HIV Deep Dive 901Memphis

Dr. Chinelo Animalu, MD, is an Infectious Disease and HIV specialist and associates host an informative conversation about Infectious Diseases and disparity in the Memphis community. 

@Medical Class 901

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:00

The HIV epidemic in Shelby County. Memphis actually ranks number two in terms of new HIV infections.

SPEAKER_06 0:07

Cases well above the national average.

SPEAKER_05 0:09

The case rate among 15 to 19 year olds is four times higher than the national average.

SPEAKER_06 0:15

And health officials say it's not just the numbers that are concerning, but the lack of prevention and education.

SPEAKER_05 0:46

Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, a city known globally for its vibrant culture, music, and civil rights legacy, I know firsthand the significant challenges lurking behind the glamour, and it is the alarming rising HIV incidence rates. This issue is not unique to Memphis, but reflects a broader crisis throughout the southern United States with alarmingly high incidence rates of HIV in Republican-dominated states. States also have declined to expand Medicaid. And in Tennessee, the governor has refused to approve critical and life-saving HIV funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. My advice to all people who are sexually active or at risk for HIV is to be tested. Testing is free at local health departments in your community.

SPEAKER_04 1:37

We are not just talking about Chlamydia here, we're talking about other STDs. The worst of which is HIV because he has no treatment, right? So this is something that I am hoping that we can collaborate with the major hospitals. There are other doctors here, we have other infectious disease doctors. If we need to take these messages to the schools, we just need to kind of sensitize our young folks who are the ones that are actually suffering from these infections, and then people out there in the streets kind of know the things that put them at risk for contracting any one of these infections.

SPEAKER_08 2:15

Hi, thank you for listening. I urge young people to be careful. I wish I knew about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. My life has been profoundly changed due to my diagnosis. I was scrolling online and I noticed a talk show, the medical class, with Dr. Animalu, an infectious disease specialist, and I learned about things that I wish the adults around me had explained. They assumed that because I am focused on school and college, that I was safe. Sadly, I was taken advantage of by an older person I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone. I delayed getting a health check. By the time I got to the doctor, things were much worse for my future for reproductive health. Gonorrhea and chlamydia have real life consequences, and because of this infection, I am possibly infertile. If you are sexually active, or in my case, bad things happen against your will, it is important to please talk to someone. Never assume that no one will care or believe you. There are good people still out there who will care enough to help you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 3:20

And it kind of I was very curious because usually in those days when you know you hear HIV, people run in the opposite direction. Yes. And one thing I would like to let our audience know today is that it's no longer that. HIV is an infection that you know you could get through various methods that I'm gonna talk about in a second. And um it's something, even though there's no cure, but it's something that could be managed. So we see HIV now, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus, um, as an infection that you can control with the right medications. The same way people take medications for diabetes, for hypertension, for high cholesterol, for asthma, you get to take medications for HIV and you can live your normal life like everybody else. My name is Dr. Shinelo Annemalo and I am an infectious disease specialist out of Methodist University Hospital and a professor of medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, IUT College of Medicine. Thank you for tuning in to Medical Class 901, a show where we discuss the common infections we see in our communities. I am Dr. Cinello, Animal Infectious Disease, and HIV specialist. So, as you know, infectious disease is um a specialty that basically deals with managing or treating various types of infections. It could be bacterial, it could be viruses, it could be fungal. So another disease to consider would be syphilis. Um has it never gone away? So we thought we were on the path to complete eradication, but it's done a rapid turnaround, so we are back to syphilis areas. Yeah. Um syphilis, just like HIV, would be, you know, considered a sexually transmitted infection. And it was rampant, you know, in those days, and there was a lot of effort by the government, you know, the CDC, World Health Organization, UNICEF, people came to, you know, do everything possible to have this infection eradicated, but it's made a major comeback. And we are seeing this amongst our younger generation. And as a parent, I have, you know, I have kids in college, I have kids in high school, and that's the age range that is worse right now. And also when you talk about race, it's worse in the African-American community. So it's something that's very passionate, you know, to me. And I feel like part of what we're seeing is lack of um education. I took the liberty of talking to a few high school kids, and you know, I just kind of wanted to see what they knew about, you know, HIVSA, you know, what do you do? And they were like, you take antibiotics, and I almost passed out. No, man, we cannot take antibiotics. It's a virus, not a bacterial. So it became very clear to me that um our communities are not well informed, well educated, and I feel it's part of what we do to kind of stir them in the right direction. It's it's shocking, and it's something that as a parent, you're like, okay, what are we doing wrong? Right? And just so you guys know, what 80% of these cases are the population. So what do you think? What are we doing? Something something's not right. You can imagine how I feel, what do I think? Absolutely nothing you can do about it. So this is gonna bring me you know, because it's not about you know, okay. The question is how does this happen? No, um, you're still practice. What I saw was that what these people to the hospital for other things, so they do not even know they have HIV. And so patients every I take care of every single day with HIV. That's exactly what the presentation means. They have no idea why. HIV is mostly asymptomatic. What does that mean? How does HIV kill? HIV doesn't come out and kill you, it kills by destroying your immune system, right? Your immune system is that part of your body that helps you fight infections, right? And you know, you you know that you know they'll be like, oh, somebody has a weak immune system, so they're always getting, you know, COVID or food or whatever it is. That's exactly how HIV works. It would destroy your immune system, and so even the tiniest infection, the tiniest thing would kill you.

SPEAKER_09 8:12

Hi, I'm Christy. Thanks for following Medical Class 901 with Dr. Chi, infectious disease specialist. Alongside the Shelby County Health Department, we're sounding the alarm in response to an increase in HIV and other STD cases in our community. The Shelby County Health Department is encouraging people to get tested. This comes after health officials say the county is experiencing a peak in a six-year trend of increasing HIV and syphilis infections. The most impacted group is those between the ages of 14 and 35. According to data from the Tennessee Department of Health, HIV rates in Shelby County have increased 36% since 2018. Syphilis rates have increased by 100%. This is not funny, and it is devastating to know that Memphis is ranked number two in the nation for HIV infections among young people like me. We can no longer believe that this is a gay disease. I am a heterosexual young woman, and my status is positive. Please practice safe intimacy and get tested. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

A healthy life expectancy is an important measure of the overall health of a population. Unfortunately, Tennesseans experience shorter life expectancy than the residents of the United States as a whole. Tennessee faces numerous health challenges with generally poorer health outcomes than those of most other states. The high prevalence of chronic conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, HIV presents a major concern, as do the rates of substance misuse, suicide, and infant and maternal mortality. Memphis is regularly included on the lists of the most segregated U.S. cities. Looking backward, it's easy to identify factors that contributed to it: white flight, middle-income flight, annexation, stagnant population, and lack of investments in core neighborhoods that led to census tracts where concentrated poverty has roughly doubled since 1970. Memphis will become a healthier city when the health and wellness of all people are valued.

SPEAKER_04 10:11

So Memphis, our dear city, ranks number two in the entire country for the most newly diagnosed cases of HIV. And what is shocking is that it's affecting our younger populations, our teenagers, from the ages, from the range of 14 years old to 19 up until 21 years old. So it is scary and it is devastating. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 10:37

Because the only way, you know, in my generation, you know, we always connected it with, you know, uh intimacy. Absolutely. So how are 14-year-olds in that age group contracting HIV?

SPEAKER_04 10:51

Exactly. So we all wonder about that. But what we what this is telling us, obviously, because the numbers don't lie, is that um our younger ones are having what we call unprotected sexual intercourse. I mean, there are many ways you can, you know, pick up HIV. Number one would be through um intimacy, you know, sexual, unprotected sexual intercourse. You can have other um sources like blood transfusion, but these days um blood products undergo very rigorous testing before they are transfused. And then you have what we call like vertical transmission where a mother who has HIV that was uncontrolled and gives birth to a baby and can transmit that infection uh to the baby. Then for the healthcare workers, you can have like what we call the needle stick injuries, where you know you get a needle stick from, you know, maybe an infected person. And then another population would be our intravenous drug users. So if you're sharing needles, you know, or people that perhaps, you know, have to take, let's say, insulin or whatever, and you're sharing needles with people. So those will be the major, major ways of transmitting HIV. But in our teenage population here, um, it's pointing more towards unprotected sexual intercourse. I take care of HIV patients, I'm a HIV specialist. So I do take care of our HIV positive um um patients in the hospital setting. And a lot of times what I've noticed, and you know, when I sit down and talk with these patients, is the stigma that is associated with this infection, especially in the in the black communities. People see it as such a horrible thing or such a bad thing because I've had patients who did not want their family members to know, and then you know, we have to, you know, make sure that they are safe, like the families do not know. But so one thing I would like to let people know is that there's no shame in it. Okay. There's so much bad stigma, you know, um, associated with this, and people rather die than let the public know, let their families know. So I want to use this media and let them know that it's okay. You know, there's treatment out there.

SPEAKER_07 13:02

What is HIV? HIV, human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that attacks the body's immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to AIDS. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. There is currently no effective cure. Once people get HIV, they have it for life. But proper medical care can control the virus. People with HIV who get on and stay on HIV-effective treatment can live long, healthy lives and protect their partners. Some people have no symptoms at all. The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested.

SPEAKER_04 13:38

So, what does HIV mean? Human immunodeficiency virus, which is a virus that we can, you know, pass from one person to another through sexual intercourse or sharing body fluids or through blood transfusions or by sharing needles. About 39 million people are affected worldwide, and it's a major cause of mortality in the world, meaning death because it's dead. And um they the end part of HIV is called the AIDS, and this means somebody that has untreated HIV infection, and this would have run for many, many, many years, and sometimes some decades. You do not get HIV from kissing, from hugging, from sharing um utensils, you know, in the households with people. You don't get HIV by saying hello to anyone.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Why is immunization important? Getting vaccinated is one of the most effective ways of preventing infectious diseases, disabilities, and deaths. In the United States, routine childhood vaccines prevent many diseases, and immunization has reduced the occurrence of most vaccine-preventable diseases by over 95%. Adults need vaccines too, even if you got all your childhood shots. The protection for some shots can wear off over time, and as you get older, you may be at risk for diseases like shingles. All adults should get a yearly flu shot and other vaccines based on age, job, lifestyle, travel, or health conditions. Getting vaccinated also helps decrease the spread of diseases to other people. When enough people are vaccinated against a disease, it is more difficult for that disease to spread and cause an outbreak.

SPEAKER_04 15:22

HIV for most part is asymptomatic. So what it means is that you might not know. It's you know, like, so what happens is that the initial infection, you might have what seems like to be like flu-like um illness, and then it goes away, and then you're fine. So it doesn't have any specific symptoms, and that's why we are pushing for people to be tested.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Hello everyone. My name is Laquita. Thanks for joining me today on behalf of the esteemed Dr. Chi MD, infectious disease specialist in Memphis, to discuss sexually transmitted diseases in Shelby County. This is a bittersweet opportunity for me to be chosen to bring awareness to the prevalence of HIV and other diseases that are plaguing our community. To be chosen means that I am living with or have been affected by a sexually transmitted infection. First, what is an SDD? Sexually transmitted infections occur when bacteria, parasites, or viruses enter the body. This process happens before a sexually transmitted disease develops. And while STDs stem from SDIs, having an SDI does not necessarily mean you'll develop a disease from that infection. An SDI can be asymptomatic without disease, but if symptoms or clinical manifestations develop, it becomes an STD. As mentioned, some infections may show no symptoms, so testing is very important for preventing the spread of SDIs. On the other hand, a disease typically has more clear cut signs or symptoms. Again, thank you, Dr. Chi, for your passion for bringing awareness to your beloved community, and thank you for allowing me to speak on your behalf.