Hiv handbook(txt).odt

#HIV & AIDS MANUAL
#A HANDBOOK FOR THE COMMON MAN AND COMMON WOMAN
#PREPARED BY KIPTOO KIBOWEN (tkibowen@googlemail.com)
#DOCUMENT DISTRIBUTED UNDER GNU-GPL LICENCE
#*********FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION*********
HIV AND AIDS MANUAL
HANDBOOK FOR THE COMMON MAN AND COMMON WOMAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Table of Contents.Page 12. About this document. Page 23. Copyright and License.Page 24. Translations.Page 25. What is HIV?. Page 36. What is AIDS?. Page 37. Brief History of HIV and AIDS. Page 48. How can I be infected with HIV and AIDS?. Page 59. What are symptoms of HIV and AIDS?. Page 6 - 710. What is treatment of HIV and AIDS?. Page 811. How can I know if I am infected with HIV and AIDS?. Page 912. Frequently asked questions about HIV and AIDS. Page 10 - 12 1. About this document
Initially when I first started reading about HIV and AIDS, I was confused as I did not know the difference between HIV and AIDS. Also to make matters worse, the information which was available in booklets was not very clear. It had very complex language that was not easy for me to understand. Other booklets were mostly statitics on HIV and AIDS occurence in a given geograhical area. You can imagine giving such a booklet to the common man or common woman who in most cases were poor and illiterate. Such booklets have led to mis-interpreation of HIV and AIDS disease, specifically how it is spread and what the symptoms are. The purpose of this document is to provide uncensored information that is simple and easy to understand so as to reduce the confusion that occurs when the common man or common woman reads information about HIV and AIDS that is distributed by government ministries, doctors or NGO's. It is my hope that this document will be used by social workers, doctors, nurses and teachers in disseminating information to the common man and common woman as they are at highest risk of being infected with HIV and AIDS.
2. Copyright and License
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; A copy of the license can be obtained from the GNU website: [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/].
3. Translations
This document is currently available in English. Anyone is welcome to translate it to any language they want as the purpose of this document is to be read and understood by the common man and the common woman who in most cases may not understand English! 4. What is HIV?
H.I.V. stands for:H--> Human I---> Immunodeficiency V--> Virus. In the human body, white blood cells perform the function of fighting infections. When you have an infection such a common cold or diahorrea the white blood cell marches toward the virus or bacteria that is causing the infection just as a real army would march toward the enemy so as to fight them. In a real army, you have several divisions, the infantry, the airfoce and the navy. Within each division in the army you have solders who perform the tasks of engaging the enemy and solders who provide support. A solder who engages the enemy would be a jet pilot, a tank personell or sniper. A solder who provides support could be a cook, a mechanic or a doctor. Similarly in the human body, the white blood cells have several divisions. The division responsible for engaging the enemy is called T-lymphocyte white blood cell. Part of the weapons carried by the T-lymphocyte white blood cell is called a CD4 receptors. CD4 receptors allow HIV to bind onto T-lymphocyte white blood cells and eventually enter the cells.
HIV attacks and destroys the infection-fighting white blood cells (T-lymphocyte) of the immune system which have CD4 receptors. Reduced levels of of CD4 cells makes the immune system unable to fight any infections.
With the correct treatment, a person with HIV can live for more than 20 years! 5. What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for:A--> Acquired I---> ImmunoD--> Deficiency S--> Syndrome.
When a person is said to have AIDS, it means that they are at the most advanced stage of HIV infection. When a person is at the most advanced stage of HIV infection, their immune system is usually damaged beyond repair and their body organs are also damaged by opportunistic diseases.
An opportunistic disease is a disease that would normally be eliminated by the T-lymphocyte white blood cell. Unfortunately, due to a damaged immune system, the body cannot fight the disease. Opportunistic diseases include common cold, menangitis, diahorrea, typhoid and tuberculosis.
A person with AIDS usually lives for about 2 to 3 years before they die.
6. Brief History of HIV and AIDS
The discovery of HIV and AIDS dates back to 1981 when people infected with HIV were being admitted to hospitals in Los Angeles, America with a rare type of lung infection and a rare type of skin tumor. The rare lung infection was a form of pheumonia called Pneumocystis Jiroveci Pneumonia (PJP) which at the time of discovery of HIV was called Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP). A person with such a pheunomia (PCP)/(PJP) had a severe lung infection which had the outward symptoms of a high fever, dry cough and trouble breathing.
The rare skin tumors were called Kaposi's Sarcomas and they are a form of cancer. The patients with Kaposi's Sarcoma had many dark spots which covered their whole bodies.
Also as part of the discovery by doctors and researchers in 1981 about HIV and AIDS,
the CD4 count in blood was very low for people infected with HIV and AIDS. Remember
from the introduction above (4. What is HIV?), CD4 are recepters on a type of white
blood cell called T-lymphocyte which fights infections in the body.
Later in 1982 and 1983, cases of HIV were being reported in America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Intially, the people being diagnosed with HIV in hospitals in Los Angeles were gay men. This led to the assumption that HIV and AIDS was a disease of gay men only. This assumption would be proved wrong, as it was later discovered that both men and women who were not in gay relationships were infected with HIV and AIDS.
Fear of HIV and AIDS spread world wide after the news that both men and women could be infected with HIV and AIDS. To make matters worse, HIV and AIDS had no cure. If a person was seen to be very thin, very sick or having spots on their skin, they were expelled from their community for fear that they may have HIV and AIDS and may infect other people with HIV and AIDS. People were afraid of sharing utensils, toilets, chairs or clothing with people infected with HIV and AIDS for fear of being infected.
It was later discovered by researchers and doctors that HIV and AIDS was spread by exchange in bodily fluids. Such exchange of bodily fluids occured during sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, transmission of the virus from a pregnant mother to her unborn child and usage and re-usage of needles between several people such as drug addicts.
It is important to remember that in Western Europe and North America during the 1960's and 1970's, sex and drugs were used very commonly. This is because a cultural revolution was taking place during this time which was associated with freedom of opinion, freedom of music, freedom to have sex and freedom to use drugs. People in North America and Western Europe who engaged in sex, drugs and music during the cultural revolution of the 1960's and 1970's called themselves "Hippies".
A question could be asked: Did the apperance of HIV and AIDS in the 1980's in North America and Western Europe be due to infections that took place during the 1960's and 1970's cultural revolution when people engaged in high risk sexual behaviour and drug usage? 7. How can I be infected with HIV and AIDS?
HIV and AIDS is spread from one person to another person through bodily fluids. The
specific bodily fluids that can spread HIV and AIDS from one person to another are:
A person can become infected if the bodily fluids of an infected person come into contact with skin lining the inside of the body which is also called body tissues. The parts of body with high risk of contracting HIV and AIDS if bodily fluids come into contact with the body tissues are: a) Inside the vaginab) Inside the anusc) Inside the mouthd) Eyese) Nose Going back to specific bodily fluids that can spread HIV and AIDS: 1) BloodA person can contract HIV by receiving a blood transfusion if the blood is from a person with HIV and AIDS. Fortunately in recent years, blood collection agencies such as Hospitals screen blood for infectious diseases such as HIV and AIDS before using the donated blood for a blood transfusion.
A person can also contract HIV if they share needles as the needles usually have blood. This method of HIV infection greatly affects the drug users who share needles when injecting drugs so that they can be "high". In some countries, a needle exchange program has been started to allow for drug users to obtain new needles instead of sharing needles with other people.
2) Genital FluidsA man and woman can contract HIV through sexual intercourse through the vagina or through the anus.
During the 1980's after the discovery of HIV and AIDS in mainly gay men, many people believed that it was a disease of gay men only. As a result many people abandoned having sex through the anus and started having sex through the vagina. As history has become a witness, many men and women have been infected with HIV and AIDS after having sex through the vagina. This is due to HIV being able to infect a man or woman during sexual intercourse through body tissues lining both the anus and vagina.
3) Breast MilkMothers who test positive for HIV and AIDS are adviced not to breast feed their children. This is because HIV is present in the breast milk of the infected mother. An alternative form of baby food called "baby formula" is usually avaiable in hospitals or pharmacies. The baby formula is recommended as food for a baby born to a mother who has HIV and AIDS.
8. What are symptoms of HIV and AIDS?
HIV and AIDS has three categories of symptoms:
1) Initial Symptoms after Infection 2) Long Term Symptoms3) AIDS Defining Symptoms or Symptoms at Last Stage of HIV Infection 1) Initial Symptoms after InfectionWhen a man or woman is first infected with the HIV virus after exchange of bodily fluids such as after sexual intercourse with an infected person, the following symptoms usually appear within a few weeks after infection of HIV and may disappear on their own.
j) Ulcers on the genitals (vagina or penis) i) After the initial HIV infection, the infected man or woman has the HIV virus multiplying itself at a very high rate and is able to infect other people. The HIV virus infects each part of the body at a very high speed immediately after infection.
ii) Some people who are infected with HIV may not show any signs for several months to several years.
iii) Going to do a HIV test immediately after sexual intercourse or after sharing needles may actually give a "HIV Negative" result. This is because most tests that were first developed to test for HIV were testing for the antibodies created by your body as a response to the HIV infection. The test usually required a man or woman to wait for 3 months before doing a test that could give an accurate result. The three month period is sometimes called the "window period". Recently, new tests for HIV and AIDS have been developed that test for both antibodies and the HIV virus in the body of a man or a woman. The new tests have decreased the "window period" from 3 months to 10 days.
2) Long Term SymptomsWhen a man or woman has had HIV for several years, they develop the following symptoms: d) Fungal infections of the mouth and tongue f) Swelling of lymp glands in the throat, armpits or groin t) Constant thoughts of committing suicide i) A man or woman infected with HIV and AIDS has a higher chance of
committing suicide than a man or woman who does NOT have HIV and AIDS
ii) Because of interaction between anti-depressant medication and HIV and AIDS
medications, a man or woman receving treatment for both
depression/psychosis and HIV and AIDS has over 80% higher chance of
committing suicide than a person receiving only HIV and AIDS treatment.
iii) Some people can have long term HIV symptoms for over 10 years iv) A man or woman with HIV infection can look very healthy like any man or woman who does NOT have HIV virus.
3) AIDS Defining Symptoms or Symptoms at Last Stage of HIV InfectionHIV virus continously damages the immune system even when someone is using medication to reduce the progression of HIV infection. When the immune system is overwhelmed by HIV a man or woman proceeds to what is called AIDS. A man or woman with AIDS has the following AIDS defining symptoms: h) Severe fungal infections of the mouth and tongue n) High fever that lasts for several weeks i) A man or woman with AIDS can become infected with "opportunistic diseases" such as flu, pneumonia or tuberculosis which can be very severe because the body of a man or woman with AIDS cannot fight the infection due to a damaged immune system.
ii) Opportunistic diseases cause death to a man or woman infected with HIV and AIDS. It is not unusual hear that a man or woman died because of "short illness" from diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) or pneumonia.
iii) A man or woman with HIV infection that progresses to AIDS has several months to live. At most a man or woman with AIDS can have 2 to 3 years to live.
9. What is treatment of HIV and AIDS?
Currently, there is no cure for HIV and AIDS.
The only treatment available works by assisting the body of a man or woman with HIV and AIDS in maintaining their immune system for as long as possible. The HIV treatment is able to maintain the immune system of a man or woman with HIV and AIDS by reducing the rate or speed at which HIV virus multiplies in the body of a man or woman with HIV and AIDS.
The medications for HIV and AIDS are called Anti Retroviral Therapy (A.R.T.). A person with HIV and AIDS has to continue taking A.R.T. medications for the rest of their lives.
A.R.T. medication is divided into six different drug groups according to how they fight the HIV virus. The six drug groups of A.R.T. are: 1) non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)2) nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)3) protease inhibitors (PIs) 4) fusion inhibitors 5) CCR5 antagonists6) integrase inhibitors A single A.R.T. pill can be a combination of several drug groups of A.R.T. medications. A man or woman with HIV and AIDS usually takes 3 to 4 different types of A.R.T. drugs depending on the strain of HIV virus in their body.
A problem with HIV infection is that there are several types (strains) of HIV viruses that can infect a man or a woman. The strain of HIV viruses in one person can be different from the strain of HIV virus in another person. This means that a man or woman with HIV virus can be taking different drug combinations of A.R.T. that are different from another man or woman who has HIV infection.
A a man or woman who has HIV and AIDS and is taking A.R.T. medications
should not share their medications with another man or woman who has HIV
and AIDS. This is because a man or woman with HIV virus can have a type (strain) of
HIV virus that is different from the type (strain) of HIV virus in another man or woman
with HIV and AIDS.
Sharing of A.R.T. medications between people with HIV and AIDS can lead to drug resistance. This means that the HIV virus in the body of a man or woman with HIV and AIDS will not respond to A.R.T. medications.
Some common brand names of Anti Retroviral Therapy (A.R.T.) medications are: A.R.T. medications are also known by generic names.
10. How can I know if I am infected with HIV and AIDS?
A man or woman cannot know if they are infected with HIV and AIDS just by
looking at their symptoms.
A man or woman who suspects they have HIV and AIDS should be tested for HIV
virus.
HIV test is done free of charge!
A man or woman who wants to go for a HIV test can go to a: Many people are scared of going for a HIV test! Many people are embarrassed to ask for an HIV test! It takes alot of courage to go for a HIV test! It is a big relief to know your HIV status! It is a great joy to share you HIV status with friends and family! Life continues after a HIV positive test! A man or woman with HIV can live for more than 20 years! A man or woman with HIV can be a productive member of society! A man or woman with HIV can bring change to the world! A man or woman with HIV can live a dignified life! Free at last! Free at last! Free at last! 11. Frequently asked questions about HIV and AIDS
1. Does HIV and AIDS have a cure?
In 2011, the HIV virus had no cure. Hopefully with advancement of technology and
medicine a cure for HIV and AIDS can be found.
2. What does HIV virus do exactly?
When HIV virus enters the body of a man or woman it does the following:
1 - HIV Virus injects HIV DNA into the cells that are in the body of man or woman
2 - HIV virus splices (cuts) the DNA inside the cells
3 - HIV Virus inserts HIV DNA into the DNA of the cells
4 - HIV virus causes a genetic mutation in the DNA of a man or woman infected with HIV
5 - HIV virus uses the mutated DNA to make new copies of HIV virus
6 - HIV virus spreads throughout the body infecting new cells in body of man or woman
3. How could a cure be developed for HIV and AIDS?
From an engineering point of view, a practical cure could be developed by:
1 - Collecting healthy cells from a man or woman who does NOT have HIV virus
2 - Using a "friendly virus" to splice (cut) DNA of the healthy cells
3 - Using a "friendly virus" to insert DNA into the healthy cells
5 - The DNA of the healthly cells would be mutated by the "friendly virus"
6 - The healthy mutated cells would have a genetic marker in their DNA
7 - The genetic markers in the healthy cells and HIV infected cells would be different
8 - The healthy cells which have been mutated by friendly virus are injected into body of
a man or woman with HIV virus
9 - A "terminator" virus is inserted into the body of the person with HIV and AIDS
10 - The "terminator" virus would kill all cells infected with HIV virus
11 - The "terminator" virus would NOT kill healthy cells whose DNA has been mutated
by the "friendly virus"
12 - The healthy cells which were injected into the body of man or woman with HIV virus
would be encouraged to grow and multiply so that they can replace the HIV infected
cells that are destroyed by the "terminator" virus
Although the solution stated above sounds practical, it is very complex. For any possible cure for HIV and AIDS to be found, it would require merging the knowledge from the fields of engineering and medicine.
4. Is there a vaccine for HIV and AIDS?
Several vaccine are currently being developed for HIV and AIDS. The HIV vaccines would
create anti-bodies for HIV in a person who does NOT have HIV virus. Unfortunately some
problems have occured with the vaccines, mainly:
a) The vaccines are for people NOT infected with HIV and AIDS. The vaccines are of no use to people already infected with HIV and AIDS b) HIV vaccine may NOT be effective against all different types of HIV virus 5. Can I be infected by kissing?
NO! - if you kiss someone on the cheek
- if you or the person you are kissing in the mouth does NOT have open wounds or sores inside the mouth- the HIV virus is present in low amounts in saliva compared to high amounts in blood, genital secretions or breast milk 6. Can I be infected by shaking hands?
NO!
7. Can I be infected if I perform fellatio?
Fellatio is oral contact with the penis (sucking the penis)
YES! - if semen is ejaculated into your mouth
- if you have open wounds or sores in your mouth- if the penis has wounds- if you perform fellatio on a person who is not circumcised A recommendation would be to use a condom each time you perform fellatio 8. Can I be infected if someone performs fellatio on me?
YES! - if the person performing fellatio has open sores or wounds in their mouth
- if you have open wounds or sores on you penis- if you are not circumcised A recommendation would be to use a condom each time fellatio is performed on you 9. Can I be infected if I perform cunnilingus?
Cunninlingus is oral contact with the vagina (licking the vagina)
YES! - HIV is present in high amounts in the genital secretions of the vagina
A recommendation would be to use a dental dam when performing cunnilingus. A dental dam is a square piece of latex similar to latex used in making condoms 10. Can I be infected if someone performs cunnilingus on me?
YES! - if the person performing cunningilus has open sores or wounds in the mouth
A recommendation would be to use a dental dam when cunnilingus is performed on you. A dental dam is a square piece of latex similar to latex used in making condoms 11. Can I be infected with HIV by sharing razors and shavers?
YES! - HIV virus is present on blood left on razors and shavers
A recommendation would be to use disposable razors which are used only once. If you want to share an electric shaver (example would be at a barber shop), use surgical spirit to clean the shaver before it is used on someone else.
12. Can I be infected with HIV by sharing toothbrushes?
YES! - HIV virus is present on blood left on toothbrushes as they brush against the gums
A recommendation would be that each person has their own toothbrush which they keep privately.
13. I am already HIV positive, what can I do?
If you are HIV positive, it does not mean that the world will end! The world continues!
The most important thing is to have support. You can get support from people who
understands about HIV. The best support comes from:
- your doctor- your family- your friends- community groups- other people living with HIV and AIDS You need support to avoid falling into D E P R E S S I O N 14. I am HIV positive. How can I be a change in the world?
LOOK INSIDE YOUR HEART
I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME THE PRESIDENT OF MY COUNTRY I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME THE C.E.O. OF A COMPANY I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME THE BEST STUDENT IN MY CLASS I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME AN ENGINEER I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME A DOCTOR I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME A PILOT I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME A SCIENTIST I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME AN ARTIST I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME A MUSICIAN I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME A TEACHER I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME A MINISTER IN THE GOVERNMENT I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN BECOME THE BEST AUTHOR I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN TRAVEL THE WORLD I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN FIND THE CURE FOR HIV I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I CAN THINK POSITIVE I AM HIV POSITIVE AND I HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE

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