Hesperian Health Guides
STIs that affect the whole body
HealthWiki > A Book for Midwives > Chapter 18: Sexually transmitted infections > STIs that affect the whole body
HIV infection and AIDS
HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system. This is the part of our bodies that fights disease. HIV infection makes it more difficult for our bodies to fight off illness, which we are usually doing all the time. People with untreated HIV can become sick very easily with infections such as colds, flu, diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, and tuberculosis. Cancers and malnutrition are also worse when people have HIV. HIV cannot be cured, but it can be controlled with medicines. A person who gets treatment, eats well, and cares for their body, mind, and spirit can live a long and healthy life.
HIV spreads when the infected blood, semen, or fluids from the vagina of someone who has HIV gets into another person’s body. This happens mainly through:
| sex without a condom with someone who has HIV. | pregnancy or birth, if the mother has HIV. | unsterile needles, instruments or cutting tools. |
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In places where blood has not been tested for HIV, people can also get HIV from a blood transfusion. Sometimes when mothers with HIV are not taking ART medicines, their HIV can spread to their babies through breast milk.
Signs of HIV and AIDS
People with HIV may not have any signs for a long time, up to 10 years. The only sure way to know if someone has HIV is with an HIV test. This is important because even without signs of illness, people can still spread HIV to others.
AIDS is the last stage of untreated HIV infection. Someone with AIDS can no longer fight infections. They are often ill and unable to get well, and may have illnesses no one usually gets without HIV, such as Kaposi's Sarcoma (a cancer).
To prevent the spread of HIV, people should:
- be tested for HIV, and if HIV positive, start treatment.
- get other infections treated.
- use condoms with any sex partner who has HIV or whose HIV status they do not know, or take PrEP if available.
- not use syringes, needles, or other tools that could be dirty. Only cut skin with sterilized tools. This includes the tools used for piercings, acupuncture, tattoos, scarring, or circumcision.
Staying healthy with HIV
When someone’s immune system is weakened by HIV, it is very important for them to prevent and treat other infections.
- Most important is taking ART — medicines to control HIV.
- If there are any signs of other STIs, like itching, a rash, a strange discharge or sores around the genitals, the person should see a health worker.
- People with HIV need to eat more food than a person without HIV, and have a healthy diet. Taking a multivitamin pill may also help.
- People with HIV need to protect themselves from tuberculosis (TB), which kills people with HIV more than any other illness. Someone with HIV should stay away from people with active TB, and if signs of TB develop (coughing, night sweats, fever, and weight loss), see a health worker right away.
- Anyone with HIV who does not have safe water should boil or disinfect drinking water to avoid diarrhea and other problems.
People with HIV also need emotional support. Encourage them to seek support from people they trust, and from other people living with HIV.
Someone with HIV can also take a low-cost antibiotic called cotrimoxazole every day, which helps prevent many infections, such as mouth sores, diarrhea, rashes, colds and even malaria.
Medicines that control HIV
Medicines called antiretroviral therapy, or ART, make people with HIV much healthier and help them live much longer. These medicines also help prevent HIV transmission to a baby during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding, and make HIV less able to spread during sex.
ART must be taken according to instructions, often every day at the same times, to keep working well. If a person stops taking it, or misses many doses, their HIV will grow strong enough to make them ill again. If they later restart taking ART, their HIV may be more difficult to treat.
Various medicine combinations are available for ART. See more detailed information on using ART.
Helping people live with HIV
Midwives can encourage people to get tested for HIV, learn how to support people taking ART, organize with others to increase access to these medicines, and educate the community to fight the stigma of HIV. Find ways to stop discrimination against people with HIV while working to stop the spread of HIV.
Hepatitis B and C
Hepatitis is an infection of the liver caused by several viruses. Two kinds, Hepatitis B and C, can be spread during sex or at other times if the blood or other body fluids from an infected person get into the body of a person who is not infected. Body fluids include blood, spit, wetness from the vagina, and semen. It can also spread from a pregnant woman to her baby.
Signs of hepatitis (including hepatitis B and C)
- no appetite
- tired and weak feeling
- yellow eyes and sometimes yellow skin (especially the palms of the hands and soles of the feet)
- pain in the belly or nausea
- brown, cola-colored urine, and stools that look whitish
- or no signs at all
Treatment
There are now medicines that can treat hepatitis B and cure hepatitis C. Get tested at a health center and find out what medicines may be available.
People with hepatitis may feel better sooner if they rest, eat vegetable broths, soups and foods that are easy to digest, and do not drink any alcohol. Ginger drinks may help control nausea and vomiting.
Hepatitis and pregnancy
If a woman has signs of hepatitis while she is pregnant, seek medical advice. All babies should get vaccinations after birth to prevent infection with hepatitis B, and especially a baby whose mother has signs of hepatitis.