To Servy Colon and her 5-year-old daughter Victoria, the Salvation Army s homeless shelter has been exactly that -- salvation. Colon ended up at the shelter after she lost her job at the Aventura Mall and couldn t afford the rent on her North Miami apartment. The 36-year-old has been at the shelter for about a month.
Two decades deep into the epidemic, the AIDS virus is proving remarkably and lethally adaptable, outwitting the most potent medicines that scientists can concoct, researchers reported Tuesday. An estimated four of five people in the United States with detectable virus have developed resistance to at least one drug in t
SAN SALVADOR -- Mar¡a Paz is an HIV-positive widow, a single mother looking to get ahead in a country where lots of people earn about $1 a day. She gave up her job making and peddling quesadillas on the streets and applied at a clothing factory. Paz, 29, waited in line, turned in the application, then came to a halt. T
Students at Michael M. Krop Senior High School will culminate their second annual Toy Drive at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the high school by donating 300 unwrapped gifts to the United Foundation for AIDS/KIDZCAR. The toys will be distributed Saturday to HIV-positive children and others infected with HIV. The students at Dr.
Priscilla Reyes has learned a thing or two about managing time. For more than a decade Reyes has worked with people afflicted with HIV and AIDS and the tangle of daily challenges that many of them face: buying time on an electric bill or eviction notice, stealing precious moments for a support group, finding a place to
For Jose Figueroa, World AIDS Day is a mixture of solemn reflection, mourning for friends lost to the disease, and hope. Diagnosed with AIDS from a drug needle in 1996, he was at one time faced with a substance abuse problem and the prospect of 30 years in prison for a string of burglaries. In 1997, he enrolled in Brow
The AIDS drug cocktails that have saved countless adults have proved powerfully effective in children, too. A four-year study of 1,028 HIV-infected children and teenagers found that combining protease inhibitors with standard AIDS drugs cut the risk of death by two-thirds, to less than 1 percent annually. The children
Miami-Dade County has landed on an inauspicious top 10 list: It ranks among the U.S. communities with the highest incidence of syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease that is often a bellwether for the spread of other infections, including HIV. Data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Amid the cocktails, glitter and G-strings, many at Sunday night s annual White Party acknowledged the real reason they were there -- to raise money for people with AIDS. Every one of my friends I grew up with has passed away, said Vincent Contrastino of Fort LauDerdale. I m 45 years old, and everyone I grew up with is
BEIJING -- China s first national conference on AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases convened Tuesday with both praise and a warning from the head of the United Nations AIDS programs. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS , said the conference symbolized a remarkable change of attitude in China over the past two y
As Broward County s most influential gay rights activist only a few years ago, Gary Steinsmith had access to the ears of county commissioners -- and the wallets of taxpayers. But this week, as the AIDS virus ravaged his body and his mind, Steinsmith was turned away by some of the same social service agencies to which h
To Greg Scott, the anthrax scare looks unsettlingly familiar: a mysterious microbe. A devastating disease. Rampant rumors. Deaths. Last time, it was AIDS. I remember the hysteria, says Scott of Fort Lauderdale, newly elected president of the People With AIDS Coalition of Broward County. The Navy veteran and former tele
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad -- (AP) -- Governments must commit more money to prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS, as they would to ward off terrorist or technological crises, say participants at a conference on the disease. Yolanda Simon, chairwoman of the 10th International Conference for People Living with HIV/AIDS,
As choreographer Paulo Manso de Sousa polishes the final piece for tonight s Dance for Life benefit, a gesture here and an artistic expression there remind him of the many gifted colleagues he has lost to AIDS. There are so many dancers you train with whose names you never get to know, De Sousa says. In disciplined dan
VISTA HERMOSA, Colombia -- (AP) -- Confounding officials who are powerless to stop them, guerrillas from Colombia s largest rebel army are forcing all residents of this town inside a southern rebel haven to be tested for HIV. Three people who tested positive have reportedly been expelled from the zone.
A Broward judge ordered child welfare administrators Tuesday to provide rape treatment, counseling and an HIV test to a developmentally disabled 16-year-old foster child who said she was raped three times while living on the streets of Miami. Broward Circuit Judge John A. Frusciante, who has been a strong critic of the
SYDNEY, Australia -- (AP) -- After more than a decade of relatively low rates of infection in Asia, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has begun spreading rapidly in some of the world s most populated countries, according to a new report released Thursday. The rise is mostly among those in high risk groups, such as injecting drug u
Lighted by the blue glow of a portable computer, Marc Cohen is blazing a new trail in AIDS awareness. He logs on to the Internet, surfs into a busy chat room and uses his screen name -- hivoutreachmiami@aol.com -- to answer questions about AIDS, hepatitis and other sexually transmitted diseases. Awareness Alert, he ty
In the battle against AIDS, Hispanic voices have been quiet. Too quiet, many say, even though statistics show that Hispanics are contracting HIV at a rapid rate. A South Florida group is speaking up for Hispanics to reverse this disturbing trend. Union Positiva, founded four years ago, is the first organization in Sout
A few miles from the large U.S. Conference on AIDS in Miami Beach, organized by leading researchers and activists, will be a smaller discussion about HIV. The HIV-AIDS Forum at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in southwest Miami-Dade is being planned for Friday night by Gertrude Pearl, who at age 87 is not your
As the AIDS epidemic enters its third decade with no end in sight, more than 3,500 people from the front lines will converge on Miami Beach this week to learn what s new in treatment, to share war stories with their colleagues and to recharge for the battle. The U.S. Conference on AIDS chose South Florida, site of its
Local businesses will decorate their storefront windows with an HIV prevention theme in honor of the conference, held Sept. 13-16 at the Fontainbleau Hilton Hotel, 4441 Collins Ave. The goals of the contest are to raise the community s awareness about HIV/AIDS. A panel of judges will select the two best entries, one fo
In the battle against AIDS, Hispanic voices have been quiet. Too quiet, many say, even though statistics show that Hispanics are contracting HIV at a rapid rate. Now, a South Florida group is speaking up for Hispanics and reverse this disturbing trend. Union Positiva, founded four years ago, is the first organization i
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- (AP) -- In a reversal of roles, a U.S. pharmaceutical giant said Tuesday the Caribbean wasn t doing enough to provide discounted HIV-fighting drugs to patients. For years, developing nations complained that prices for HIV drugs put them out of their reach. Then in March, New Jersey-based
Two years ago a group of prominent Chinese scientists called on China s leaders to acknowledge the spread of HIV in the country. They warned that if China didn t begin to take measures to control the deadly disease that an epidemic would ensue. The only official result of the call for action was criticism of the scient
Deeply moved after seeing the AIDS Memorial Quilt last December, one woman has decided to do what she can to educate people about the disease. Eight months and many phone calls later, Gertrude Pearl has assembled a panel of speakers for an HIV-AIDS forum Sept. 14 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami, 770
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- (AP) -- AIDS activists and pediatricians filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the South African government, demanding it provide medicine to HIV-infected, pregnant women to help prevent transmission of the disease to their babies. The Treatment Action Campaign, a coalition of AIDS activists, ha
When Belynda Dunn s HMO rejected her request for a liver transplant because of her HIV infection, she felt like she had been slapped in the face. I think it just goes along with the idea that if you have HIV, you ve got the black plague, said Dunn, a 49-year-old Boston AIDS activist who has worked to stop the spread of
Nearly two decades have passed since a mysterious and deadly killer, now known as AIDS, was identified and marked as a public-health menace. No one knew then, or could guess, what course the disease would take. But few would have imagined that 20 years later apathy and denial would be disproportionate contributors to t
PRETORIA, South Africa -- (AP) -- Roman Catholic bishops in southern Africa denounced condoms on Monday as an immoral and misguided weapon in the fight against HIV infection but said married couples with the AIDS virus could use them in limited circumstances. The Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference said cond
At all levels of government, from Washington to the Miami-Dade County School Board, the war on AIDS must be declared a public health emergency, a fired-up crowd insisted at Saturday s HIV/AIDS summit in downtown Miami. Then the struggling community groups, churches, educators and service providers would get more of the
Christine Morris and Stephen Smith, cmorris@herald.com
Today, AIDS remains a potent threat, striking with ferocity in communities already devastated by poverty and neglect. The inner cities of Miami-Dade and Broward claim some of the highest infection rates in the nation. Statewide, black communities continue to be disproportionately ravaged by the virus, with blacks accou
A team of Florida International University scientists announced Wednesday they are working with Camillus House to determine if a daily dose of zinc can boost the immune systems of HIV-positive drug users. Zinc, a dietary supplement found in dairy products, fish and meat, could be a key element to fighting off diseases
There may be an anti-AIDS weapon at our disposal that we ve been neglecting. It s called friendship. It may be only my imagination, but I have the sense that boys and girls growing up today don t relate with each other quite as they did back in the ancient days of my youth. The adolescent male-female dynamic today seem
WASHINGTON -- (AP) -- Condoms can reduce the spread of HIV and gonorrhea, but there is not enough evidence to say for certain they protect against other sexually transmitted diseases, federal health officials said Friday. To definitely answer the remaining questions about condom effectiveness for preventing STD [sexual
Special to The Herald Dena and Stewart Stewart are artists with a mission. They are the co-directors of the Center for Folk and Community Art, a Miami Beach-based nonprofit organization that creates educational murals. After holding office jobs in their native New York City for years, the Stewarts felt something was mi
Dismayed by HIV/AIDS infection rates in Miami-Dade that are among the highest in the nation, U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, backed by local health officials and civic leaders, unveiled plans Sunday for an emergency summit to combat what they called a health crisis in the county. The goal: to rally all segments of the community
SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Instead of debating for three days in New York over what to do with the money in an international AIDS fund, this week s special United Nations assembly on AIDS should have met in Brazil. Brazil is the only developing nation that has found a successful formula to combat AIDS. In 1994 the World Bank
U.N. commitment to prevent deadly disease a call to strong action. The United Nations General Assembly s Declaration of Commitment carved out during an extraordinary three-day special session on AIDS this week rings of welcome urgency and the need to act decisively to address this global pandemic. The document frames t
An outbreak of potentially fatal Hepatitis A has hit the Broward County gay community, according to health department reports. In an average month, the county health department learns of six cases. Since late May, it has seen 29 cases of the disease, which can cause gastrointestinal distress, fever or jaundice. Health
Anna Pierre is a Haitian singer, artist and dancer -- but she is also a registered nurse with a master s degree in public health who has opened a clinic in North Miami that will offer health screenings, seminars and HIV/AIDS education. The city recently granted her a permit to operate the Anna Pierre Health Education C
The Public Service and Awareness Campaign for Mental Health Services is providing a full range of services for those individuals infected and affected by HIV/battle with depression, stress, anger and drug or alcohol dependence. Individual and group therapy services will be provided by therapists and psychiatrists who a
When Sheri Kaplan was diagnosed with HIV in 1994, she began counting her final days. You start living in a state of urgency, said Kaplan, 36. I went out and maxed out my credit cards. Yet, 20 years after the first cases of AIDS were officially reported, Kaplan is living proof that being diagnosed with HIV or AIDS is no
Twenty years after the AIDS epidemic was first officially reported, young gay men have grown increasingly blasé about safe sex, an attitude that has spurred a dramatic surge in the number of HIV infections, a new government study confirmed. The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducted in six
Pfizer (PFE) will provide its Diflucan antifungal medicine free in 50 poor countries with the most HIV-infected people. Pfizer announced the program, developed with the United Nations and World Health Organization , at the UN. There is no time limit on the offer. Pfizer expects to provide about $50 million worth of D
Twenty years after the first reported cases, the war against AIDS -- this era s great plague -- is still being lost. Worldwide some 22 million have died, and 5.3 million new infections are reported annually. AIDS is decimating populations in the impoverished countries of Africa and Asia. In the United States
LOS ANGELES -- (AFP) -- A 3-year-old Thai boy brought to the United States as a human decoy in an immigrant-smuggling scheme should be allowed to stay in the country until he is 18, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian said that deporting the boy, who is HIV-positive, to
WASHINGTON -- The AIDS epidemic is on the rise again among young gay and bisexual men, particularly blacks, according to a new government study marking the 20th anniversary of the world s first public report of the epidemic. The study of young men who have sex with other men found that 4.4 percent -- about 1 in 25 -- b
ATLANTA -- (AP) -- Gay men too young to remember the earliest reports of AIDS are now spreading the disease at alarming rates that remind health officials of the explosive first years of the epidemic. A six-city government survey released Thursday shows 4.4 percent of gay and bisexual men 23 to 29 years old are newly i
KAMPALA, Uganda -- One by one, the people with the AIDS virus, mostly women, rose to tell how they were shocked to learn of their infection, how they grieved at losing a husband or a child to the disease, how they worried about their own shortened future. Then they pleaded with Secretary of State Colin Powell, an envoy
JOHANNESBURG -- Secretary of State Colin Powell s message that the Bush administration cares about Africa s problems drew a mixed response here Friday, reflecting the continent s fascination with the first black secretary of state but suspicion about White House foreign policies. Powell was heckled and jeered, called a
MINNEAPOLIS -- When his parents went on a heroin binge, Juan Dixon went to the basketball court. When his parents went to jail, Dixon went to the basketball court. When his parents went to their graves, victims of AIDS, even then, Dixon went to the basketball court. Stepping onto the court was like passing through a do
Joe Nicholson, who first tested positive for HIV a decade ago, tried to remember to take his HIV medicine at the correct time each day. But too often, he forgot. I was busy, said Nicholson, who then owned a financial services software firm. I did not have a cold, headache or sore throat, so I had a hard time rememberin
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