HIV/AIDS Treatment
» Exposure to Blood In Health Care
» Post-Exposure Prophylaxis
» Viracept (Nelfinavir) Updates
» When Should Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV Begin?
» Treating HIV and AIDS
» U.S. Reviewing Safety of Glaxo, Bristol-Myers AIDS Drugs
» HIV/AIDS Update:  Early Communication About the Safety of  Ziagen and Videx - March 2008
» HIV Types by Dr. Jaap Goudsmit
» Class-Sparing Regimens for Initial Treatment of HIV Infection

Tuberculosis
» TB - World Health Organization (WHO)
» TB and HIV CDC
» World Health Organization (WHO) Report 2008 Global TB Control
» Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance in the World:  Report 4
» Managing Medical Interactions in the Treatment of HIV Related TB 
» Infectiousness of Mycobacterioum Tuberculosis

Pregnancy, Mother-To-Child Transmission, Infant Care
» Recommendations for Use of ARV Drugs in Pregnant HIV Positive Women and Reducing Perinatal Transmission in the US 
» Updated Pediatric Treatment Guidelines
» Walking the Tightrope in Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV Infection
» Systematic Review of the Efficacy of ARV Therapies for Reducing the Risk of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV
» The Effect of Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment on Viral Load and Antiretroviral Drug Levels in Breast Milk
» Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy for Mother-To-Child-Transmission
» Pregnancy and HIV
» Risk factors for Opportunistic Illnesses for Children Living With HIV
» National Review of Maternity Care for Women With HIV Infection
» Multivitamin Supplementation of HIV Positive Women During Pregnancy Reduces Hypertension
» Pre-Chewed Food Said to Transmit HIV
» Reducing HIV Transmission From Mother to Child CDC
» STDs and Pregnancy:  The Facts
» Infant Feeding and HIV
» Pregnancy, Nutrition and Parasitic Diseases

Stigma and Care Issues
» Stigma and HIV Prevention and Treatment
» HIV/AIDS Stigma and Access to Care 
» Coping With HIV/AIDS Stigma in Five African Countries

Testing and Lab

» Frequency, Causes, and New Challenges of Indeterminate Results in Western Blot Confirmatory Testing for Antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus
» Evaluation of a Testing-Only “Express” Visit Option to Enhance Efficiency in a Busy STI Clinic
» STD/HIV Prevention Practices Among Primary Care Clinicians: Risk Assessment, Prevention Counseling and Testing
» Rapid Plasma Reagin - RPR Test
» Quality Assurance Guidelines for HIV Rapid Testing
» STD/HIV Prevention Practices Among Primary Care Clinicians:  Risk Assessment, Prevention Counseling and Testing
» CLIA - Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments
» CLIA Certificate of Waiver Fact Sheet
» FAQs About HIV and HIV Testing

Injecting Drug Users
» Principles of HIV Prevention in Drug Using Populations
» Syringe Disinfection for IDUs (Intravenous Drug users)
» Viral Hepatitis and IDUs (Intravenous Drug Users)
» Combating the Twin Addictions of HIV/AIDS and Addiction
» The Effectiveness of Harm Reduction in Preventing the Transmission of HIV 

Client Case Management
» What Is Palliative Care and Why Does it Matter Now?
» JAIDS Brief Strength-Based Case Management Promotes Entry Into HIV Medical Care
» Care of the Caregiver
» Clinical Care of Adults
» Clinical Care of Kids
» Low- Cost Technologies for Diagnosing and Monitoring HIV Infected Patients in Resource-Poor Settings
» Adherence Assessment
» Clinical Nutritional Assessment
» Retaining Women in HIV Medical Care

Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic 
» UNAIDS 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update
» A Glance at the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
» UNAIDS Fact Sheet

Diseases and Opportunistic Infections
» Chlamydia in the Pacific - The Silent Epidemic
» Guidelines for Treatment of Opportunistic Infections Among HIV Exposed and HIV Positive Children
» Guidelines for Treatment of Opportunistic Infections Among HIV Positive Adults and Adolescents
» Facts on Hepatitis C and HIV
» Hepatitis A and Hepatitits B Vaccines
» Hepatitis C and HIV Coinfection
» Update on Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
» Viral Hepatitis and HIV Co-Infection
» Timing of Hepatitis B Vaccination-Its Effect on Vaccine Response In Health Care Workers
» AIDS Related Cancer: Kaposi's Sarcoma Fact Sheet #511
» Candida - Vaginal Yeast Infection
» Candidiasis (Thrush)
» Coinfection With HIV and Hepatitis C Virus
» Cryptococcal Meningitis
» Dementia and Nervous System Problems
» Fact Sheet - Cytomegalovirus
» Genital Herpes
» Hepatitis - An Overview
» Hepatitis C and HIV
» Herpes Simplex (Cold Sores and Genital Herpes)
» Herpes Zoster (Shingles)
» Histoplasmosis
» Kaposi's Sarcoma
» Lymphoma
» Molluscum
» Mycobacterium Infections
» Opportunistic infections
» Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
» Pneumocystis Carnii Pneumonia
» Preventing Cryptosporidiosis
» Progressive Multifocal Leucoencephalopathy (PML)
» Syphilis
» Toxoplasmosis
» Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
» Viral Hepatitis
» Primary Infection Associated With Oral Transmission
» Asymptomatic Gonorrhea and Chlamydial Infection Detected In Boston Area MSM

Director’s Notes:  The Normal Heart
“The human contribution is the essential ingredient.  It is only the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.”  These are the words of Ethel Perry Andrus.  Words that truly represent the work you are about to witness tonight.  The Normal Heart was just another job I auditioned for as a professional actor.  I played the role of Mickey Marcus.  But I did not realize the impact and the importance of this work as a theatre piece and a message piece.  We learn a great deal about each other based on our histories and actions.  This play is a history on the plague we know as AIDS and is one of most important examples of getting to know what we are up against as activists and people living in the age of this disease. 

The presentation of this play is not as unorthodox as you might think.  Plays go through processes of evolution known as staged readings.  The directors, producers, and playwrights need to see the play “on its feet” and more importantly the actors giving the characters a voice.  We as actors kindly and graciously give you this work as an expression of our dedication to educating the public about AIDS and the prejudice that surrounds it.  The work itself is presented in the simplest form possible – bare stage, uniformed costumes, and basic lighting.  It is now your job to use your imagination to create the scenarios and situations.  We hope to help you in the images you create. 

Now we ask you to contribute and to give of yourself for this cause we feel so strongly. 

Ricky Vergara, Director, The Normal Heart (Read More)