NVFP Presents:
Demystifying HIV – Knowledge for a Safer Future
Education, awareness, and destigmatization are vital in the fight against HIV. By promoting accurate information, supporting individuals living with HIV, and advocating for accessible healthcare and resources, we can work towards a future where HIV is no longer a global health threat and where every individual is treated with dignity and compassion.
Join Dr. Adam Zweig and Dr. Ken Zweig for an enlightening and informative town hall event where they aim to dispel myths about HIV, foster understanding, and empower individuals and communities. In this event, they will delve into the fundamentals of HIV, exploring its transmission, prevention strategies, and the latest advancements in treatment and care.
Event Highlights:
- 0:11 – 3:09 – Dr. Ken Zweig begins the educational town hall event by introducing his guest for the evening, his brother, Dr. Adam Zweig. Dr. Adam Zweig is the Medical Director at AHF Healthcare Center – San Diego, as well as a Board Member of Mama’s Kitchen, a local hot meal delivery program for those with HIV.
- 3:15 – 10:20 – Dr. Adam Zweig begins his presentation by giving an overview of the AHF Healthcare Center, how the healthcare center came to be, and an overview of HIV statistics in the United States.
- 10:37 – 14:02 – “And then if we break down the differences of rates of new infection by race and ethnicity, once again, racial disparities of care are alive and kicking in terms of HIV infection.” Dr. Adam Zweig continues to cover HIV statistics in the United States and covers the CDC recommendations stating that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 gets tested at least once in their lifetime for HIV.
- 14:53 – 17:15 – Dr. Adam Zweig introduces the three basic tests that he and his practice use: the rapid test, the “fourth generation HIV test,” and the “HIVRNA” test. He then covers the differences between the three tests, the pros and cons of the tests, and more.
- 17:25 – 27:30 – What are the main things we look at when treating someone with an HIV infection? As Dr. Adam Zweig shares, he looks at the viral load (the number of HIV particles per milliliter of blood), as well as monitor the CD four cell (otherwise known as T helper cells).
- 27:42 – 33:00 – “What is it about RNA viruses that make them so able to cause pandemics and epidemics? Well, there’s probably two main qualities about them that do so – rapidity of replication, and the fact that viral replication is very error pro.” As Dr. Adam Zweig states, HIV is an RNA virus, which has caused epidemics and pandemics in the past.
- 33:11 – 38:27 – Dr. Adam Zweig shifts the focus of his presentation to treatments, discussing the differences between the medication, how they have changed over time, and more.
- 39:04 – 48:11 – When talking about prevention, Dr. Adam Zweig states that many countries around the world have launched “Zero Campaigns” to reduce the number of infections around the world to zero. “Prep and treatment as prevention are both the two arms for getting to zero HIV infections.”
- 48:31 – 52:02 – Dr. Ken Zweig asks about the possibility of a vaccine in the future for HIV – but, as Dr. Adam Zweig states, “No. The problem is the rapidity of the mutated virus developing in HIV. So, if we develop a vaccine that is focused on an epitope of the virus, meaning a structure and the virus, all that must happen is a mutation that changes that structure a little bit.”
- 52:27 – 56:33 – Dr. Ken Zweig opens the chat for questions from the audience, and then concludes the town hall event by thanking Dr. Adam Zweig for the information and his time.
Resources: