TB/HIV Information

What is HIV?

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that gets into the body and attacks the immune system.

What is the immune system?

The immune system is the system in your body that keeps you healthy by fighting germs. If the immune system is weak it is easy to become sick.

What is AIDS?

If the immune system of an HIV positive person weakens, their body can get infections like pneumonia, diarrhea, meningitis or very bad thrush. This is called AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

What does HIV status mean?

Your HIV status describes whether HIV is in your body. If the virus is in your body, your HIV status is HIV positive. If it isn’t, your HIV status is HIV negative.

How is HIV spread?

SEX: The virus can be spread when a person who has the virus has unprotected sex (vaginal, oral, or anal sex) with another person.

Remember: Do not have unprotected sex, always use a condom.

PREGNANCY AND BREASTFEEDING: A mother who is HIV positive can pass the virus to her baby during pregnancy, while giving birth or when breastfeeding.

Remember: By following a PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV) programme, an HIV positive mother can give birth to an HIV negative baby. She can also keep her baby HIV negative by breastfeeding and being on ART, with the support of the clinic.

BLOOD: The virus can pass from the blood of one infected person to another person. This can happen when people share razor blades, toothbrushes, needles and syringes or through touching an open wound. Health workers should wear gloves and protective eye wear when handling body fluids or giving injections.

Remember: Do not touch body fluids or blood without protecting your hands (gloves, plastic bag). Do not share needles, razor blades or toothbrushes.

How can I protect myself from HIV?

• Delay having sex until you are at an age where you feel ready.
• Reduce your number of sexual partners or only have one partner.
• Protect yourself and your partners by using a condom every time you have sex.
• Don’t share needles, razor blades or toothbrushes
• Wear gloves when dealing with wounds.
• Get circumcised, if you are an HIV-negative male. You must still wear a condom.

Why should I have an HIV test?

Everyone should be tested for HIV every 6 months or sooner. If you know your status you can plan for your future and protect yourself and those you love.

What happens during a HIV test?

1. A lay counsellor will give you information about HIV.
2. The lay counsellor will ask you to sign a form which says that you have agreed to be tested.
3. Either a nurse or the lay counsellor will prick your finger to draw a drop of blood.
4. The drop of blood is put on a test strip.
5. The lay counsellor will ask you questions to find out whether you may have TB or a sexually-transmitted infection.
6. After 15 minutes, the test result is known and you will be informed of your status.
7. Whatever your status, the lay counsellor will counsel you on what your options are and help you make plans for your future.

What do I need to do if I am negative?

• Live a no-risk lifestyle and make it your goal to stay negative.
• Test again in 6 months, or sooner.
• You need to abstain from sex or use condoms between tests.

What do I need to do if I test positive?

• Have a CD4 test to see if you should be on ART (medication).
• Try not to panic. Although there is no cure, HIV is NOT a death sentence. You can still live a healthy life if you care for yourself. It is normal to feel angry, afraid, shocked or guilty, but these feelings will not last forever.
• Always use a condom when you have sex as you can pass HIV on to others and you can be re-infected.
• Discuss your HIV status with your sexual partners so that they can also be tested.
• Try not to hide your status. It creates stress and that is not good for the body. The body needs its strength to fight the virus.
• You can live positively by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, attending your clinic appointments, being screened for TB and taking medications consistently as prescribed by your doctor or nurse.
• If you are a woman and pregnant, go to your clinic for ART.

Live positively!

1. Come to terms with your status. There is hope. With care and treatment you can live a healthy life.
2. Tell someone. A partner, parent, brother, sister, or a good friend.
3. Go to your nearest clinic. You will get the best treatment, good information and ongoing support.
4. Find out if you need ART because it can keep your healthy and, together with condom use, prevent further transmission of HIV.

Why must I wear a condom if both my partner and I are HIV positive?

There are different strains of HIV and you can be infected again with the same or different strains if you do not use a condom.

 

What is TB?

TB is tuberculosis. It is a disease that usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body.

How is TB spread?

TB is spread when small droplets of spit are coughed into the air by people who have TB, and then breathed in by people who do not have TB. People who are on effective TB treatment cannot infect others.

Can I get TB?

Anyone can get TB. Famous people like former President Nelson Mandela, and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu have also had TB, but are now cured.

How can I protect myself from TB?

• Eat healthy foods
• Don’t drink or smoke too much
• If you are HIV positive, and have no symptoms of TB, ask for IPT at your clinic
• Open the windows and avoid overcrowded areas
• Ask for a TB test if you have symptoms of TB

How would I be tested for TB?

• A nurse will ask questions about your symptoms and ask you to cough and spit in a bottle.
• Your sputum sample is sent to the laboratory for testing.
• You will get the test results within two days.
• The nurse should also ask you if you wish to have an HIV test. It is important for the clinic and you to know your HIV status so that they can give you the right treatment, and so that you will be able to look after yourself.

How do you know if you have TB?

If you have even one of the following symptoms, you may have TB. If you do, act now!

• A – Appetite loss
• C – Chest Pains
• T – Tiredness
• N – Night sweats and fever
• O – Ongoing cough or coughing up blood
• W – Weight loss

What do I do if I have a symptom of TB?

Act now! Go to your nearest clinic for a test. It is free.

Can TB be cured?

Yes! TB can be cured. You must take the TB medicine exactly as the doctor, nurse or counsellor tells you.

How will I be treated for TB?

You will be given different drugs which are free of charge at government clinics and hospitals. The drugs must be taken as instructed to kill the TB germs. Your sputum will be tested several times to make sure that the medicine is working.

Why must I finish my TB treatment even though I feel better?

The TB germ dies very slowly. It will take at least six months for the drugs to kill all the TB germs. After a while, you may start to feel better, but it is very important to finish the treatment. If you do not take your pills every day the germs will become active again and they may become resistant to the drugs. This is very serious because you will need stronger medicine which has to be taken for a longer period to kill the new germs.

What must I do to get better from TB?

• Take your medication as the doctor, nurse or counsellor says
• Eat as much healthy food as possible
• Sleep with open windows for fresh air
• Try not to drink alcohol or smoke

What is the link between TB and HIV?

HIV weakens the immune system which means that the body is not strong enough to fight infections and to stay healthy. That is why a person who is HIV positive is more likely to get sick with TB. It is very important to be screened for TB if you are found to be HIV positive. You may be given treatment to protect you from contracting TB (isoniazid or INH preventive therapy). However, it is possible to have TB without being HIV positive, and it is possible to be HIV positive without getting sick with TB. If you are found to have TB, you can be given medication to treat and cure TB, even if you are HIV positive. Remember: TB is curable!

I have been diagnosed with TB or HIV and I feel like I need extra help. Who can I contact?

If you feel comfortable speaking to someone at your local clinic or your doctor, this might be a good place to start because they are likely to know what resources and support groups are available in your area. There are also helplines that you can call anonymously for advice and counselling. These are listed below. Remember that you may not find what you are looking for on your first attempt, try again until you do. Don’t give up.

How does TB affect children?

TB affects children differently to adults. It is very difficult, for example, for a child to transmit TB to another child, and an adult is almost always the source of infection. TB may also manifest not only in the lungs of children, but also even more dangerously, in other parts of the body such as the brain. TB can also be difficult to diagnose in a child because they find it difficult to cough up sputum.

If your child is under five and has been in close contact with someone who is diagnosed as having TB, the child will probably be put onto isoniazid preventative therapy (IPT). IPT is a precaution taken to ensure that any latent TB that may have infected the child is eliminated.

My colleague has been diagnosed with TB or HIV, what should I do?

Don’t panic. Remember that because of the high prevalence of TB in South Africa, many of us have already been exposed to the TB germ many times. It is estimated that around 60% of adults in the Western Cape have a latent TB infection; in other words they cannot transmit TB and are not sick, but already carry the TB germ in their bodies. If you are an adult who has had close contact with someone with TB, but do not have a compromised immune system and are not displaying any symptoms of TB, you do not need to have a TB test.

Remember that anyone who is has been on effective TB treatment for 2 weeks is no longer infectious.

Try to find out as much as you can about TB so that you have something factual and concrete to work with. Learn the symptoms of TB so that you know when someone should go for a TB test. Consult your clinic, family doctor or TB/HIV Care Association on 021 425 0050 if you are unsure of anything.

 

 

Author Acknowledgement:

TB/HIV Care Association:http://www.tbhivcare.org/index.php?page=info#resources