🏳️‍🌈✝️ Controversial History with HIV Disqualifies Robert Redfield from CDC Service

Guest Blog By: Marcus J. Hopkins, Blogger

03/30/2018

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Robert Redfield, a 66-year-old virologist and physician, has been appointed to be the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar (Sun, 2018b).  Redfield has replaced the acting head of the CDC, Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat, after the Trump Administration’s first pick, Brenda Fitzgerald, was forced to resign because she failed to divest from her “complex financial interests” “…in a definitive time period” (Sun, 2018).

Fitzgerald’s financial interests were so “complex” that she was essentially permanently recused from participating in the agencies activities and was unable to testify before Congress on public health issues.  Appointed by Trump’s first HHS Secretary, the disgraced Tom Price, Fitzgerald repeatedly dismissed concerns about her financial interests, and yet, had to cancel each appearance before Congress because of said interests.

Under Azar, Redfield is yet another controversial pick to head up the nation’s primary health organization.  Redfield has a long and storied history of controversial positions related to HIV and public health.

Photo Source: Gay Today

Beginning with his tenure within the Defense Department, Redfield helped create a disastrous and non-confidential policy of testing all troops for HIV beginning in October 1985 (Garrett, 2018).  Troops who tested Positive for HIV often found out after their entire chain of command, and anyone found to be HIV+ was immediately barred from service.  In addition, Active Duty personnel were also tested, and if found Positive, were often subjected to mistreatment, including isolating HIV+ personnel in isolated barracks colloquially referred to as “the leper colony,” where they were treated like prisoners until they fully developed AIDS or were dishonorably discharged.  By 1989, 5 million troops were tested, and roughly 6,000 testing Positive (Garrett). 

In the 1990s, Redfield was yet again embroiled in HIV chicanery when internal memos were obtained by Public Citizen, a left-leaning non-profit organization that represents patients, citizens, and consumer rights through advocacy and policy research.  These previously unrelease memoranda demonstrated clear evidence that Redfield led a: 

…systematic pattern of data manipulation, inappropriate statistical analyses, and misleading data presentation by Army researchers in an apparent attempt to promote the usefulness of the GP160 AIDS vaccine…which [was] intended to prevent the progression of disease in persons with HIV infection (Public Citizen, 1994).

In Phases I and II studies, researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, led by then-Chief of the Department of Retroviral Research, Robert Redfield, and were published in many scientific fora (plural for “forum”), including the New England Journal of Medicine, AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, and at the International AIDS Conference in 1992.  The fabricated results were also twice falsely presented before hearings of the House Subcommittee on Health and Environment.

This repeated demonstration of a lack of ethics, moral fortitude, and integrity make him clearly unfit to head that nation’s leading health organization.  Dr. Peter Lurie, President of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), goes further in his full-throated opposition to Redfield, stating that, as the head of the CDC, we would get “…a sloppy scientist with a long history of scientific misconduct and an extreme religious agenda” (Lurie, 2018).  We at ADAP Advocacy Association could not agree more with this assessment.

The Trump Administration has repeatedly displayed a unprecedented lack of integrity on several front, but perhaps its worst offenses exist with its appointments – Betsy DeVos, Scott Pruitt, Mick Mulvaney, Tom Price, Mike Pompeo, Rex Tillerson and Ryan Zinke.  Each of these appointments stands on their own in terms of their unpreparedness, lack of candor, and incompetence within their positions, rife with conflicts of interest, unacceptable levels of spending on personal travel and completely unnecessary “security upgrades,” and serving not the interests of the American public, but either the interests of corporations who have long derided the wings of government they now lead, or their own.  Robert Redfield is just the latest example of this failure to understand either the complexities of the positions to which they are appointed, or the roles of this organizations in American governance.

Enough is enough.  Redfield must, as his predecessor before him, be flushed out of the CDC before we become the laughing stock of the world.

References:

Garrett, L. (2018, March 23). Meet Trump’s New, Homophobic Public Health Quack. Washington, DC: Foreign Policy. Retrieved from: http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/23/meet-trumps-new-homophobic-public-health-quack/

Lurie, P. (2018, March 21). CSPI Urges Administration Not to Appoint Dr. Robert Redfield, with History of Scientific Misconduct, as CDC Director. Washington, DC: Center for Science in the Public Interest: News. Retrived from: https://cspinet.org/news/cspi-urges-administration-not-appoint-dr-robert-redfield-history-scientific-misconduct-cdc

Public Citizen. (1994, June 07). Washington, DC: Public Citizen. Retrieved from: https://kaiserhealthnews.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/940607plswtowaxman.pdf

Sun, L.H. (2018a, January 31). CDC director resigns because of conflicts over financial interests. Washington, DC: The Washington Post: News: To Your Health. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/01/31/cdc-director-resigns-because-of-conflicts-over-financial-interests/?utm_term=.24ab7b89a316

Sun, L.H. (2018b, March 21). Longtime AIDS researcher Robert Redfield picked to lead CDC. Washington, DC: The Washington Post: News: To Your Health. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/03/21/longtime-aids-researcher-robert-redfield-picked-to-lead-cdc/?utm_term=.3a5d8f592e61

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates. 

 More from ADAP Advocacy Association, here 

 

🏳️‍🌈✝️ The Rebirth of NAZISM in AMERICA

Rainbow Pastor David

03/28/2018

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President Donald J Trump has made it the mission of his administration to PURIFY this country just as HITLER did during the 1940’s in Germany. 

His America First Pledge is all about WHITE SUPREMECY and Ethical Cleansing.

Anyone who has studied history at all can see how this Monster is maneuvering himself into a position of Dictatorship just like his idol Hitler. If you REFUSE to see it then you too are part of the problem.

The American Republican Party has become a modern day Nazi Party, PROCLAIMING GOD is leading them with Bibles Raised and Guns loaded. Remember this FACT AMERICA – the EVANGELICAL CHURCH including the CATHOLIC CHURCH supported their GOD FEARING LEADER HITLER inviting him into their churches with open arms as he completely destroyed their FREEDOM!!!!

HISTORY is REPEATING ITSELF in AMERICA and it is time for AMERICANS – TRUE AMERICANS to WAKE UP and FIGHT BACK before it is absolutely too late.

If you have chosen to support this Presidency with your vote then you have said to the rest of us AMERICANS that you DO NOT CARE WHAT HAPPENS to our FREEDOMS.

A nation CONSUMED with GREED and POWER will FALL hard

to the least of its enemies!!!

A nation Consumed with the Spirit of God will conquer

even the GREATEST of its enemies!!!

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!  We MUST be a NATION that RISES UP against the EVIL that has consumed our GOVERNMENT and TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!!!

Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as we received mercy [from God, granting us salvation, opportunities, and blessings], we do not get discouraged nor lose our motivation. But we have renounced the disgraceful things hidden because of shame; not walking in trickery or adulterating the word of God, but by stating the truth [openly and plainly], we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is [in some sense] hidden [behind a veil], it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing; among them the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God; for we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [merely] as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give us the Light of the knowledge of the glory and majesty of God [clearly revealed] in the face of Christ. But we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty], so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves. We are pressured in every way [hedged in], but not crushed; perplexed [unsure of finding a way out], but not driven to despair; hunted down and persecuted, but not deserted [to stand alone]; struck down, but never destroyed; always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:1-10 AMP

I STAND AGAINST this PRESIDENT and the administration that has cut BILLIONS of DOLLARS from HIV/AIDS PROGRAMS that I personally need to SURVIVE, along with millions of other AMERICANS who are living with HIV/AIDS.

This President and current administration DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE HEALTH AND WELFARE of the PEOPLE who make up AMERICA; they only care about how much they can cut to put more into their own pockets. If you support this EVIL Administration then YOU are SPITTING in the FACE of MILLIONS of AMERICANS who are going to DIE without proper healthcare and medication. I fall into that category of AMERICAN and I will NOT GO DOWN without a FIGHT!!!

This ADMINISTRATION has been FIGHTING since day ONE in OFFICE to ERASE the LGBTQI+ Community from all LEGAL DOCUMENTATION, while only supporting a WHITE STRAIGHT AMERICAN AGENDA!!! THIS ADMINISTRATION is NAZISM ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

When are you going to wake up? When soldiers are marching down your street to make sure you are staying in line with the REGEIM? Or when you have no way to pay for your medical expenses or put food on the table for your families?

I SAY NO – NOW is the TIME to stand up and let your voice be heard before it is too late and this nation of AMERICANS becomes a nation of ZOMBIES doing exactly what they are told!!!

God help the people of America to WAKE UP and see what is REALLY GOING on. Help America see the REAL PICTURE, see the TRUTH that has been clouded by so many LIES!!! Amen!!!

Rainbow Pastor David

🏳️‍🌈✝️ Year-Long Absence of ONAP Director Has HIV/AIDS Advocates Worried

Jaime Rosenberg

03/14/2018

 

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A year has passed since Amy Lansky stepped down as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), and the position continues to remain open, worrying HIV/AIDS advocates.

A year has passed since Amy Lansky stepped down as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), and the position continues to remain open, worrying HIV/AIDS advocates.

Sitting on the Domestic Policy Council, the ONAP director provides advice to the president on matters related to HIV/AIDS domestically and abroad. They serve as the chief spokesperson and policy director on all topics related to HIV/AIDS.

“Here in the [United States], you have well over 1.2 million people living with the disease. Why would you not want someone in that position, especially considering the progress that has been made?” said Brandon Macsata, CEO, ADAP Advocacy Association, in an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®).

The ADAP Advocacy Association has called on newly appointed HHS Secretary Alex Azar to lead the push for the appointment of an ONAP director. Recognizing that the director is not appointed by the HHS secretary, Macsata explained that they tapped Azar to advocate for an ONAP director because he reportedly has the ear of President Trump and potentially has the influence to bring attention to the vacancy.

“To me, sitting here without a compass or a map, it really sends the wrong message for those living with HIV, especially with the progress that’s been made under the last couple of administrations. There’s the fear of taking steps backwards,” said Macsata.

Under the last administration, Jeff Crowley was appointed as director of ONAP by President Barack Obama. Shortly after coming into the role, there was concern that, while there was success in the international work being done by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), there was no domestic strategy in place. After hosting community discussions across the country and taking into consideration public opinion, Crowley and Obama launched a 5-year national strategy, spanning from 2010 to 2015. In 2015, the plan was updated and expanded until 2020.

Before the Obama administration, HIV rates had been stable for about 15 years, with approximately 50,000 new infections each year, according to Crowley. However, CDC published data in 2016 showing that new infections declined by almost 20% from 2008 to 2014, indicating significant progress.

“I think the concern now about the lack of an ONAP is that this administration is poised to make major progress as long as we keep the trajectory going, but we need to keep seeing the leadership necessary to make things happen and keeping a focus on the indicators that were developed in the national strategy as far as tracking how many people are diagnosed and how many people are getting into care,” said Crowley in an interview with AJMC^®. “ONAP is really in the center of national policy and is responsible for coordinating a government-wide response to the epidemic.”

Crowley underscored the importance of having someone in the White House on the Domestic Policy Council who voices the priority areas that need to be addressed. Crowley did note that the national strategy is still in place, and agencies agree with the evidence behind it, so those efforts will continue; however, what’s missing is someone to highlight new and emerging issues and take initiative to address them.

When Scott Evertz was appointed as ONAP director in 2001 by President George W. Bush, he set a focus on protecting and defending domestic funding while beginning to develop international funding.

“I viewed my role, in part, as defending a lot of organizations that did good work throughout the country,” said Evertz in an interview with AJMC^®. “That’s the thing I’m quite proud of having done. But beyond just the snippets that appeared in the press about my going there and saying, ‘I think this program should get funding,’ there was all this stuff going on behind the scenes, including working with a number of members of congress and the administration to make sure that they continued to get their funds.”

Having a seat at the table, the ONAP director serves as a designated person to talk about funding for programs for people living with HIV/AIDS, said Evertz. While serving as ONAP director, Evertz and the domestic policy council met twice a week, also providing an opportunity to bring up pressing issues on HIV/AIDS matters and making sure these issues were heard.

In absence of an ONAP director, the responsibilities that come with the role now fall on the advisor for health policy, Katy French Tolento, who sits on the Domestic Policy Council. Evertz also noted that the work others put in every day for the fight against HIV/AIDS should not be discounted. He said: “Whether there’s a Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) or ONAP director, thousands of people get up every morning and go work on this issue at CDC, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other offices in HHS.”

In January, the Trump administration dismissed the remaining members of PACHA and accepted nominations for individuals for the 2018 council. The revamping of PACHA is not unique to the Trump administration, as the Obama administration dismissed the George W. Bush administration's appointees.

🏳️‍🌈✝️ HIV Is Independently Associated With Peripheral Artery Disease

The condition is a manifestation of cardiovascular disease.

March 9, 2018 • By Benjamin Ryan 


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People living with HIV have a higher risk peripheral artery disease, which is a manifestation of cardiovascular disease, than the general population.

Andreas D. Knudsen, of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, announced findings from a recent analysis of peripheral artery disease risk factors among HIV-positive individuals at the 2018 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston.

Knudsen and his colleagues analyzed data from 908 people with HIV who were recruited from the Copenhagen comorbidity infection (COCOMO) study and compared them with 11,106 HIV-negative controls matched for sex and age. All study members were age 40 or older.

Participants received tests for blood pressure, lipids, glucose and eGFR (an indication of kidney function) as well as an hsCRP test (a cardiovascular disease screening tool) and also provided information on their smoking and medication history.

The study authors defined peripheral artery disease as an Ankle-brachial index test result of 0.9 or below.

After adjusting the data to account for differences between the two study groups according to age, sex, smoking status, abnormal lipids, diabetes, hsCRP and high blood pressure, the researchers found that HIV was associated with a 1.7-fold increased risk of peripheral artery disease.

Other factors independently associated with peripheral artery disease, regardless of HIV status, included age, being female, smoking status, high blood pressure, intermittent claudication (obstruction of the arteries) and kidney function.

Among those in the HIV group, various factors were not apparently associated with peripheral artery disease, including having an AIDS diagnosis, lowest-ever CD4 count, current CD4 count, CD4 to CD8 ratio, hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection, antiretroviral treatment or length of infection with the virus.

The researchers do not know the precise biological mechanisms that drive the higher risk of peripheral artery disease in people with HIV. Until more research can be conducted to answer related questions, the study authors stress the importance of focusing on modifiable traditional risk factors.

To read the conference abstract, click here.

More from POZ, here

  

🏳️‍🌈✝️ Common HIV Antibiotic Flagged for Serious Heart Risk by FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new warning about the risk of heart disease for people who take clarithromycin.

By Benjamin M. Adams

 

March 02 2018

 

 

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Biaxin an antibiotic commonly prescribed to people living with HIV. The warning cites evidence from a 10-year follow-up study of patients with coronary heart disease as part of a larger clinical trial that found serious dangerous effects from short and long-term use of the drug.

Since HIV itself has been causally linked to increased heart disease risk, cardiovascular health should be at the top of the list of priorities for people living with HIV and compounding that risk should be avoided at all costs.

Biaxin is prescribed by doctors, most frequently, to treat Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection, a lung infection that commonly affects people living with HIV. But its risk may outweigh its benefits, even when taken for a short period. Any drug that can damage the heart should set off red alarms in your head. Clarithromycin can kill even years later, according to NBC News.

In what is now being called the CLARICOR trial, researchers observed an “unexpected increase” in deaths among patients with heart disease who received a two-week course of clarithromycin after patients had been observed for one year or longer.

Researchers noted that six observational studies have observed patients with or without coronary artery disease, and two found evidence of long-term risks from clarithromycin, while four did not.
Results from the placebo-controlled CLARICOR trial, researchers claim, provide the strongest evidence to date of the increase in cardiovascular risk compared to past observational study results. Despite these repeated studies, the FDA is unable to determine why the risk of death is greater for patients with heart disease.

The FDA, however, didn’t provide any specific numbers. “Healthcare professionals should be aware of these significant risks and weigh the benefits and risks of clarithromycin before prescribing it to any patient,” the FDA wrote, “particularly in patients with heart disease and even for short periods, and consider using other available antibiotics. Advise patients with heart disease of the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular problems, regardless of the medical condition for which you are treating them with clarithromycin.” The FDA also mentions that clarithromycin is common in people living with HIV.

Clarithromycin has been approved for certain infections for more over 25 years and is sold under the brand name Biaxin. Clarithromycin is used to treat an array of infections including those that infect the skin, ears, sinuses, lungs and other areas. The FDA and the medical community have known about the coronary risks associated with clarithromycin since 2005 but its risks weren’t well understood until now.

Researchers observed the effects of antibiotics including azithromycin, erythromycin and clarithromycin and found that these all antibiotics can negatively impact people who suffer with heart disease. Abnormal heart issues, like infrequent cases of arrhythmia have been reported.

“FDA officials urge patients to inform health care professionals if they have heart disease, especially when being treated for an infection. Patients should also not discontinue clarithromycin treatment without consulting their health care provider,” a press release reads.
Approximately 20 percent of people living with HIV will die of heart disease. Part of this can be explained by the fact that heart disease can be a major risk to all people in general. Both healthcare providers and people living with HIV need to know of the risks that are compounded by combining drugs with HIV.

People living with HIV should consider other antibiotics with lesser known negative side effects before taking clarithromycin.
 

More from PLUS, here

🏳️‍🌈✝️ Individuals with HIV at higher risk for heart disease

 American Physiological Society

January 25, 2018

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A review of more than 80 studies reveals that changes in the immune cells of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection may increase their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The review is published in the journal Physiology. 

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) consists of a "cocktail" of several drugs that work together to reduce the amount of detectable virus (viral load) in the bloodstream. Since the development of this combination treatment approach more than 20 years ago, antiretroviral therapy has helped millions of people with HIV escape a once-certain death sentence. However, even with very low viral loads, approximately 20 percent of HIV-positive patients die of heart disease, and studies have shown that treatment with cART is associated with a higher risk of heart attack. Paradoxically, the medications in cART that help people with HIV live longer also have many harmful effects on the cardiovascular system. These drugs have been found to increase oxidative stress (a type of cell damage), impair the body's ability to digest fat and damage blood vessels. But HIV-positive patients who do not take cART are also at risk for CVD, because HIV itself can lead to heart problems.

A team of researchers from Stellenbosch University in South Africa report that persistent immune activation may contribute to the increased risk of CVD seen in patients with HIV. Immune activation is a normal and essential function that occurs when the body responds to infection. However, the constant presence of HIV in the body, even at very low levels, causes the immune system to remain activated continuously, leading to long-term inflammation and depletion of T cells that help the body fight infection. These factors, together with damage to the lining of the blood vessels, can lead to permanent changes in the immune cells.

Increased immune activation and oxidative stress "contribute to the pathogenesis of complications such as CVD, renal disease and cancer," the research team wrote. "Persistent immune activation is a driver of CVD in HIV-infected individuals (treated and untreated)." Future study about the metabolic changes in the immune system and the effect immune function may help reduce the risk of heart disease in people with HIV, added the researchers.
"HIV and cardiovascular disease: role of immunometabolic perturbations" is published in Physiology. 

Explore further: Early antiretroviral therapy reduces gut inflammation in HIV+ individuals

More information: Eman Teer et al. HIV and Cardiovascular Disease: Role of Immunometabolic Perturbations, Physiology (2017). DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00028.2017

Provided by: American Physiological Society