association, Baker pushed for June 27 to be designated National HIV Testing Day.

In 2012, he later wrote on the web site of the Global Health Advisor for which he was a technical advisor that: “These efforts were intended to help reduce the stigma associated with HIV testing and normalize it as part of regular screening.”

https://twitter.com/NBJContheMove/status/1856725113967632663?s=19

Baker also feared that men like himself, black gay men, and other men from marginalized communities were disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS.

Baker pressured the Clinton administration to incorporate black and Latino people in clinical drug trials, and in 1994 he pointedly told the Clinton administration that he was bored with hearing guarantees but seeing no motion.

According to Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings, yes that daring attitude that defines Baker’s legacy in the world of ​​HIV/AIDS promotion.

“Cornelius was a legendary leader in the fight for equality for LGBTQ+ people and all people living with HIV,” Jennings said in a press release. “In the more than twenty years that I knew him, I was continually impressed not only by how effective he was as a leader, but also by how he managed to strike the balance between being fierce and kind at the same time. His loss is devastating.”

Jennings continued: “Cornelius’ leadership can’t be overstated. For many years, he was one in all the nation’s leading HIV/AIDS warriors, working locally, nationally and internationally. No matter where he went, he proudly supported the HIV/AIDS community from the Nineteen Eighties until his death, serving in various positions including the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Association of Persons with Disabilities AIDS, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic . Jennings explained.

Jennings concluded: “His career also included several honors, including being the first recipient of the American Foundation for AIDS Research Foundation’s organization-building Courage Award. Our communities have lost a pillar in Cornelius, and as we mourn his death, we will be forever grateful for his decades of service to the community.”

Kaye Hayes, deputy assistant secretary for communicable diseases and director of the Office of Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDS Policy, in her comment about his legacy, she called Baker “the North Star.”.

“It is difficult to overstate the impact his loss had on public health, the HIV/AIDS community or the place he held in my heart personally,” Hayes told Hiv.gov. “He was pushing us, charging us, pulling us, pushing us. With his unwavering commitment to the HIV movement, he represented the north star, constructing coalitions across sectors and dealing with leaders across the political spectrum to deal with health disparities and advocate for access to HIV treatment and look after all. He said, “The work isn’t done, the charge is still there, move on – you know what you have to do.” It’s in my ear and in my heart in the case of this job.

Hayes added: “His death is a significant loss to the public health community and to the many others who benefited from Cornelius’ vigilance. His legacy will continue to inspire and motivate us all.”

Baker is survived by his mother, Shirley Baker; his partner Nevins, who can be senior counsel at Lambda Legal; his sisters Chandrika Baker, Nadine Wallace and Yavodka Bishop; in addition to his two brothers, Kareem and Roosevelt Dowdell; along with the larger HIV/AIDS advocacy community.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Health and Wellness

Bovaer is added to cow feed to reduce methane emissions. Does it pass into milk and meat? And is it harmful to humans?

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There are growing concerns in regards to the use of feed supplements, Bowar 10to reduce methane production in cows.

Bovaer 10 consists of silicon dioxide (mainly sand), propylene glycol (food stabilizer approved by Food Safety Australia New Zealand) and lively substance 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP).

There has been an enormous amount of misinformation in regards to the safety of 3-NOP, with some milk from herds fed this additive being labeled “Frankenmilk”. Others feared it could get to humans through beef.

The most significant thing is that 3-NOP is secure. Let’s clear up some major misconceptions.

Why do we want to limit methane production?

In our attempts to limit global warming, we’ve placed the best emphasis on CO₂ because the major man-made greenhouse gas. But methane is also a greenhouse gas, and although we produce less of it, it is: a much stronger greenhouse gas than CO₂.

Agriculture is the largest a man-made source of methane. As cattle herds expand to meet our growing demand for meat and milk, reducing methane production from cows is a vital way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

There are several ways to do that. Stopping bacteria within the stomachs of cows that produce methane one approach is to produce methane.

The methane produced by cows and sheep doesn’t come from the animals themselves, but from the microbes living of their digestive systems. 3-NO stop the enzymes that perform the last step of methane synthesis in these microorganisms.

3-NOP is not the one compound tested as a feed additive. Australian product based on seaweed, Rumin8for instance, it is also in development. Saponins, soap-like chemicals present in plants, and essential oils as well has been examined.

However, 3-NOP is currently one of the popular effective treatments.

Nitrooxypropanol structure: red balls are oxygen, gray carbon, blue nitrogen and white hydrogen.
PubChem

But is not it poison?

There are concerns on social media that Bovaer is “poisoning our food.”

But, as we are saying in toxicology, it’s the dose that makes the poison. For example, arsenic is deadly 2–20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

In contrast, 3-NOP was not lethal on the doses utilized in safety studies, up to 600 mg 3-NOP per kg body weight. At a dose of 100 mg per kg body weight in rats, it didn’t cause any adversarial effects.

What about reproductive issues?

The effect of 3-NOP on the reproductive organs has generated numerous commentary.

Studies in rats and cows showed that doses of 300–500 mg per kg body weight caused: contraction of the ovaries and testicles.

In comparison, to achieve the identical exposure in humans, a 70 kg human would want to eat 21–35 grams (about 2 tablespoons) of pure 3-NOP every day for a lot of weeks to see this effect.

No human will likely be exposed to this amount because 3-NOP doesn’t pass into milk – is fully metabolized within the cow’s intestines.

No cow will likely be exposed to these levels either.

The cow licks itself
Cows will not be exposed to levels tested on animals in laboratory studies.
Ground photo/Shutterstock

What about cancer?

3-NOP is not genotoxic or mutagenicwhich implies it cannot damage DNA. Thus, the results of 3-NOP are dose-limited, meaning that small doses will not be harmful, while very high doses are (unlike radiation where there is no secure dose).

Scientists found that at a dose of 300 mg per kilogram of body weight benign tumors of the small intestine of female ratsbut not male rats, after 2 years of every day consumption. At a dose of 100 mg 3-NOP per kg body weight, no tumors were observed.

Cows eat lower than 2 grams of Bovaer 10 per day (of which only 10% or 0.2 grams is 3-NOP). This is about 1,000 times lower than the appropriate every day intake 1 mg 3-NOP per kg body weight per day for a cow weighing 450 kg.

This level of consumption will likely be not the result in cancer or any of them other adversarial effects.

So how much are people exposed to?

Milk and meat consumers will likely be exposed to zero 3-NOP. 3-NOP doesn’t penetrate milk and meat: is completely metabolized within the cow’s intestines.

Farmers could also be exposed to small amounts of the feed additive, and industrial employees producing 3-NOP will potentially be exposed to larger amounts. Farmers and industrial employees already wear personal protective equipment to reduce exposure to other agricultural chemicals – and it is advisable to do that with Bovear 10 as well.

Milk
3-NOP doesn’t penetrate milk and meat.
Shutterstock

How widely has it been tested?

3-NOP has been in development for 15 years and has been subject to multiple reviews by European Food Safety Authority, UK Food Safety Authority AND others.

It has been extensively tested over months of exposure to cattle and has produced no unintended effects. Some studies actually say so improves the standard of milk and meat.

Bovaer was approved for use in dairy cattle by the European Union from 2022 and Japan in 2024. It is also utilized in many other countries, including: in beef products, amongst others Australia.

A really small amount of 3-NOP enters the environment (lower than 0.2% of the dose taken), no accumulates and is easily decomposed subsequently, it doesn’t pose a threat to the environment.

Since humans will not be exposed to 3-NOP through milk and meat, long-term exposure is not an issue.

What does Bill Gates have to do with this?

Bill Gates has invested in a distinct feed processing method for methane, Australian seaweed-based Rumin8. But he has nothing to do with Bovaer 10.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded research grants to the corporate producing 3-NOP for malaria control researchnot for 3-NOP.

The bottom line is that adding 3-NOP to animal feed doesn’t pose any risk to consumers, animals or the environment.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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