Issue No. 31

AIDSinfo.nih.gov is pleased to provide you with a weekly update of highlights about what has happened in the world of HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and research. We hope you find this encapsulated view of HIV/AIDS news useful.

Consumers Urged to Avoid Raw Oysters from the Pacific Northwest

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about raw oysters harvested from Pacific Northwest waters. These oysters may carry the bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp), which can cause gastrointestinal illness. Immunocompromised individuals, including people with HIV, are at increased risk for serious Vp-related illness. 

To learn more about the FDA’s warning and for tips on how to enjoy oysters safely, see this FDA press release.  AIDSinfo also suggests the following food safety resources:

• Raw Oyster Fact Sheet from the FDA (also available in Spanish)
• Eating Defensively: Food Safety Advice for Persons With AIDS, also from the FDA
• Safe Food and Water Fact Sheet from the CDC (also available in Spanish)
  
  

AIDSinfo—Health on the NET (HON) Approved

When searching for health information on the Internet, finding trustworthy e-health resources can be as challenging as finding a needle in a haystack. Separating reliable from inaccurate information can mean the difference between a well-educated patient who can advocate for himself and one who doesn’t have the tools he needs to be his own advocate.

The AIDSinfo staff are dedicated to providing people living with HIV/AIDS, their families and friends, health professionals, and case workers with reliable, accurate, and up-to-date information on HIV/AIDS and its treatment. We are proud to be in compliance with the Health on the Net Code of Conduct (HONcode) for medical and health Web sites.

AIDSinfo is just one of a host of reliable online Federal medical resources. We’re part of the National Institutes of Health’s suite of medical Web sites, which also includes MedlinePlus, a portal for people seeking medical information; PubMed, a service that catalogues millions of articles from life science journals; and ClinicalTrials.gov, which provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers.