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Memory of the World Register - Nominated Documentary
Heritage |
United States
AIDS Education Global Information System (AEGiS)
The AEGiS Millennium Collection: An anthology of humanities
response to the AIDS pandemic at the end of the 20th Century
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HIV is a retrovirus
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| HIV belongs to a class of viruses called retroviruses, which have genes composed of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules. The genes of humans and most other organisms are made of a related molecule, deoxyribo- nucleic acid (DNA). Like all viruses, HIV can replicate only inside cells, commandeering the cell's machinery to reproduce. However, only HIV and other retroviruses, once inside a cell, use an enzyme called reverse transcriptase to convert their RNA into DNA, which can be incorporated into the host cell's genes.
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Diagram of the Virus
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| HIV has a diameter of 1/10,000 of a millimeter and is spherical in shape. Within the envelope of a mature HIV particle is a bullet-shaped core or capsid, made of 2000 copies of another viral protein, p24. The capsid surrounds two single strands of HIV RNA, each of which has a copy of the virus's nine genes. In the cytoplasm of the cell, HIV reverse transcriptase converts viral RNA into DNA, the nucleic acid form in which the cell carries its genes. Six of the nine antiviral drugs approved in the United States for the treatment of people with HIV infection -- AZT, ddC, ddI, d4T, 3TC and nevirapine -- work by interfering with this stage of the viral life cycle.
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AIDS Education
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| AIDS education can take many forms, includng posters, magazine ads, radio and TV commercials, and on-line services.
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Sister Mary Elizabeth
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| During a trip to rural Missouri in 1990, Sister Mary Elizabeth met a number of people living with AIDS who were unable to obtain the latest news and information about the disease for fear of losing their privacy. She found a solution for those isolated by geography in cyberspace.
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Rick Wagner
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Rick Wagner is a programmer that volunteers his time assisting AEGiS. He is co-founder of Divanet, a Dallas, Texas, based Internet Service Provider.
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Photo of Tomas Fabregas
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| Tomas Fabregas, an AIDS crusader who fought to alter the U.S. law that prevents foreigners with AIDS from entering the country. Tomas died in 1994, at age 36, of complications from the disease.
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Aids candlelight vigil
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| Groups in 250 cities in 47 nations from Calcutta to Zambia to New Zealand held a candlelight vigil yesterday for people who have died of AIDS. In London, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, people gathered privately, held ceremonies, marched on city hall, or attended rallies to commemorate people with AIDS. The AIDS Candlelight Memorial is billed as the world's largest AIDS event, and this year 50 additional cities joined the observance. San Francisco's Mobilization Against AIDS sponsors the event.
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