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samuisam

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    Non drinker

    in ASEAN NOW Community Pub

    Posted

    I wind up drinking alot of Soda water, and "naam minow" (lemonade).  Hard to get away from the loud music though....  Outdoor bars are best.  Also, you can find many ladies who do not smoke or drink, but they are supposed to get you to buy them something from the bar - naam minow!

    Where is a phone number?

    in ASEAN NOW Community Pub

    Posted

    i had a great girlfriend from a massage place.  i sent $100 a month to for 2 years.  This kept her out of the bar/massage scene.  Now she is married to a great English guy who met her at the restraunt she was waitressing in.  Most of the money went to her daughters education.  Good on you!

    Governor arnie?

    in General Topics

    Posted

    This guy runs several multi-million dollar businesses.  What he said consistently was he was going to do an audit, then decide how to fix the deficit.  

    Sounds reasonable, and with Warren Buffet helping, one can only hope that we see agressive actions against Enron managers and associates in the energy business that perpetrated the economic attack on California during the manufactured energy crisis.

    It's a long shot, I realize, but both Buffet and Arnie are immigrants who believe in the American dream, and who made their money in America through honest work, not corruption, like many in the current administration.

    Beds for house

    in General Topics

    Posted

    I finally found a mattress wholesaler on Koh Samui - in the town of Wat Anon where they had fantastic latex foam mattresses for about 3,500 Baht.  In America these would cost $700 USD!  It was an odd place - shack, really, but they supplied all the beds for the hotels on the Island.  

    These were far superior to any mattresses I had seen anywhere else.

    3-minute hiv test

    in General Topics

    Posted

    After a quick look at the replies and links, am I right in feeling I am still unable to order any of these HIV tests for private use/testing (private purchase over the Internet, delivered to home address)??

    If I can, please tell me the site address?

    That's what I'm trying to find out.  I was aquiring the Determine tests a few years ago through a friend of mine who was a Thai MD, but have since lost contact.  They were $275 for 100, new in sealed bag from the Abbot Labs distributor.

    Also here is a UN site which gives some HIV rates  -

         Prevalence rate of HIV infection in pregnant women 1.37 %

         Prevalence rate of HIV in conscripts 0.5 %

         Rate of HIV infection in children aged less than 2 years 9.0 %

        Rate of HIV infection in adolescents 11.7 % of total cases

    http://www.unescap.org/pop/database/thaila...ailandfacts.htm

    3-minute hiv test

    in General Topics

    Posted

    lol.. where are you buying your rubbers from? A second hand shop?
    Here is a report from the US National Institute of Health (NIH) which states condom effectiveness to be in the 86-98% range.  And far less when human error is taken into account.

    http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf

    Recently I asked this during my annual check up at the OPD, they had said it does take around 3 months for HIV to show inthe blood then again it may take around 6 months

    This is from the New York State Dept of Health -

    "3. What is the best time for the first HIV test after a possible exposure to HIV?

    Most people infected with HIV  will develop enough antibodies to be detected by our current  HIV antibody tests four weeks after the exposure.

    4. How long after a possible exposure to HIV does the person have to wait to be tested to be sure he/she is not infected?

    It is possible that someone who tests negative four weeks after an exposure may be infected  but his/her body has not had sufficient time to develop antibodies. Therefore, to rule out HIV infection, it is important to re-test  three months after the exposure. It is extremely rare for  an HIV-infected individual to not develop antibodies by three months. An individual who tests negative three months after  an exposure does not require further testing... ."

    http://www.hivguidelines.org/public_....ate.htm

    Anyway as it's already been mentioned there are plenty of other nasty stds out there, so it's better to play it safe.

    Yes, these tests should be used in addition to, not in place of, condoms.  But, as some of them are now being manufactured for 25 BAHT each, why not.

    Personally, I have had condoms break, and I was very relieved to have these tests in my house.

    If everybody tested often, it would help to reduce the number of infections.

    3-minute hiv test

    in General Topics

    Posted

    Tutsi - I have seen the tests results from Patpong women who come in to be tested.  In the stack of results I saw, the women were about 50% positive.  Estimates elswhere amoung sex workers ranges from 5 - 50%.

    Even the manufacturers state that condoms are less than 100% effective in preventing prgnancy and HIV transmission, some estimates put them at about 86%.

    Thailand is a higher risk environment, although how much higher, I cannot say.  There was a study done here that may be helpful -

    http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/global/hiv/01072004.htm

    Randyskf-

    They were on the selves for about a year then were taken off selves for two reasons.
    I was unaware that the USFDA had ever made it legal for OTC sale of these tests - do you have a link for this?  
    1) Accuracy was in question. The product worked fine when used correctly. However because people don't like to prick them selves they wouldn't get enough blood and get a false negative.

    Were there controlled studies done of these results?  Where could I find them?

    I was unaware that it is actually possible to get a false negative from the lack of enough blood due to how the tests are designed.  If not enough blood is used there should be NO reading, or a reading on the positive line only (if the person were positive) not a false negative.  The newer tests require only the tiniest drop of blood and even work with saliva (although not as effectively).

    Also, note this recent study in Africa -

    Title :Evaluation of the performance of non-laboratory staff in the use of simple rapid HIV antibody assays at New Start voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) centers      

    Recommendations:   Simple and rapid HIV testing algorithms performed by non-laboratory staff are recommended for VCT and MTCT programs in resource-poor settings.

    Authors : Z Ziyambi1, P Osewe2, N Taruberekera3

    1Ministry of Health, Harare, Zimbabwe; 2USAID, Harare, Zimbabwe; 3PSI , Harare, Zimbabwe

    http://www.aids2002.com/program....902.xml

    2) It was found that when someone finds they are positive they need to talk professionals. I can't think of any worse way to find out about this sitting home alone.

    The US FDA believes that it is acceptable for people to receive the information that they have HIV without a doctor or counselor present, in the privacy of their home.    

    The US FDA has approved a home test kit for HIV; although this require a three day wait for the lab to process, after which you call in with a unique PIN number and the tests results are given to you by an answering machine.  Privately.  WITH NO COUNSELOR PRESENT!   There is little difference between this test and the rapid test except the factor of time, which is critical if one is hoping to stop the risk of infection.

    AIDS Counselors in Thailand are available here -

    Wednesday Friends Club

    Hotlines 02-255-7893, 02-255-7894.

    E-mail:[email protected]                

    They have also developed rapid tests for Hepatitus and other STD's as well.

    These tests are cheaper than condoms and save lives.

    They are a great way to slow the spread of HIV.

    They should be used in addition to a condom, not in place of one.  

    However, condoms do break, leak, and slip off;  also, they are not used 100% of the time by most people.

    3-minute hiv test

    in General Topics

    Posted

    Sorry - I missed your reply till now.  

    There are a few tests out now, most are over 98% accurate.  2 or 3 are FDA approved.  

    The Determine test is 97.9% accurate on HIV 1,2, and O:  (http://www.pmtctdonations.org/en/products/determine.cfm

    Some of the newer ones work with saliva OR a finger prick;  when used with saliva, they are slightly less accurate.  Oraquick works with saliva or blood, but is only USFDA approved for blood.  It is 99.6% accurate for HIV 1.

    According to the FDA, when used with a fingerprick - "Reactive results obtained from the study of high-risk populations, the sensitivity of the OraQuick Rapid HIV-1 Antibody Test in these studies was calculated to be 536/538 = 99.6%."

    Source USFDA website:  http://216.239.41.104/search?....e=UTF-8

    The oraquick site is here: http://www.abbottdiagnostics.com/systems....&path=1

    Nice photos and article here:  http://www.popsci.com/popsci/medicine/arti...,473643,00.html

    Where can I buy them?  The W.H.O is purchasing the Determine test for less than 25 BAHT each!!!  At this price, one would be crazy not to use them in addition to a condom.

    Accomodation in koh samui

    in Thailand Travel Forum

    Posted

    Lamaii inn is located on the beach, and walking distance to shops, bars, and the Bauhous disco with its amazing thai architecture - one of the nicest i have seen anywhere.   in fact you can walk anywhere in lamaii, its a small town but has just got its first macdonalds!!!

    also the food at lamaii inn is very good, and the restraunt overlooks the beach.

    Chaweng is much bigger, need a motorbike to get around, but is also more upscale with more going on.  (they've had a macdonalds for years...)

    it's about a 15-20 minute motorbike ride from lamaii to chaweng.

    either way, you can visit both places, and have a great time!

    Legalising prostitution

    in General Topics

    Posted

    these girls have been propping up the thai economy for years and should be treated as the valuable assets they are.

    the customers should pay the tax, if any, not the girls.  the taxes should pay for educational grants, retirement benefits, union establishment, health care, disease prevention, child welfare, and such.

    in fact the taxes could be paid by businesses located near or profiting from, these girls.

    in fact, tax incentives should be afforded the women for bringing in capital.  they should not be taxed.

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