Justin's HIV Journal

Sunday, December 22, 2019

NEW SURVEY UNCOVERS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HIV AMONG MILLENNIALS AND GEN Z


NEW SURVEY UNCOVERS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HIV AMONG MILLENNIALS AND GEN Z


Murray Penner- Executive Director, North America, Prevention Access Campaign (PAC)
Peter Sklar M.D., director, clinical research, Merck Research Laboratories

BACKGROUND:
While enormous strides have been made since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, the crisis is far from over. In fact, rates of HIV diagnoses among young adults in the U.S. have surged in recent years – accounting for more than half of new diagnoses – despite overall new diagnoses remaining stable.

In partnership with the Prevention Access Campaign (PAC), Merck launched Owning HIV: Young Adults and the Fight Ahead, a new campaign featuring results from a new survey to better understand young adults’ perceptions and beliefs about HIV.

The survey, fielded by Kantar Group between June 17 and August 5, 2019, was a cross-sectional, one-time online survey of approximately 1,600 US-based Gen Z (18-22) and millennials (23-36) who were self-reported HIV positive, or self-reported HIV negative/unknown, including Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight individuals. The goal of this study was to uncover attitudes and perceptions around HIV among young adults in the U.S. To date, this is the first survey to focus on the beliefs and perceptions about HIV among Generation Z (Gen Z) and millennials in the U.S.

Survey findings show a jarring trend of general confusion and insufficient knowledge of HIV and transmission, along with the existence of high-risk sexual practices, poor disease management, and stigmatizing behaviors among young adults.

Key Survey Findings Include:

•Survey findings showed a profound lack of accurate sex and HIV education among all participants, however the trend worsened in Gen Z

oMore than two-thirds of HIV-negative young adults said they were most concerned about getting HIV as compared to other sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

o54% of HIV-negative respondents did not report using condoms or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to protect themselves against the HIV virus and other STIs

•Although millennials and Gen Z did not experience the start of the HIV epidemic firsthand, they still perpetuate the stigma seen in the early days of HIV

oMore than one quarter of HIV-negative millennials said they have avoided hugging, talking to or being friends with someone with HIV, and 30% said they would prefer not to interact socially with someone with HIV

oPeople with HIV who take HIV medicine as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load (or stay virally suppressed) have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative sexual partners. The survey found that respondents had varying perceptions about what it means to be undetectable and the risk of transmitting the virus to another person.
o84% of Gen Z and 65% of millennials living with HIV who are abstaining from sex do so because of their HIV-positive status.

Murray Penner- Executive Director, North America, Prevention Access Campaign

Murray Penner is the Executive Director, North America of Prevention Access Campaign. He has a strong personal interest in helping people living with HIV achieve sexual health and well-being and reducing HIV stigma and shame. Prior to joining PAC, Murray served as Executive Director at NASTAD from 2015-2018 and served as NASTAD’s Deputy Executive Director and director of its care & treatment program from 2001-2015.

About Peter Sklar, M.D. director, clinical research, Merck Research Laboratories

Dr. Peter Sklar is a practicing physician who treats people living with HIV and maintains a clinical practice at the Partnership Comprehensive Care Program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Sklar joined Merck in 2007 to advance the clinical research of new drug candidates for infectious diseases and has made significant contributions to the company’s virology portfolio. Dr. Sklar has also published numerous abstracts and articles in peer-reviewed journals and has served as the principal investigator on many clinical research protocols, including serving as site-PI of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's HIV Research Network.

Monday, December 9, 2019

Justin goes on Rosuvastatin AKA Crestor.



Hey everyone, I hope all is well. This is Justin B Terry-Smith and I will have to go on Rosuvastatin AKA Crestor. My cholesterol is high and family genetics for me plays a big role.  Through the years I’ve always had an issue with it since the age of 10.  Well now that I’m older it has gotten harder to get it down to a safe level.  My doctor has prescribed on Rosuvastatin AKA Crestor in November of this year. My cholesterol levels have gone up and down throughout the years, but recently it’s been harder to get control over. 

Date
Value
10/04/2019
188
08/09/2019
178
05/03/2019
179
11/02/2018
145
05/18/2018
143
09/25/2017
168
07/10/2017
131
11/08/2016
126
08/15/2016
137
05/10/2016
137
01/29/2016
151

I personally was a little uncomfortable to take new medication because one never knows how new medication will affect one’s body. I have only had one side effect and that was a little bit of dizziness but that was the only one.  Here are some side effects that some of you may feel headache, muscle pain, abdominal, pain, weakness, nausea, dizziness, hypersensitivity reactions (including rash, pruritus, hives, and swelling), and. pancreatitis.



I’ll be going to my doctor in a month to see if the on Rosuvastatin AKA Crestor has worked, please wish me luck. Here is more information on Rosuvastatin AKA Crestor.

Taken from the interwebs

Before taking rosuvastatin, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: liver disease, kidney disease, alcohol use.

Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products).
Limit alcoholic beverages. Daily use of alcohol may increase your risk for liver problems, especially when combined with rosuvastatin. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Older adults may be more sensitive to the side effects of this drug, especially muscle problems.

This medication must not be used during pregnancy. Rosuvastatin may harm an unborn baby. Therefore, it is important to prevent pregnancy while taking this medication. Consult your doctor for more details and to discuss the use of reliable forms of birth control (such as condoms, birth control pills) while taking this medication. If you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant, tell your doctor right away.
This medication passes into breast milk. Because of the possible risk to the infant, breast-feeding while using this drug is not recommended. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.

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