Hiv

The nation has a huge need for kidneys, livers and other organs for transplant, but federal law has one absolute rule for donors: no HIV infections. Some Johns Hopkins doctors now argue that HIV should not disqualify the organs from transplant into recipients who also are already infected with the virus. "If this legal ban were lifted, we could potentially provide organ transplants to every single HIV-infected transplant candidate on the waiting list," says Dr. Dorry L. Segev, an associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine whose recent study concluded that there are 500 potential donors disqualified every year.

When John Robert Skelton got caught last summer stealing the identity of a deceased aide to a United States senator, federal authorities called the crime "despicable," and a spokesman for U.S. Customs said the agency was pleased to end the charade. But the suspect's lawyer calls his client's actions more tragic than criminal. He needed medical care to treat HIV that only doctors in America could provide, the attorney said, adding that Skelton did not use his false name to profit from the victim in any way. Instead of pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft, which would have required the judge to imprison the 41-year-old for a minimum two years, prosecutors allowed him to admit to the lesser crime of making a false claim of American citizenship.

Et cetera Report: Another lawsuit alleges Alomar has HIV Roberto Alomar 's wife has accused the former baseball star in divorce papers of having unprotected sex with her despite knowing that he is HIV-positive. The New York Post reported Thursday that Maria Del Pilar Rivera Alomar filed paperwork in Florida alleging the former Orioles second baseman "knew prior to his first sexual contact with [her] that he was HIV-positive. " The lawsuit is the second in two years to accuse Alomar of having unprotected sex while knowing he carried the virus.

Sexually transmitted diseases proliferate among men and women who have multiple sexual partners. If the recent measure of HIV infection among Baltimore's gay men was restricted to those who frequent "gay" bars and clubs, then it will overestimate the prevalence of HIV in Baltimore because it will not include those gay men who are not seeking extra partners ("Baltimore leads in HIV infection in gay men," Oct. 2). The prime public health message to the people in any community seeking to reduce STDs, including HIV, is and has ever been, "If you are sexually active, have few and preferably only one sexual partner.

Baltimore continues to lead major American cities in the percentage of gay men infected with HIV, according to a recently released report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 38 percent of men who have sex with men in Baltimore were infected — twice the overall percentage in the 21 cities studied by the CDC in 2008. More troubling, researchers said, was the number of those who were unaware of their infection. That was nearly three-quarters in Baltimore and rising, compared with about 44 percent nationwide.

It's not that he has trouble expressing himself in words. After all, at the tender age of 20, he's already written an autobiography. But when he tells his story, as he did recently in Baltimore, the young man from Zimbabwe often points to a painting of his that he brought from Africa. It shows a figure standing at an open door, about to step out of a darkened room and into a place showered in brightness. The meaning isn't hard to grasp. The figure depicts the artist himself, the soft-spoken yet confident Tichaona Mudhobhi.

The Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland, in partnership with a number of faith-based volunteer groups, set up clinics at churches and faith-based community centers around Baltimore Monday to provide free HIV testing services and to raise awareness about getting tested. Maryland has the second-highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the nation, according to Dr. Robert Redfield, director of clinical care at IHV, who joined advocates, politicians and volunteers at Seventh Metro Baptist Church in the Charles North neighborhood.

Moveable Feast, a nonprofit organization, provides home-delivered meals for clients who are homebound with HIV/AIDS. Volunteers, who can be as young as 16 (15 or younger with an adult) are needed to deliver meals between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Meal delivery takes about an hour. Drivers have flexibility in setting their schedules. Volunteers are asked to deliver once a week or once a month. Information: Tom Patrick at 410-327-3420, ext. 31, or tpatrick@mfeast.