Final Facilitator Guide - EngenderHealth

Section 4HIV status. Disclosing one’s HIV+ status to partners increases thepossibility the partner might offer support later when it is needed.If a man and wife are both HIV-positive, they should not bother withtrying to prevent reinfecting each other.It is very commonly thought and is in fact intuitive to think that twoHIV+ persons need not practice safe sex. But in sexual intercoursewithout a condom, there is always the risk of being exposed to sexuallytransmitted diseases. If either or both people are on ART, there is arisk of drug-resistant strains being passed between the couple andalso to a child (if the woman becomes pregnant) if it were to becomeHIV-infected, and this would limit the family’s treatment options forthe future. There is also the possibility of the husband and wife infectingeach other with different types of HIV. It is important that couplesunderstand these risks and adopt safe sex options.People who drink and smoke should not be allowed to access ART.When antiretroviral drugs are given in combination, HIV replicationand immune deterioration can be delayed and survival and quality oflife improved. Many doctors question the value of providing ARV topeople who drink and smoke, fearing that they will not follow treatmentprotocols and thereby compromise their health. However, if the persondemonstrates adherence to ART, then that person should not be deniedmedicines.Facilitator’s Guide3Adherence to Treatment for HIVPeople should be discouraged from using traditional medicine in orderto combat HIV infection.Traditional medical systems like Ayurveda, Siddha, Yunani and otherindigenous systems have been used by people for centuries. But forHIV-related conditions there is no remedy in any Indian systems ofmedicine. There are metal conjugates in some form of medicines, whichcan damage the liver or kidney of a person using the medicine regularly.Moreover, these medicines are sometimes advertised as “cures,” sopeople should be warned not to take these drugs. Even if someonestarts Ayurveda, Siddha, or other medicines, it is important not to stopART (if the person is already on it). It is always important that thedoctor giving ART be informed about the use of any other medicines.79