HIV / AIDS Awareness Project

HIV AND AIDS PROJECT By: Dr Imtiaz Patel Dip., MSc. (Project Director-HIV/AIDS)

What is HIV/AIDS:
People have been warned about HIV and AIDS for over twenty years. AIDS has already killed millions of people around the world and it has affected the entire human race including all faith, colour, race and creed. Millions more continue to become infected and affected by HIV, particularly in South Asia. There is still NO CURE – EDUCATION/INFORMATION IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF PREVENTION – so HIV/AIDS will be around us for a while yet, some of us still don’t know exactly what HIV and AIDS actually are. Lets find out about HIV/AIDS:

HIV is a virus. It stands for ‘Human Immunodeficiency Virus.’ Someone who is infected with HIV is said to be ‘HIV +’ or ‘HIV positive.’

People can become HIV + from people who are already infected with HIV, and then pass the virus to others. Basically, this is how HIV is spread.

Why is HIV dangerous?
When HIV gets into our body, it attacks our immune system. As a result of this our immunity will weaker over a period of time. As our immunity becomes weaker, we are prone to infections.

HIV has a number of tricks that help it to evade the immune system; one of them is mutation. This means that once HIV has taken hold, the immune system can never fully get rid of it.

There is no way to tell just by looking if someone has been infected by HIV. However, a blood test for HIV antibody can detect infection from a few weeks after the virus first entered the body.

And what is AIDS?
As time goes by, an HIV + person is more likely to become ill. Usually several years after infection, the immune system becomes compromised, when this happens, the infected individuals are more prone to opportunistic infections. These are infections that you would not normally be affected if your immune system is intact. Opportunistic infections includes tuberculosis, bacterial pneumonia and septicaemia (blood poisoning), protozoal diseases such as PCP, toxoplasmosis, microsporidiosis, cryptosporidiosis, isopsoriasis and leishmaniasis, fugal diseases such as candidiasis, cryptococcosis and penicilliosis, viral diseases such as those caused by cytomegalovirus, herpes, simplex and herpes zoster virus, HIV-associated malignancies such as kaposi’s, lymphoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

AIDS is usually defined when an HIV infected person develops pulmonary tuberculosis, invasive cervical cancer or recurrent bacterial pneumonia, or CD4 cell count of less than 200 cells/mm3. (CDS definition).

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is an extremely serious condition, and at this stage the body has very little defence against any sort of infection.

How long does HIV take to become AIDS?
Without drug treatment, HIV infection usually progresses to AIDS in an average of ten years. However, women seem to progress much quicker than men.

HIV may be spread in the following way:

• Sexually
  Through unprotected vaginal and anal sexual intercourse with an infected partner, male or female, gay or straight, where sexual fluids (semen or vaginal secretions) or blood enter the body. Oral sex carries a lower risk, but again HIV transmission can occur here if a condom is not used – for example, if one partner has bleeding gums or an open cut, however small, in the mouth.
  So, always use a condom, and practise safer sex. From faith’s perspective choose not to have sex before or outside marriage.

• Through sharing injecting equipment (infected blood product)
  If you share drug injecting equipment, there is a big risk.
  Therefore, always use your own equipment, such as needles, syringes, spoon, filter, water etc.
• From an infected mother to her child
  Infection can occur either before or during birth or through breast feeding. There are special drugs that can greatly reduce the chances of this happening, but they are not easily available in much of the developing world, particularly in South Asia.
• Through blood transfusions
  All blood for transfusions has been screened for HIV since 1985, and blood products are treated to destroy the virus. However, people could still donate infected blood if they are recently infected and within the incubation period.
  But, if you are in South Asia, please make sure that before you receive any blood transfusion treatment, that the blood or any blood products has been screened for HIV.

It is not possible to become infected with HIV through:

• sharing crockery and cutlery
• insect/animal bites
• touching, hugging or shaking hands
• eating food prepared by someone with HIV
• toilet seats

HIV myths:

Around the world, there are a number of different myths about HIV/AIDS. Here are some of the more common ones:

“You would have to drink a bucket of infected saliva to become infected yourself”…….

Yuck! This is a typical myth. HIV is found in saliva, but in quantities too small to infect someone. If you drink a bucket of saliva from a positive person, you won’t become infected. There has been only one recorded cases of HIV transmission via kissing, out of all the many millions of recorded case, both partners had extremely bad bleeding gums.

“Sex with a virgin can cure HIV”……

This myth is common in some parts of Africa and also in South Asia and it is totally untrue. The myth has resulted in many rapes of young girls and children by HIV + men, who often infect their victims. Rape won’t cure anything – and is a serious crime all around the world.

“It only happens to gay men/black people/young people, etc”…….

This again is totally false. Most people who become infected with HIV didn’t think it’d happen to them, and were wrong.
How can I help fight HIV/AIDS?
We at HELPINGHANDS believe that everyone can play a role in dealing with this epidemic. Here are just a few suggestions on how you can make a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS:

• Get the facts and get the information you need.
  
• Educate others, tell your friends, neighbours and colleagues about HIV/AIDS.
  
• Learn the skills you need to survive and utilise them.
  
• Contribute time and money to support this work.
  
• Show you CARE – speak out – fight prejudice.
  
• Speak out against HIV/AIDS related discriminations.
  
• Seek help and counselling if you have a problem.
  
• Support on educational activities of communities on the scientific information about HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support.
  
• Promote education on faith teachings that support HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support.
  
• Support continued research to develop appropriate services and treatment and a safe and effective AIDS vaccine.

Why HIV/AIDS education is important?
Each year there are more and more new HIV infections, which shows that people either aren’t getting the message about the dangers of HIV, or are unable or unwilling to act on it. Many people, particularly young people, are dangerously ignorant about the virus. EDUCATION is an important component of preventing the spread of HIV.

Even if education was completely successful, it would still have to be an ongoing process-each generation a new generation of people become adult and need to know how to protect themselves from these deadly infections.
We at HELPINGHANDS believe, there are three main reasons for HIV/AIDS Education and Awareness:

• To prevent new infections from taking place
  
• To improve quality of life for HIV positive people
  
• Third, very important, to reduce stigma and discrimination

Who needs to be educated?
Anyone and Everyone. We are all, including the faith community vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. We need to know how to protect ourselves. It is not only young people, injecting drug users or gay men who become infected – the virus has affected a cross – section of society. This means education and awareness programmes ought to be aimed at all parts of society, not only those groups who are seen as being particularly at high-risk.
Three groups of people are potentially targeted for education:

• People who have not yet been educated and may be at risk of becoming infected.
  
• People who have already been educated for whom education and information was not effective.
  
• People who are already infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

What form should HIV/AIDS education take?
We believe HIV/AIDS education should be innovative and creative. It can be presented in many ways and put across in many forms so that each community group can relate to HIV/AIDS messages.
We intend to develop our HIV/AIDS education through radio, television, street theatre, literature, by hosting debates, workshops, seminars etc. We believe, sometimes HIV/AIDS education is about giving people information which they will remember on a long term basis, about how to protect themselves. On the other occasion, an education strategy might intend to have a more immediate effect and target people when they are most likely to take part in risky behaviour.
There is no set or prescribed form that HIV/AIDS education should take, but we are considering an education campaign based on the following points:

• What age are the people to be educated?
  
• Where and when will the target group be most effective?
  
• How do we target the faith community?
  
• How do we make HIV/AIDS education culturally, religiously and linguistically appropriate?
  
• Target audience-young, elderly, male, and female?
  
• Is the education programme targeted at a specific risk group?

Awareness Program in India:
Helping Hands launched HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness programme in India. Helping Hands aims to create awareness among people to prevent themselves from this disease. In South Asia above 5.0 million people are living with HIV/AIDs.

Helping Hands is of the view that through proper information and education, we can eliminate this disease from the world.

Helping Hands is planning to arrange “International Conference on Prevention and Control of HIV/Aids in India”.

HIV/AIDS Awareness Seminar in India
World AIDS Day Poetry Evening Poster
Project report updated on 13/12/2006

Helping Hands Worldwide is an international NGO with offices around the world. It is dedicated to the cause of empowering the underprivileged people around the world in the area of education, relief work and health. Promoting understanding about HIV/AIDS and supporting AIDS awareness campaigns is one of its core values which is embedded within the Helping Hands charter.

As you know that we have a large population who are of South Asian origin. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has cut across geographical, religious, cultural and social boundaries. This year, we have very successfully organised an interfaith/multicultural gathering to mark World AIDS Day to discuss HIV and Sexual Health from different faith/cultural perspectives.

We believe ignorance, stigma and prejudice are fuelling the spread of HIV/AIDS. A creative and innovative approach to promote education and awareness of HIV/AIDS and other sensitive health issues requires more debate and attention. Art, literature and cultural activities can be utilised in a positive way when it comes to conveying messages around HIV/AIDS and other sensitive ethnic health issues.
The multicultural and Interfaith groups will aim to create a network and collaboration of individuals and faith representatives united for prevention, care, support and compassion for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. And also to create an ongoing platform for sensitive debate and issues like HIV/AIDS and sexual health.

From the South Asian perspective, we believe, contrary to traditional beliefs, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections are becoming common within South Asian society. HIV/AIDS and Sexual Health presents serious public health concern, including within the South Asian communities. It is very important to get the information and education on the subject. It is equally important that health services, inter-faith organisations, community organisations and other interested NGOs should work together in partnership in order to come up with positive steps to raise awareness around issues like HIV/AIDS and sexual health.