400 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
Signs of AIDS:
A person has AIDS when the part of the body that fights disease, the immune
system, gets so weak that it can no longer fight off infections. The signs of AIDS are
different in different people. Often they are the typical signs of other common illnesses,
but are more severe and last longer.
If a combination of these 3 signs appears and the person
gets sick more and more often, he or she may have HIV (but
you cannot be sure without an HIV test):
• Gradual weight loss.
• Diarrhea for more than 1 month.
• A fever for more than 1 month, sometimes with chills or
soaking night sweats.
The person may also have one or more of these signs:
• A bad cough that lasts for more than 1 month.
• Yeast infection in the mouth (‘thrush,’ see p. 232).
• Swollen lymph nodes, anywhere in the body (see p. 88).
• Rashes or painless dark patches on the skin.
• Warts or sores that keep growing and do not go away,
especially around the genital area and buttocks.
AIDS was called ‘slim
disease’ in Africa because
people lost so much weight.
• Feels tired all the time.
• People with HIV are more likely to get TB (p. 179) or shingles (p. 204).
Treatment:
There is still no medicine to cure HIV or AIDS. But medicines called “antiretrovirals”
can help people with HIV stay healthy and live longer. Taken in combination, they are
called Antiretroviral Therapy, or ART. ART is becoming less costly and more available in
many countries. (See pages 396 to 398 for information on ART.)
Because people with HIV have difficulty fighting infections, many use cotrimoxazole
daily to prevent infections (see page 357). Be sure to treat any problems that occur:
♦ For diarrhea, use Rehydration Drink (see p. 152).
♦ For yeast infection in the mouth (thrush), use gentian violet, nystatin, or
miconazole (see p. 232 and 372).
♦ For warts, use trichloroacetic acid or podophyllin (see p. 373 and 402).
♦ For fever, give lots of fluids, aspirin or acetaminophen, and lower high fever with a
cool bath (see p. 75 and 76).
♦ Treat cough by drinking lots of water and treat pneumonia with antibiotics (see
p. 168 to 171). If cough and fever last more than a week, seek advice immediately
about TB prevention and treatment for people with HIV (see p. 179 and 180).
♦ For itching and rashes, use antihistamines (p. 385) and treat infections (p. 202).
♦ Treat infected wounds and sores (see p. 88 and 89).
♦ For shingles, see p. 204.
You can also stay as healthy as possible by eating well (see Chapter 11); purifying
your drinking water; avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; getting enough rest
and sleep; and using a condom when having sex.