(RED): Sylvia, Nigel and Elimas for The Lazarus Effect

Thanks to the Global Fund and (RED) money that you've helped generate with your (RED) purchase, an extremely effective medicine to treat HIV is becoming widely available to people in Africa. And it's as simple as two pills a day. It's so effective, in fact, it can return a person to vibrant health in about 60 days. Choose (RED) to make an impact. Find out more at JOINRED.COM.

Photography by Antonin Kratochvil/VII

RESPONSES TO OUR COMMENTS:
Wow. We are amazed by the number of people who have watched our Lazarus Effect video and would like to make clarifications in light of some questions that have come up.

1. As the video says, treatment exists to fight HIV. This treatment is called antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. It is not a cure. It does, however, help the body's immune system fight HIV, and therefore has restored the health of many sick people within just a few months. That's what we call the Lazarus Effect.

2. ARV therapy is lifelong. This is why (RED) plans to be around for a long time, to help raise money for the Global Fund and continue to fight AIDS in Africa.

3. Some of you have asked, why Africa? In the United States, you can get ARVs at your local pharmacy, through your doctor and health insurance. If you don't have health insurance, there are programs that can help you get access to ARVs. In Africa, no one had access for many years, and the number of people in sub-Saharan Africa who live with HIV has grown to 22.5 milion. We have a tremendous opportunity to help break this epidemic.

4. Others are worried that Silvia, pictured in the video, will give her child HIV through her breast milk. We can drastically reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV infection with nevarapine, a drug given during labor. After birth, it is ideal to give a baby formula, but that is not always readily available in Africa. Mothers who don't have consistent access to formula are instructed by doctors to only breastfeed their children for six months, and then wean their babies onto formula and food after these six months. This helps reduce the risk of transmitting the virus through breast milk.

5. We've also seen comments that say HIV-positive people will spread HIV if their health is restored. Because it is possible for HIV-positive people to transmit the virus, (RED) money doesn't just go toward ARVs. It also goes toward prevention education and counseling. To find out more about how (RED) money works in Africa, go to www.joinred.com/globalfund/impact/

For more information about (RED), go to JOINRED.COM. Thank you.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Antonin
• Kratochvil
• Lazarus
• Effect
• (RED)
• JOINRED.COM
• (PRODUCT)
• RED
• HIV
• AIDS
• Africa
• Global
• Fund
• ARVs
• antiretroviral
• health

[hivquestions]

the hiv test is cross-reactive and only identifies the presence of 2, 3 or 4 proteins for a positive result depending on which country one is testing in and many conditions have been found to cause the body to produce those proteins including drug use, flu shots and pregnancy among others. please pray for all those who have been misdiagnosed with hiv and AIDS.