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| This June 27 there is celebrated the national Day of the Test of the VIH |
| One day to remember a duty of the whole year |
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| A simple test of saliva of 20 minutes can save his life. AP |
For Felipe Lagos
Washington Hispanic
The test of the VIH, the way of knowing if a person is infected by the virus; it is one of little forms in which it is possible to defeat this epidemic (until a vaccine is not).
Other one certainly, it is the education; but for those who decided, out in the state that was, to be exhibited to conducts of risk (we allow on the outside obvious reasons as those infected across the womb), to do the test of the VIH to him, it is the only exit to a situation that does not leave many other alternatives.
“ I am not going to be contagious”. This is one of the forms of autodenial that serves to support the persons in the ignorance about its own status, not only putting in risk their own existence, but also playing with the destination of other persons, potentially exhibiting them to the contagion.
For these reasons, this June 27 in which there is celebrated the National Day of the Test of the VIH, as well as the Latin Day of Campaign to raise public awareness of the VIH (October 15) or the World Day of the AIDS (1st December), they serve like a reminder of the critical need that exists of that the persons know his health status. But, as many of the personalities that are employed at VIH they know, this is an effort that takes 365 days.
“ The important thing is that it is not a question of only one day, but continuously we do the test of the VIH to ourselves. The Latin community pitifully, it knows his status much late, what it bears that one year after the diagnosis, the person develops Been. In this country at least, there are medicines that can improve the quality of life. For it, the test invites the community to be done”, says the vice-president of the Latin Commission of the AIDS, Guillermo Chacón.
Francisco Ruiz, of the National Alliance of the Directors of VIH of the States and Territories (Nastad, for his acronym in English), points out that “the problem with the community is that this topic is not perceived as a risk and that's why the test is not done. Why is no risk perception?, they know on the problems of the obesity, of unemployment, of education, but not in case of VIH, because there has not been a sufficiently big effort to educate the community at any level. There must be efforts in the means, in the soap operas for example, since they do not speak on VIH/Sida. For it we must be creative in the form in which we communicate this matter”.
Soraya Galeas, of Planned Parenthood, says that different activities have been programmed for the young people. “The son of a person infected with VIH is going to speak in the radio about why the young people must do the test to themselves. The adolescents are those who are beginning having sexual relations and are not protected by condoms, because they say that the same does not feel. But it is important that they understand that they must be protected”.
Carlos Soles, of the Center of Information of the office of Health of the Minorities, points out that “the principal thing is that every person knows what his status is, to be able to keep the controlled virus. If the virus is attacking the organism, they are going to lower the defenses. It is preferable to support it in control to avoid an illness opportunist”.
Silvia Villacampa, of the web site aidsinfo.nih.org, points out that “there is a very big problem with the Hispanics; that are diagnosed late. What brings the problem of that, although they receive treatment, will have an expectation of minor life. The advantage of doing the test to him early, is that it is possible to make use of the time peacefully a specialist looks and when the time comes, to begin taking treatment”.
Where to do the test to him
Next a list of places where is it possible to do the test of the VIH.
Clinic Whitman-Walker
1407 S St NW
Washington DC 20009
(202) 365 5225
The Clinic of the People
2831 15th St NW
Washington DC 20009
(202) 462 4788
Upper Cardozo Health Center
3020 14th St NW
Washington DC 20009
(202) 745 4300
Mary's Center
2333 Ontario Rd NW
Washington DC 20009
(202) 483 8196
Andrómeda Transcultural
1400 Decatur St NW
Washington DC 20011
(202) 291 4707
Teen Connection of Takoma Inc.
1400 Spring St S.200
Silver Spring, MD 20912
(301) 565 0914
Arlandria Health Center
3804 Executive Dr Ap. 1
Alexandria VA 22305
(703) 519 1725Puede will find a list of places in www.hivtest.org
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| Shortly |
| Vitamin D, crucial for the good health |
Writing / agency
Washington Hispanic
A new investigation that links the low vitamin levels D, with deaths for cardiac illness and other causes; it increases the evidence of the importance that has the called solar vitamin, to achieve a good health.
The patients at the lowest vitamin levels D, were approximately twice more inclined to die for diverse causes in the following eight years; that those who had the highest levels, found the study. The tie with deaths related to cardiac problems was particularly strong in those at low vitamin levels D.
The experts say that the results should not be seen like a reason to begin to consume vitamin tablets D, or spend hours under the beams of the sun, principal source of this vitamin.
On the one hand, a very high dose of tablets of vitamin D, it can be dangerous, and the leather cancer risks for too many exhibition to the sun, they are very well-known.
But also, this type of study cannot determine if the absence of vitamin D caused the deaths, or if to increase his consumption, would mark the difference.
Low vitamin levels D might reflect age, lacking in physical activity or other factors of life style that also affect the health, said Alice Lichtenstein, director of the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Nutrition of the University Tufts and spokeswoman of the American Association of the Heart.
Nevertheless, Lichtenstein pointed out that the study is an important addition to an emergent investigation area.
“ This is something that must not be spent for high”, said Lichtenstein.
The study directed by Austrian investigators involved 3.258 men and women of the south-west of Germany. The participants were 62 years old in average, most of them with cardiac illness, and his vitamin levels D were checked in blood tests, weekly.
For almost eight years of pursuit, 737 died, including 463 for problems related to the heart.
According to one of the tests that they used, there were 307 deaths in patients at the lowest vitamin levels D, against 103 deceases between those who had the highest levels.
Considering age, physical activity and other factors, the investigators calculated that the deaths for all the causes were approximately the double, in patients of the group at the lowest levels.
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