HIV and Immigration

Yesterday I had very a busy day; I went to the Wellcome collection's exhibition and to the Royal Society of Medicine's lecture about HIV and immigration. I'll post about the Exhibition tomorrow but for now I'll tell you about the lecture.
At first I was very apprehensive about attending the lecture as, despite being told otherwise by my well seasoned friends, I was expecting it all the be a bit over our heads- degree level information. It was in the very impressive Royal Society of Medicine in London and although it was a public event, there didn't seem to be anyone below medical student level, except us.
Expectations aside, I really, really enjoyed the lecture. We all understood it all,apart from a pesky 'CD4 count' (which I promptly looked up- a marker on the outside of many immune cells apparently), and the speakers were all very engaging. The lecture was mostly centred on the troubles with preventing HIV vertical transmission in the UK and how we could apply effective methods from Africa to the UK.
Obviously I cannot recall word for word the lecture but I'll try to give the 'highlights' and basic gist of it all. Firstly, There are several issues involved with diagnosing those of African origin with HIV, either because people don't think they need it because they are not one of 'those' people or because it is simply not offered- many doctors believe that they are not well trained enough to carry out the councelling if a positive result did occur. There is a high percentage of late diagnoses in African individuals in comparison to other ethnic groups, which is bad because the earlier treatment begins, the higher success of avoidance of vertical transmission. In addition, if a positive result is shown, due to the shame and stigma surrounding HIV (HIV is positively correlated with domestic abuse in Africa) , many individuals, women especially, do not tell anyone about it, and therefore lack the social support so badly needed, perhaps resulting in depression. Although offering social support, their religious faith may negatively affect their health, encouraging them to rely on prayer and God rather that the Antiretrovirals they have been prescribed.
There are two solutions that  have been put into practice to combat these issues, firstly a peer scheme, with each woman diagnosed with HIV being paired with a woman living with HIV can give her hope and support from someone who knows what she is going through and all of the questions that are running through her head. Secondly, christianaid is working with many faith leaders to try and bridge the gap between healthcare and religion, to try and ensure that the two can work together and are not mutually exclusive, both successfully promoting the other.
Although both these methods are proving to be quite successful, there is a long way to go yet. It will be an uphill battle against HIV in this country,  a doctor from the audience told us about a group operating called HEALlondon, HIV denialists, who could potentially cause the deaths of many by spreading their unfounded beliefs. We should continue to review all courses of action about HIV to ensure the methods are as effective, and appropriate as possible to prevent the loss of future lives to the vicious virus.
^^^^^^^ this was what I have learnt from the lecture, I found it thoroughly interesting and look forward to finding out about more social impacts and solutions to illnesses such as this one, and has made me only more driven to gain a place at medical school, so I can spend my life learning about such issues and evaluting treatments. I have it all to come!