Health Education to Prevent HIV/AIDS & STIs - Department of ...

Department of Education TVET Division
HIV/AIDS & STI Teacher Guide
Lesson 5
By the end of this lesson students can…
2.4 State the signs and symptoms of AIDS
2.5 State common opportunistic infections
Resources: Simple graph of CD4 v HIV prepared on butcher paper or on the board
a. Introduction: (15 mins)
Show the students this simple graph. Ask them to explain to their partner what the
graph shows.
Amount in Body
White Blood
Cells (CD4 T)
HIV
Time
Say, “AIDS is when your body’s immune system is weakened by many years of HIV
infection. As the numbers of HIV go up, the numbers of white blood cells go down.
When you have HIV you feel normal and look healthy but the virus is reproducing in
your cells. When other illnesses infect your body, this is called AIDS. People with
AIDS are very sick. Their immune system is badly damaged.”
b. Main Activity: (30 mins) Body mapping
In pairs students use the information in the Resource Book to label a person who has
AIDS. What illnesses (opportunistic infections) affect them What are the signs and
symptoms of AIDS
Display the best ones on the board.
Say, “People with AIDS are sick. People who are HIV positive look and feel healthy.
You can live with HIV for many years. Some people have lived with HIV for more
than 10 years. Signs and symptoms include:”
• Rapid weight loss
• Sores that won’t heal
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