Stopping the Origins Of AIDS

The way HIV originated has been questioned since it started to spread to other countries. The common misconception is that it was cause by fornication with a monkey but it is caused from something called Bush Meat. This is setting traps and catching animals that are usually primates. Nathan Wolfe discusses the dangers and effects of Bush Meat and how it spreads zoonatic viruses, viruses that can be transferred from animals to humans,  in a TED Talk.

In his speech, he explained why it is important to know what Bush Meat is and how diseases are able to transfer that way. He showed maps of other diseases entering the human population like SARS, HIV, and others. He revealed his plan of tracking and preventing these diseases from the start and monitering the average amount of bushmeat that is diseased. He has done this by having locals put a drop of blood on filter paper to test later when he makes visits to those communities. He has a very global outlook on preventing and stopping HIV and other zoonatic diseases.

I believe That HIV can be slowed down but I don't think it can be stopped at this point. I do think it is possible other diseases from spreading by raising awareness to locals in the jungles where they originate. These diseases should be taken very seriously and maximum efforts should be applied to stop them in their tracks.

Chimps Being Put Back To Use For Testing

Morality has been questioned as scientists want to move Chimps that have not been used for testing in over a decade from Alamogordo Primate Facility to be tested after their retirement. By the end of
2011, they will all be sent to the Southwest National Primate Research Center in San Antonio, Texas. They have been exposed to HIV and Hepatitis C previously in their lives in testing. The transport would save the US $2 Million dollars a year and it would diminish over 40 jobs. I believe all these chimps must rightfully be sent back to testing because this will prevent more chimps having to be used that are not diseased and already tested. Although it seems immoral to send these chimps back, They are said to just be taking liver and blood samples because they have already been exposed to the critical illnesses that need to be cured in people. Testing these chimps could also come out with breakthrough results because of all the time the subjects have spent with these life threatening diseases. Chimps may have to die and be tested, but it is all very necessary to solve todays scientific mysteries.

Is Water a Deathly Substance?

Some people do it for money, some do it to rehydrate and all need it, but can you have too much water? The answer is yes. In 2005, a woman played in a contest called "Hold your, Wee for a Wii" and drank some six liters of water within three hours. She won, of course not without consequences. She went home with a headache that proved to actually kill her. She was diagnosed with water intoxication. Her brain cells swelled up and started bursting because that was the only place left for he water to go. Many more people are diagnosed with and die from this every year more than you think.

Transplants

In our latest activities in class we have created fictional mock trials of organ donations. We read an article at home about whether convicted felons should get organ transplants or not. this article posed many different opinions on the subject throughout the entire class. The trials had many different community members of a town in a fictional place. Through this activity we learn it takes way more than one person to decide who receives an organ and who doesn't deserve it. These members in this fascist community consisted of doctors protesting the current system of organ transplants.