Treatment of HIV and AIDS.

• In this unit you will learn about medications that treat HIV and AIDS.

They are called antiretroviral medicines, or ARVs. You will also learn

why HIV and AIDS patients must always take their ARVs. You will also learn why HIV and AIDS patients must always take their ARVs.

Objectives

By the end of this unit you will be able to:

Explain what antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) do.

Explain the basic facts about HIV/AIDS treatment.

Recognize the names of ARVs and the basic symbols usedin your treatment cards.

Explain where and how to store ARVs.

HIV and AIDS Treatment

• There is no cure for HIV. HIV stays in the body forever.

• People with HIV take medicines called antiretroviral, or ARVs.

• When people are diagnosed with HIV, they do not always take ARVs right away. The doctor decides when to start the ARVs. The doctor decides which ARVs they will take. Different people need different ARVs. Many people take more than one type.

Continue……

• People diagnosed with HIV visit the doctor once a month. If they are not yet

taking ARVs, the doctor checks them to see if they need to start. If they are

taking ARVs, the doctor checks them to see if they are working.

• If they start and stop taking ARVs, the HIV in their bodies will be able to fight

the ARVs. This is called drug resistance. The ARVs will not work as well as

they should.

• Pregnant women and babies with HIV and AIDS are different. Their doctors

tell them what ARVs to take and when. They may have to come to the clinic

more than once a month.

• Once there is a certain level of HIV in a patient’s body, the doctor or nurse

will start ARVs. After people with HIV have started ARVs they must take

them every day for the rest of their lives. This is called adherence. If they

stop taking them, or miss some, they can get sick. They can move from

Stage 2 to Stage 3, or to Stage 4. They can even get so sick that they die.

Living positively

People with HIV should not drink alcohol

They also should not smoke

They should eat healthy food, which will help them to be always on a good condition

They must always do protected sex

Even people taking ARVs can infect other people. People with HIV and

AIDS should always use a condom when having sex. They should never

have unprotected sex.

Look at these pictures of person. He has HIV in both photos. The first

photo was taken before he started taking ARVs. The second was taken

after he started taking ARVs and began living a positive lifestyle

Before After

Treatment card pictures for antiretroviral medicine

• Here are a few examples of the treatment card pictures for ARVs. You will find the treatment cards after the Accompagnateur Checklist and the page for Notes and Questions. Each card includes the name of the pill featured on the card, a photo of the pill, the number of times it must be taken, and the time or times of day it must be taken. If there are special instructions, such as “take with food,” they are included also.

This picture means: take the medicine in the morning, at 6 A.M.

This picture means: take the medicine in the

evening, at 6 P.M.

ARVs must be taken with care.

• Some people have to take 4 or 5 different medicines a day.

• Some medicines have to be taken without food.

• Some medicines have to be taken with food.

• Some have to be taken in the morning.

• Some have to be taken at night.

• You will see these pills in your treatment cards.

referencesTo read more about treatment of HIV and

aids click here

www.avert.org/aids-hiv-treatment.htm

www.avert.org/cure-for-aids.htm

Accompagnateurs and ARVs

Continue……

Continue….

Continue…..

Continue……

Accompagnateur Checklist

Collect medicine from the clinic every month.

Store medicine in a safe, dry place, away from sunlight and children.

Check that patients have the correct ARVs.

Ensure that patients are taking their prescribed ARVs correctly.

Observe patients for signs that they are not practicing healthy behaviours. Counsel them. Refer them to the clinic