info on HIV and AIDS...

Last Friday we had a man come in from a local HIV/AIDS clinic. We currently live on the same street and have worked with them before. The man came in to share about HIV, AIDS and the work that they, the ACTS Clinic, do here in South Africa.

ACTS stands for: AIDS Care Training & Support

ACTS clinic sees over 20,000 patients a month

H – Human
I – Immunodeficiency
V – Virus

A – Acquired
I – Immune
D – Deficient
S – Syndrome (a group of diseases)

At the end of 2006, 2.1 million people died of HIV. 2.8 million were newly infected.

HIV doesn’t kill; it just lowers your CD4 count so that you are susceptible to worse diseases that your body can not fight.

Under 19yrs– only 5% that are tested are positive. 19yrs to 29yrs – 40% tested are positive.

There are actually 2 types of HIV: HIV1 which is the worst and the most common. HIV2 is a milder virus and is found more in West Africa. Though, you can never just have HIV2 without already having HIV1.

It’s easier for women to catch HIV than men because of how the virus develops. Of people infected 60% are women and 40% are men.

TB is a new epidemic. It’s infecting and killing people who are HIV positive because they have no immune system.

AIDS is the end stage of HIV if the infection hasn’t been treated.

HIV is treatable and you can live a long healthy life if you take the right antivirals and take care of yourself.