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Dr Rajesh Gopal's Blog (40)

Attend a lecture on 'Cholesterol and HIV' tomorrow(30th September,09)

We all can view the following videocast tomorrow

"The Lipid and the Virus: The Story of Cholesterol and HIV" - a lecture by Dr. James Hildreth on September 30, 2009

Lecture Summary:

HIV-1 replication involves a series of highly orchestrated steps that involve numerous host cell proteins. Our work has shown that HIV incorporates many host proteins that retain their function including cell adhesion molecules. In studying the mechanism of host cell protein acquisition by… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on September 29, 2009 at 3:45pm — No Comments

Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (September,27)

Any efforts for SALT or AI would necessitate empowering of the community .The community must be at the centre in the planning,implementation,monitoring and evaluation of any chalked out activities or project.

Wish to share a statement about the need to ensure the same in the interventions for prevention of HIV amongst the MSM.

Best wishes,

Rajesh Gopal.

STATEMENT OF ANTHONY S. FAUCI, M.D.

DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on September 27, 2009 at 12:37pm — No Comments

The very first U.S. National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (September 18, 2009)

Please find an article ,a personal message and an institutional communication (from NIH,USA) on the gradually increasing burden of HIV amongst the older people.

Regards,

Dr.Rajesh Gopal.

The unexplored story of HIV and ageing

As people in developing and industrialized countries increasingly live longer, healthier lives, why do the scant data that exist suggest a surprisingly high prevalence and incidence of HIV among individuals 50 years of age… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on September 19, 2009 at 10:37am — 2 Comments

Long Live 'Life" : Zindagi Zindabad !!!!

The major hurdles in the control of HIV and AIDS are poor awareness about the ways of transmission and the strategies to prevent HIV and AIDS; as aggravated by the prevalent gender inequality. Myths and misconceptions about the infection, stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) and what have you, are still the other obstacles in the ongoing pursuits for all the prevention, care, support and treatment measures.

To meet these challenges, major campaigns have… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on August 31, 2009 at 4:09pm — 3 Comments

Guidelines of NACO,Government of India for PLHIV in reference to H1N1

ADVISORY ON H1N1 FLU FOR HIV INFECTED PERSONS

All HIV infected persons, especially those with low CD4 count, are more prone to get different bacterial and viral infection as compared to general population. At the present time, there is no information about the risk of the H1N1 in people with HIV/AIDS. However, HIV-infected persons, especially persons with low CD4 cell counts, children less than 5 years, pregnant women and elderly persons are at higher risk for complications and rapid… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on August 11, 2009 at 7:21pm — 2 Comments

Whither male circumcision in South Asia ?

Though the vulnerabilities to HIV of the South Asia population have been clearly delineated, the moot point is if we are ready to implement a comprehensive strategic evidence-generated intervention (say in a large country like India) or not.

It is unfortunate that there is a tendency to consider male circumcision as an effective strategy for the Sub –Saharan countries with high HIV prevalence only.

It is ironical that the entire spectrum of predisposition to HIV and… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on August 6, 2009 at 1:02pm — No Comments

A milestone judgement by an Indian court !

Dear Friends,

In a 105 page judgement delivered by the Hon'ble Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi(Mr.Justice Ajit Prakash Shah) and Hon'ble Dr Justice S.Muralidhar; apparently some portions of the section377 of the Indian Penal Code have been declared null and void.

The provision criminalized even an act of consensual sex between adults of same sex in private an offence-a non-bailable crime with punishment of 8 to 10 years.

The High Court of Delhi of… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on July 3, 2009 at 7:00pm — 5 Comments

Homage to God of Pop!

Dear fellow humans,

It is still very hard to accept that the miraculous musician,the marvellous magician to whose tune the entire world danced,the Martian like boneless mortal,messiah of millions,the God of Pop -our own "Mai ka Laal Jaikisan"is no more with us.

Millions were sent into state of religious ecstasy("Haal")and were also soothed by just a word from him,a glimpse,a gesture ,a posture which mesmerized many(at the concert at Andheri Sports Complex,Mumbai in 1996… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on June 27, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Monarch of Music is no more!

I grew up listening to the rendition of the great numbers

(like great religious ecstatic discourses/"Haals" of sufi tradition)

by the greatest performer and entertainer of all times.

The eternal music the 'Anhad naad' generated by the Monarch of Music

will be cherished by us and the generations to come. May God grant

peace to his soul as that was denied to him in this land of lesser mortals!

The legend is no more and it is a humongous lacuna which just… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on June 26, 2009 at 6:36pm — No Comments

Observation of IACM day/week and follow up activities in Gujarat

Would like to share the request that we made on 16th May,2009 with the stakeholders in the state to finalize and strengthen the plan of action for averting suicides by the PLHIV in the state.

Dear Friends,

There have been some alarming developments which have led to suicides by four people living with HIV/AIDS in our state in a span of about two months.

Many of these most unfortunate developments could perhaps be a culmination of a series of… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on May 19, 2009 at 11:56am — 2 Comments

CSS and SCC

I strongly feel that development of perspectives and pursuits which are based on community based,community led and community owned approaches can take care of the humongous hurdles the developing countries are facing; especially in the field of health.

The needs based and evidence based planning by the community for interventions which are monitored by the community itself are a definite key to success of such endeavours and are bound to go a long way in improving the scenario of… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on May 15, 2009 at 6:27pm — 4 Comments

Doctors heal thyselves!

Dear Friends,

We physicians have a privileged position in the society in this part of the world whether we are in the public or private sector.Professionals working in the 'health sector' are still considered with lot of respect which they naturally deserve for the great cause they all are supposed to serve.

Unfortunately there is a lot of mystification,exclusion from the community and sustenance of deliberate efforts to ensure that the 'profession' is kept at a pedestal… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on May 2, 2009 at 10:31am — 5 Comments

Community Systems Strengthening(CSS) and Swine Flu

Dear All,

The need to specifically look into the ways of strengthening the community systems cannot be emphasized more at any other time than perhaps in the present scenario of the extant(though some still say imminent)pandemic of Influenza A ('swine flu/Mexican flu).

In the past we have always worked on health systems strenghening(HSS) in isolation under the mistaken presumption that it alone would be adequate to ensure access to equitable healthcare ,in an emergency or… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on May 1, 2009 at 1:30pm — 6 Comments

Greetings on May Day and the statehood day of Gujarat!

Dear All,

Greetings on Gujarat Diwas (statehood day of Gujarat) - a day which always coincides with

May Day signifying the dignity of labour and recognition of the need for the protection,

promotion and asssertion of all human rights in general and the right to health in particular.

Let us all rededicate ourselves to internalize those values and commit ourselves to act in

accordance with the needed requirements for establishment of health as a… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on April 30, 2009 at 6:22pm — No Comments

Some of the E-publications of Dr Rajesh Gopal

Some of my electronic publications are mentioned below with the links:-

(A) www.exchange-magazine.info April,2009

Article published in the latest issue of Exchange on HIV/AIDS, sexuality and gender No. 1, 2009

titled “Using ‘Web-4-All’ to address the information needs of people with disabilities”

Royal Tropical Institute,Amsterdam

(B) www.i4donline.net November,2008

Emagazine issue on HIV/AIDS: Information for Development (i4d)-article on… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on April 23, 2009 at 12:47pm — 3 Comments

Power of positive thinking and positive dreaming!

Time and again the need to think positively has been emphasized at all fora.It is indeed extremely helpful in crafting of the mission and ensuring the chalked out activities in the most effective manner.

Imagined blocks,obstructionist mindsets and majority of the impediments are taken care of by the same and they all those hurdles just wither away before the strong and positive influence driving the endeavours..

Seemingly impossible tasks are converted to feasible and then… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on April 23, 2009 at 12:30pm — 9 Comments

An Inconvenient Truth

We have perfected the art of using euphemism for camouflaging an ugly truth. The apparent justification for such a denial of the stark reality is perhaps the mistaken notion that somehow the gigantic monstrosity of the humungous problem may also be reduced by perceiving the same ‘through a jaundiced eye’/denying its very existence and thereby just wishing it away.

A blatant inhuman murder of a bride is craftily worded as ‘dowry death’ even during the legal interactions.… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on April 23, 2009 at 12:25pm — 2 Comments

Law must catalyze social change for the better and not otherwise!

Promotion and protection of human rights, inter alia, necessitate full and creative utilization of all the existing legal and societal provisions.

It is ironic that the law of the land which has to putatively serve the cause of benefiting all and promoting the larger interest of the society is, more often than not, in conflict with the endeavours for the prevention of acquisition of sexually transmitted infections and the containment of HIV/AIDS.

Human behaviour is indeed… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on April 23, 2009 at 12:13pm — 2 Comments

Community has to play the central and crucial role in planning ,working and monitoring its health!

Comment: Primary Health Care: Back to the Future? (1)

Dr. Rajesh Gopal, India

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[Mods note: The posting below is the first response to a perspective piece on the World Health Report 2008. Read the original posting and find links to the report here:

http://www.healthdev.org/viewmsg.aspx?msgid=150e6190-f1a2-4618-bf01-9bc4d0254d3e]

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Dear SEA-AIDS members,

I was at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva in… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on April 23, 2009 at 9:53am — No Comments

Impediments in access to quality STI care services by the MSM and TG communities

The post below available at SEA AIDS e- forum(slightly modified) is in response to a recent consultation report from the September 2008 meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its United Nations (UN) partners in Geneva. The report speaks to the urgent need to address the emerging and remerging HIV and STI epidemics among MSM and transgender people.

Access the full report here: http://msmasia.org/tl_files/resources/OMS%20MSM_DF.pdf

Read the executive summary of… Continue

Added by Dr Rajesh Gopal on April 23, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments