Fact: A death sentence does not accompany a positive HIV test result. You can lead a healthy life being positive. HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks ones immune system making it difficult to fight diseases. Meanwhile, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by HIV, is a condition which allows for the progressive deterioration of the human immune system. This then opens the gateway for life threatening infections and cancers to manifest and thrive until death of the host.
How is it Spread?
HIV is spread through an exchange of significant amounts of bodily fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid and breast milk. Transmission occurs mainly through penetrative sexual intercourse, the sharing of needles in drug abuse, contaminated blood transfusions and a whole list of other ways.
Living a Healthy Life with HIV
For World AIDS Day 2017 on December 1, the United Nations (UN) declared its theme as Your Right to Health. And while this is generally observed on one specific day out of the year, it is encouraged that information sharing and campaigns promoting increase knowledge, reduction of stigma and discrimination that accompany the topic should be done year-round to ensure full education and sensitisation of the topic. The right to health campaign takes the positive reinforcement route in educating the population worldwide about their basic right to health and its correlation with HIV and AIDS.
As daunting and overwhelming as it may seem learning of a positive result or even learning about the disease itself, life with HIV doesn’t mean your life has ended. What it requires however is a positive life alteration which includes the following:
1. Access to effective health care facilities and treatment
2. Improved diet and exercise
3. Getting tested regularly
4. Educating the ignorant to prevent stigma and discrimination
5. Being able to make informed decisions about one’s health
6. Gender equality
To Read More: Purchase your copy of Volume 9 #5 November-December 2017
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Fact: A death sentence does not accompany a positive HIV test result. You can lead a healthy life being positive. HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks ones immune system making it difficult to fight diseases. Meanwhile, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by HIV, is a condition which allows for the progressive deterioration of the human immune system. This then opens the gateway for life threatening infections and cancers to manifest and thrive until death of the host.
How is it Spread?
HIV is spread through an exchange of significant amounts of bodily fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid and breast milk. Transmission occurs mainly through penetrative sexual intercourse, the sharing of needles in drug abuse, contaminated blood transfusions and a whole list of other ways.
For World AIDS Day 2017 on December 1, the United Nations (UN) declared its theme as Your Right to Health. And while this is generally observed on one specific day out of the year, it is encouraged that information sharing and campaigns promoting increase knowledge, reduction of stigma and discrimination that accompany the topic should be done year-round to ensure full education and sensitisation of the topic. The right to health campaign takes the positive reinforcement route in educating the population worldwide about their basic right to health and its correlation with HIV and AIDS.
As daunting and overwhelming as it may seem learning of a positive result or even learning about the disease itself, life with HIV doesn’t mean your life has ended. What it requires however is a positive life alteration which includes the following:
1. Access to effective health care facilities and treatment
2. Improved diet and exercise
3. Getting tested regularly
4. Educating the ignorant to prevent stigma and discrimination
5. Being able to make informed decisions about one’s health
6. Gender equality
To Read More: Purchase your copy of Volume 9 #5 November-December 2017
Share this post: