Jennifer Jako

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Jennifer Jako
Jennifer Jako, activist living with HIV-AIDS in 2012..jpg
Jennifer Jako in 2012
Born (1973-02-14) February 14, 1973 (age 51)
Drumright, Oklahoma, United States
Occupation(s) Activist, filmmaker, photographer, product designer
SpouseChristopher John Bleiler (2001-present)
Children2

Jennifer Jako (born February 14, 1973) [1] is an AIDS activist, filmmaker, photographer, lecturer and designer. She is the co-director of the documentary film, Blood Lines, a portrait of HIV-positive youth. Following her infection with HIV at age 18, she began educating in the hopes of preventing HIV infection in young people.

Contents

Early life and education

Jako was born in Drumright, Oklahoma, to an Italian mother from Padriciano  [ it ] near Trieste and Hungarian father from Nagykovácsi near Budapest. Jako's nomadic childhood was abusive, [2] impoverished and sometimes homeless.[ citation needed ]

The countries and states she grew up in include: Oklahoma, Illinois, New York, Colorado, Oregon, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, England, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Turkey and Morocco. She is fluent in Spanish, French, Italian and English and speaks some Hungarian, Dutch and German. She attended Summit County High School in Frisco, Colorado, Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, Oregon, Lake Oswego High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and Grant High School in Portland, Oregon. She graduated from the latter in 1991. After an initial six months of sexual activity at age 18, she became abstinent.

She studied fine art at Ecole Supérieure d’Arts Plastiques in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 1991. While studying in Monaco, she also worked as a nanny. [3] She went on to study at the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) from 1993 to 1995 in Portland.

HIV activism

Jako found out she was HIV positive in September 1992, [3] at age 18 during a routine Pap test appointment at which a nurse encouraged her to get tested for HIV as she had had six partners. [2] Jako did not consider herself to be at risk for HIV nor Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and took the test out of social responsibility. [4] [5] When diagnosed, she was told she would be lucky to live to age 25.

Jako became a self-described "HIV poster girl," making appearances on television and radio to raise awareness of the virus. She appeared on the ABC Afterschool Special called Sex Unplugged, a Glamour article on HIV-positive women and their HIV-negative partners, and in 1996 was interviewed on the The Jenny Jones Show . [3]

During her studies at PNCA, she began work with another HIV-positive woman, Rebecca Guberman, on a documentary film, Blood Lines. Production assistance came from the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, Wieden & Kennedy and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The documentary premiered on MTV as True Life: It Could Be You on World AIDS Day 1998, [4] [6] and continued to be broadcast from 1999– 2004. [2] It is now distributed as an educational video. An updated version of Blood Lines was released in 2015. [7]

In May 2006, Jako appeared on the cover of Newsweek at six months pregnant. [8] [9]

By 2010, Jako decided to step back from activism to focus on her personal life. [3]

Personal life

HIV Medications or HAART

Jako took AZT for two weeks when first diagnosed, but became so ill that she stopped taking the drug. Afterward, she remained drug-naïve until 1997. After extensive research and pressured by a failing immune system, Jako began a regimen of Nevirapine, 3TC, and d4T. In 1998, she replaced d4T in her regimen with Abacavir because d4T caused severe side effects. Jako has permanent truncal adiposity (a collection of fat at the waist, back and neck, and wasting in the extremities.) [10] She experiences dangerously elevated lipid levels, both cholesterol and triglycerides due to side effects from her medications. The elevated lipids required the addition of Gemfibrozil to control them.

While a treatment advocate, Jako emphasizes the need for patient education and a holistic approach. Her long-term success on one three drug combination or HAART is the result of perfect adherence since 1997. As of 2017, Jako has had complete viral suppression for over 24 years. [11]

Family

Jako married Christopher John Bleiler in 2001. They had a child in 2005, through artificial home self-insemination. [10] [12] In 2006, their daughter was born via vaginal delivery. At nine years old (2017), her daughter is HIV-negative. [11] Jako continued her strict adherence to a HAART regimen during pregnancy and did not breastfeed her daughter.

Public work and activism

Lectures

Media profiles

Book profiles

Awards

Related Research Articles

The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of multiple drugs that act on different viral targets is known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). HAART decreases the patient's total burden of HIV, maintains function of the immune system, and prevents opportunistic infections that often lead to death. HAART also prevents the transmission of HIV between serodiscordant same-sex and opposite-sex partners so long as the HIV-positive partner maintains an undetectable viral load.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diagnosis of HIV/AIDS</span> Immunological test

HIV tests are used to detect the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), in serum, saliva, or urine. Such tests may detect antibodies, antigens, or RNA.

The spread of HIV/AIDS has affected millions of people worldwide; AIDS is considered a pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in 2016 there were 36.7 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, with 1.8 million new HIV infections per year and 1 million deaths due to AIDS. Misconceptions about HIV and AIDS arise from several different sources, from simple ignorance and misunderstandings about scientific knowledge regarding HIV infections and the cause of AIDS to misinformation propagated by individuals and groups with ideological stances that deny a causative relationship between HIV infection and the development of AIDS. Below is a list and explanations of some common misconceptions and their rebuttals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stavudine</span> Chemical compound

Stavudine (d4T), sold under the brand name Zerit among others, is an antiretroviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. It is generally recommended for use with other antiretrovirals. It may be used for prevention after a needlestick injury or other potential exposure. However, it is not a first-line treatment. It is given by mouth.

Christine Joy Maggiore was an HIV-positive activist and promoter of HIV/AIDS denialism. She was the founder of Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives, an organization which disputes the link between HIV and AIDS and urges HIV-positive pregnant women to avoid anti-HIV medication. Maggiore authored and self-published the book What If Everything You Thought You Knew about AIDS Was Wrong?

DREAM is an AIDS therapy program promoted by the Christian Community of Sant'Egidio. The Community of Sant'Egidio, based in Rome, was formerly involved in the peace talks in Mozambique, facilitating the eleven rounds of negotiations in Rome that helped to end the Mozambican Civil War. The Community has worked closely with both the Mozambican Ministry of Health and the United States' PEPFAR in order to implement the DREAM program. The DREAM program is designed to give access to free ARV treatment with generic HAART drugs to the poor in Africa on a large scale: So far, 5,000 people are receiving ARV treatment, especially in Mozambique, but the program is being built up also in other countries, including Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Tanzania. Despite being free, the program aims at excellence in treatment, providing the best existent range of drugs (HAART) and regular blood testing according to European standards. It is linked with a nutrition program as well as guidance and sanitary education by volunteers, which encourages new patients to comply and come to the appointments. The compliance rate is very high. The annual cost per person and year of the program is $800.

<i>Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare</i> infection Medical condition

Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare infection (MAI) is an atypical mycobacterial infection, i.e. one with nontuberculous mycobacteria or NTM, caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which is made of two Mycobacterium species, M. avium and M. intracellulare. This infection causes respiratory illness in birds, pigs, and humans, especially in immunocompromised people. In the later stages of AIDS, it can be very severe. It usually first presents as a persistent cough. It is typically treated with a series of three antibiotics for a period of at least six months.

HIV/AIDS was first diagnosed in 1981. As of year-end 2018, 160,493 people have been diagnosed with HIV in the United Kingdom and an estimated 7,500 people are living undiagnosed with HIV. New diagnoses are highest in gay/bisexual men, with an estimated 51% of new diagnosis reporting male same-sex sexual activity as the probable route of infection. Between 2009 and 2018 there was a 32% reduction in new HIV diagnosis, attributed by Public Health England (PHE) to better surveillance and education. PHE has described an "outbreak" in Glasgow amongst people who inject drugs, and has campaigns targeting men who have sex with men in London and other major cities. London was the first city in the world to reach the World Health Organization target for HIV, set at 90% of those with HIV diagnosed, 90% of those diagnosed on HAART and 90% of those on HAART undetectable. The UK as a whole later achieved the same target. Under the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on their HIV status in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in Russia</span> Situation around HIV/AIDS in Russia

The situation with the spread of HIV/AIDS in Russia is described by some researchers as an epidemic. The first cases of human immunodeficiency virus infection were recorded in the USSR in 1985-1987. Patient zero is officially considered to be a military interpreter who worked in Tanzania in the early 1980s and was infected by a local man during sexual contact. After 1988—1989 Elista HIV outbreak, the disease became known to the general public and the first AIDS centers were established. In 1995-1996, the virus spread among injecting drug users (IDUs) and soon expanded throughout the country. By 2006, HIV had spread beyond the vulnerable IDU group, endangering their heterosexual partners and potentially the entire population.

The history of HIV/AIDS in Australia is distinctive, as Australian government bodies recognised and responded to the AIDS pandemic relatively swiftly, with the implementation of effective disease prevention and public health programs, such as needle and syringe programs (NSPs). As a result, despite significant numbers of at-risk group members contracting the virus in the early period following its discovery, Australia achieved and has maintained a low rate of HIV infection in comparison to the rest of the world.

Diffuse infiltrative lymphocytosis syndrome (DILS) is a rare multi-system complication of HIV believed to occur secondary to an abnormal persistence of the initial CD8+ T cell expansion that regularly occurs in an HIV infection. This persistent CD8+ T cell expansion occurs in the setting of a low CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio and ultimately invades and destroys tissues and organs resulting in the various complications of DILS. DILS classically presents with bilateral salivary gland enlargement (parotitis), cervical lymphadenopathy, and sicca symptoms such as xerophthalmia and xerostomia, but it may also involve the lungs, nervous system, kidneys, liver, digestive tract, and muscles. Once suspected, current diagnostic workups include (1) confirming HIV infection, (2) confirming six or greater months of characteristic signs and symptoms, (3) confirming organ infiltration by CD8+ T cells, and (4) exclusion of other autoimmune conditions. Once the diagnosis of DILS is confirmed, management includes highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and as-needed steroids. With proper treatment, the overall prognosis of DILS is favorable.

Staying Alive is an MTV international initiative to encourage HIV prevention, promote safer lifestyle choices and fight the stigma and discrimination that fuels the HIV epidemic. Staying Alive is the world's largest HIV mass media awareness and prevention campaign in the world. It produces TV programming in the form of concerts, documentaries, public service announcements, TV film, film competitions, and others. It also has a website with celebrity content talking about safe sex.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in Canada</span>

HIV/AIDS was first detected in Canada in 1982. In 2018, there were approximately 62,050 people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. It was estimated that 8,300 people were living with undiagnosed HIV in 2018. Mortality has decreased due to medical advances against HIV/AIDS, especially highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Julio S. G. Montaner, is an Argentine-Canadian physician, professor and researcher. He is the director of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, the chair in AIDS Research and head of the Division of AIDS in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and the past-president of the International AIDS Society. He is also the director of the John Ruedy Immunodeficiency Clinic, and the Physician Program Director for HIV/AIDS PHC. He is known for his work on HAART, a role in the discovery of triple therapy as an effective treatment for HIV in the late 1990s, and a role in advocating the "Treatment as Prevention" Strategy in the mid-2000s, led by Myron Cohen of the HPTN 052 trial.

Deborah Persaud is a Guyanese-born American virologist who primarily works on HIV/AIDS at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

HIV in pregnancy is the presence of an HIV/AIDS infection in a woman while she is pregnant. There is a risk of HIV transmission from mother to child in three primary situations: pregnancy, childbirth, and while breastfeeding. This topic is important because the risk of viral transmission can be significantly reduced with appropriate medical intervention, and without treatment HIV/AIDS can cause significant illness and death in both the mother and child. This is exemplified by data from The Centers for Disease Control (CDC): In the United States and Puerto Rico between the years of 2014–2017, where prenatal care is generally accessible, there were 10,257 infants in the United States and Puerto Rico who were exposed to a maternal HIV infection in utero who did not become infected and 244 exposed infants who did become infected.

Treatment as prevention (TasP) is a concept in public health that promotes treatment as a way to prevent and reduce the likelihood of HIV illness, death and transmission from an infected individual to others. Expanding access to earlier HIV diagnosis and treatment as a means to address the global epidemic by preventing illness, death and transmission was first proposed in 2000 by Garnett et al. The term is often used to talk about treating people that are currently living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) to prevent illness, death and transmission. Although some experts narrow this to only include preventing infections, treatment prevents illnesses such as tuberculosis and has been shown to prevent death. In relation to HIV, antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a three or more drug combination therapy that is used to decrease the viral load, or the measured amount of virus, in an infected individual. Such medications are used as a preventative for infected individuals to not only spread the HIV virus to their negative partners but also improve their current health to increase their lifespans. When taken correctly, ART is able to diminish the presence of the HIV virus in the bodily fluids of an infected person to a level of undetectability. Consistent adherence to an ARV regimen, monitoring, and testing are essential for continued confirmed viral suppression. Treatment as prevention rose to great prominence in 2011, as part of the HPTN 052 study, which shed light on the benefits of early treatment for HIV positive individuals.

Viral load monitoring for HIV is the regular measurement of the viral load of individual HIV-positive people as part of their personal plan for treatment of HIV/AIDS. A count of the viral load is routine before the start of HIV treatment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minoo Mohraz</span> Iranian physician, researcher and AIDS specialist

Minoo Mohraz is an Iranian physician, researcher and AIDS specialist. She is a full professor (emeritus) of Infectious Diseases at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences and head of the Iranian Centre for HIV/AIDS. Mohraz has been considered to be Iran's foremost medical expert on HIV/AIDS.

References

  1. ↑ "Woman not letting AIDS interfere with rest of her life". The Bulletin. Associated Press. 1993-04-22. pp. B8. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jennifer Jako: "It's Not about Subtlety or Silence"". www.pqmonthly.com. March 19, 2014. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Jako, Jennifer (2010-10-06). "Jako". In Martin, Katherine (ed.). Women of Courage: Inspiring Stories from the Women Who Lived Them. New World Library. pp. 19–26. ISBN   978-1-57731-308-3.
  4. 1 2 James, Caryn (December 1, 1998). "Beyond Their Years: Young Faces of AIDS". The New York Times . Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Living With AIDS, Some Now Embracing a Surprisingly Long Future". ABC News. 6 June 2006.
  6. ↑ "MTV documentary highlights HIV-positive youth". Herald-Journal. 1998-11-26. pp. D6. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  7. ↑ "Blood Lines Film". www.blood-lines.org. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  8. ↑ "The Woman Behind a Secret Grey's Anatomy Experiment | Only Human". WNYC Studios. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  9. ↑ "AIDS: 25 Years Later" . Newsweek. 147 (20): 27–34. May 15, 2006.
  10. 1 2 Sevcik, Kimberley (October 31, 2006). "Living With AIDS Now". Glamour. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Davidson, Kate. "The Challenge of Accessing Life Insurance When You're Living With HIV". www.opb.org. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  12. ↑ Nader, Natasha (April 13, 2006). "True Life: Jako speaks out about being HIV positive". www.elon.edu. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  13. ↑ "The Faces of HIV". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2000-05-10.
  14. ↑ Cowen, Lauren (1999-01-01). Girlfriends. Running Press. ISBN   9780762406166. OCLC   42380560.
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