World Aids Day has been celebrated since 1988. Creating awareness, education and combating prejudice, World Aids Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away and that it is important for us to keep fighting the disease.
At the end of 2007, an estimated 30,8 million adults and 2,5 million children under the age of fifteen were living with HIV, according to UNAIDS. During the year, 2,5 million people became infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35. It is estimated that 2,1 million people died of AIDS in 2007, with 76% of these deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
As part of the Government Employees Medical Scheme's (GEMS) ongoing effort to educate our members and future members on a range of healthcare topics, we would like to shed some light on some of the aspects and the impact of HIV/AIDS on your health!
What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is caused by a virus called HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. If you get infected with HIV, your body will try to fight the infection. It will make "antibodies", special molecules to fight HIV.
A blood test for HIV looks for these antibodies. If you have them in your blood, it means that you have HIV infection. Being HIV-positive, or having HIV disease, is not the same as having AIDS. Many people are HIV-positive but don't get sick for many years. As HIV continues, it slowly wears down the immune system.
How do I get AIDS?
You don't usually ‘get' AIDS. You might get infected with HIV, and later develop AIDS. You an get infected with HIV from anyone who is infected with the virus. Most people get the HIV virus by:
How can I tell if I have HIV or AIDS?
The only way to tell if you have HIV is to take an HIV test (usually an HIV antibody test). You cannot tell if someone has HIV or AIDS just by looking at them, and HIV cannot be diagnosed through symptoms. AIDS and HIV symptoms are not specific, and may be indicative of many other illnesses, which is why an HIV test is the only way to receive a definitive diagnosis.
Why should I take an HIV test?
If you have never had unprotected sex, shared needles, or been exposed to HIV during a medical procedure or at work, then there is probably very little likelihood of you having HIV, and no real reason for you to take an HIV test.
If there is a possibility that you have been exposed to HIV, then a test is always the best option.
Many people are very frightened of taking an HIV test in case they test positive. This can mean they spend many months, sometimes even years, worrying about the possibility of having HIV, often unnecessarily. In almost every case, it is better to know your status than not to know.
How is the HIV test performed?
When you get tested you will see a doctor, trained counsellor, nurse or healthcare worker in private. He or she will explain what the test involves and what the result means, or provide you with a leaflet explaining everything. Normally a small sample of blood will be taken from your arm, and will be tested there and then, or will be sent to a laboratory and tested. The test is always strictly confidential and only goes ahead if you agree. Your personal doctor will not be told about the test without your permission.
Sometimes you will have to make a second appointment to get your results, as many doctors prefer to give test results in person. People with positive or indeterminate (unclear or unreadable) results will always be asked to make a face-to-face appointment so they can receive counseling from a trained professional.
What do I do if I am diagnosed as HIV positive?
One of the most important things to do is to register on a good HIV/Aids programme such as the Aid for Aids Programme, which is on offer to all GEMS members for free. The specially trained staff and healthcare professionals at Aid for Aids are very patient and understanding. They will explain to you that having HIV and not taking any medication, if required, is like leaving the doors and windows of your home unlocked when you know that robbers are coming. In very much the same way, the virus - if left untreated will suddenly take over your body and then it will be too late to do anything about it.
Aid for Aids offers all the services you will need; they administer your Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART), they counsel you and they monitor your progress. They also give you useful information about other things that you might not be aware of. For example, they will help you get your health back under control with special programmes such as "Positive Living". They will provide you with all the information that you may need such as which foods are good for you to eat and how much exercise and sleep you need.
How do I live and continue working with AIDS?
Aid for Aids will help you to empower yourself every day, while taking care of all the technicalities. ART is closely and consistently monitored throughout the patients' treatment so that optimum results are achieved. This means that the doctors and laboratory staff make sure that each and every patient is on the right medication so that their life can continue normally. Aid for Aids also makes sure that each patient receives appropriate counselling as their emotional and mental wellness is not only important for their own sake but also for that of their loved ones.
Aid for Aids not only offers support on a normal day-to-day basis, but also for those who are going through stressful times. A new mother, for example, often finds it difficult to adhere to her ART after giving birth and the stresses of caring for a new-born can lead to her neglecting her own health. She will need support at this time and Aid for Aids can assist with this transition as well.
The organisation also offers answers to the sorts of questions many people have, such as:
1) What should I do if I am HIV positive, or think I might be?
2) How will my condition be monitored?
3) Will I receive cover for ART?
4) What benefits are available?
5) How do I join the Aid for Aids programme?
Joining the programme is easy and can be done in the six simple steps below:
1) Register with Aid for Aids, in confidence, by contacting them on 0860 100 646, or by downloading the application form from www.gems.gov.za
2) Fill in your details. Get your doctor to examine you and complete your form.
3) Send the form to Aid for Aids via toll-free fax line - 0800 600 773 or post to - The Aid for Aids Programme, P O Box 38597, Howard Place 7450, South Africa.
4) The Aid for Aids medical team will review your case and discuss the appropriate treatment with your doctor.
5) Aid for Aids will send both you and your doctor a letter explaining your treatment plan.
6) To obtain your treatment visit your healthcare provider. However, do remember to take your prescription along!
What can you do on World AIDS Day 2009?
By contacting Aid for Aids and knowing your status, you join the many that are fighting HIV/AIDS. Only you can help yourself in making the decision to take your life back into your hands, but thereafter the organisation will help you to look after it. There is every reason to take responsibility in empowering ourselves and allowing Aid for Aids into our lives, to help us.
Remember, your health is your responsibility but GEMS will always be there to assist you in every way possible in order to ensure your health and well-being.
Sources used: www.aids.org and www.info.gov.za/worldaids.
0860 00 4367 (Call Centre) [email protected] More Contacts >