FOR KNOWLEDGE'S SAKE!

Dealing with a positive diagnosis and coming to terms with the challenge of living with HIV/AIDS is never easy. But today the prospects for successful treatment are better than ever before, and there are a wide range of support services available to help people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya.

Learning about your HIV diagnosis can feel overwhelming. The battle of emotions always range from feelings of fear, anger, confused, despair among others. This is normal. Often times one feels lost. It’s like joining a new school. No one really knows what is expected of them.

Mrs. Owino my class one teacher took me through the basics of life. She taught me my first real math and made science exciting.
“Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” She would say as she taught us to brush our teeth after every meal and wash our hands after we visited the toilet. She had a graphic demonstration of what would happen to us if we didn’t do as she said. Using pictures from some book she would tell us how our dirty hands would carry germs to the food that we eat and then we would have diarrhea and look thin and ugly and before long all our family members would be sick too. Those pictures made you tow the line.
Two decades later, I brush my teeth and wash my hands just as Mrs Owino instructed.

I bet the curriculum then put all these demonstrations to help us understand well why we needed to be clean and healthy. I wonder if Mrs Owino would be talked into doing a demonstration to the same people she taught ages ago to show us how HIV “really does get in” to our bodies. But while these simple messages have their place, the truth is of course more complex. If we take the time to understand how HIV is – and isn’t – transmitted, we are that much better armed to protect our selves and the people we care about.

HIV is found in many of the body fluids of people who are infected with the virus. It can be found at varying concentrations in blood, semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, saliva, and tears. It cannot be found in sweat or urine.
A simple explanation would be to say that the virus can be transmitted if any of those infected body fluids pass from an infected person to an uninfected person. This risk varies with circumstances.

To start with, there have been no cases recorded of HIV transmission from saliva or tears, so they can safely be crossed off the list. This is to be expected, as the quantities of virus which have been observed in these fluids are extremely low. This is good news for those of us with HIV because it means there’s absolutely zero risk of passing on the virus through casual contact including kissing, hugging, or sharing eating utensils.

That leaves blood, semen, vaginal fluid and breast milk as the remaining body fluids which have been significantly implicated in transmission of HIV. We know from both laboratory experiments and real-world observation that virtually all HIV transmissions can be attributed to one of these four.

Blood-to-blood
HIV can be transmitted by direct blood-to-blood contact – such as through sharing injecting equipment, through blood transfusions or other blood products, or in accidental cases in health-care settings such as hospitals. Nowadays relatively few cases of HIV transmission occur this way. Extensive needle and syringe programs, screening of donated blood and careful adherence to universal precautions in health-care settings have kept the numbers low.
•Never share any injecting equipment, including needles, syringes, spoons and swabs. This will not only prevent transmission of HIV, but also other blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C.
•Avoid sharing toothbrushes, razors or anything else which could convey blood between two people.
•There’s very little risk of transmission from blood spills, bleeding noses, accidental cuts or open sores, as the blood from the HIV-positive person has to pass into the bloodstream of the negative person. Nonetheless, it’s sensible for anyone who comes in contact with blood to wear latex gloves and wash their hands carefully to avoid any risk of infection.
.In-case of any accidental contact with contaminated blood or in cases where one suspects they have been exposed, there is need to visit a health center for medical intervention such as Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). Accessing this service within 72 hours of exposure could lower the risk of infection to HIV.

Mother-to-child
HIV can be transmitted from mother to baby, both in the womb and via breast milk. This is called ‘mother-to-child’ transmission.
If nothing is done to prevent transmission, the risk of passing HIV from mother to baby is about 40 percent. But we have known for some time that this risk can be reduced. If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, following the recommended guidelines ensures the risk of transmitting HIV to your baby is minimized. All government hospitals in Kenya provide Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) with an aim of enabling the HIV positive pregnant women access help.
The risk of transmission can also be cut by reducing the delivery time for the baby, usually by having a cesarean section. If you chose to breastfeed the baby then so so exclusively. HIV can be transmitted via breast milk. one can chose to use other alternative methods of feeding for example formula milk.

Sex
The vast majority of HIV transmissions in Kenya happen through sexual contact. HIV is present in semen, pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum) and vaginal fluid, and can enter the bloodstream of a negative partner through mucous membranes such as those in the rectum and vagina, or through small breaks in the skin caused by intercourse.
We’ve known for a long time that condoms can prevent transmission of HIV via vaginal or anal sex. They’re highly effective, cheap, easy to use and available just about everywhere.

Abstinence which is the only 100 percent preventive measure against HIV is encouraged all the time. Condoms however are the most effective HIV prevention technology there is if one is sexually active.

As an added bonus, using a condom also protects both partners from many sexually-transmitted infections other than HIV. People with HIV should know that these infections can play havoc with their health, so even if both partners are positive, condoms still have a valuable role.

If both partners are HIV-positive, there is no risk of HIV infection, although there is a risk of re-infection – infection with a second, slightly different strain of HIV. This leads to one having more strains of the virus and hence vulnerable to complications. Care should be taken by all HIV positive people to ensure they don’t get re-infected.

Finding a partner who is also HIV-positive may sound desirable but isn’t always easy, and requires that both you and your partner disclose your HIV status – something that may be difficult or uncomfortable. If you’d rather not disclose your status, it’s best to stick to safe or safer sex.

KEEPING THE CANDLELIGHT BURNING

“There is a candle in every soul, Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings a fire, Ignites a candle and makes His home” Chris Rice from his song GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, a program of the Global Health Council, is one of the oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world. This year’s Memorial will be marked on 16th May 2010.

Started in 1983 and marked every third Sunday in May, this day hosts Worldwide local memorials that honor those that we have lost due to Complications of AIDS and raise social consciousness about the disease. As well as to honour the memories of those who have fought so hard for the rights and well being of people affected by HIV,

This year’s theme for the Memorial is “Many Lights for Human Rights,” which the Global Health Council hopes will circulate globally to promote greater understanding about the legal barriers marginalized communities can face in obtaining access to antiretroviral treatment and care, HIV prevention services and basic health care, including for HIV-related diseases like tuberculosis and malaria. Organizations are working together to demand dignity and human rights for communities affected by HIV.


We in Kenya have made great strides in our response towards HIV&AIDS. There is marked reduction of stigma in some areas, we have sections of the HIV&AIDS Act of 2007 operational, we have lots of programs that deal with the social issues this disease brought to our country et al.
We are not there yet, this day serves to remind us; all of us that there is still so much we can do to try and achieve a world free of HIV.

This Candle light memorial I want to remember my friends through whom I have learn a lot of lessons, shared life stories with and who for some reason didn’t make it to be alive today.
2009 will forever be marked in my heart, for both good and bad reasons. Mainly though because it’s the first time I lost people close to me to this disease.

Shiro -January.

The year started glum, at a young age of 25, this girl who had so much going on for her passed away leaving her husband of three months and a two month old baby. She had just graduated as a lawyer, been accepted to the Bar and gotten married to a great guy and brought forth a beautiful baby boy. Her leaving us reminds me everyday that this disease affects all generations, and there is so much we can lose. I also learned that love has no boundaries. If we truly love and are loved then we will forever remain etched in the hearts of the people dear to us. RIP Shiro.

Anne Janet-February

I took Anne in when she came to Nairobi October of 2008 and had no place to stay because her sister wasn’t comfortable staying with her. Even then, her health was wanting, but she had so much energy. She was a nurse by profession and so good at her job. She left us too fast; it was more shocking than it was painful. She had a good man beside her so it didn’t matter that her family wasn’t so supportive. From her I learn that God sends people to your life for a reason, and sometimes friends turn out to have your back more than you can imagine. I miss talking to you about boys my friend. RIP Janet.

Stella-June

We met four times I think. You had one hell of a beautiful smile. Well, I guess it hid a lot from us; your smile that is. We for instance never knew why you decided it was too much for you to take. The turmoil of living with HIV is crazy. The gals were all shocked when they heard you left us. Then got scared when they found out exactly how you left us. Maybe we did learn something out of that though. That a problem once shared is a problem half solved because now? People share a lot. And reach out more.

Shiko- August

Now Shiko was one burst of energy! She worked in the kitchen and made us tea and lunch. I found out nearly a year or so later when doing her story for a magazine that Shiko couldn’t swallow anything that wasn’t liquid. She had gotten sick once with oral thrush and didn’t properly manage it so wasn’t able to stop the infection from getting to her oesophagus. She survived on porridge and light juice and soup. Crashed her ARV’s and dissolved them in water. She instantly became my hero. I mean here was a woman who made 'kick ass' lunch everyday knowing fully well she would have to just sit back and watch us eat. Shiko I miss your Kikuyu pilau! RIP dear.

Wangeci- September

Another young girl who had a lot going on. I met you in town a couple of months before you left us and you looked fine. Your death was a huge shock and then some. Sent all of us into a serious panic. Gave me the hugest punch of emotions since 2004. First I was sad, then I was scared, then I was angry at you for refusing to take your 'meds', then I was scared that I was angry and now? I am just sad. Every time I meet someone that looks like you I feel sad for the loss. You and I worked on a number of projects together, you may be gone my dear but the vision you had keeps on. No one I know is ignoring the doctor’s advice now. R.I.P sweets.

Caroline- November

Hardly a week passes without me thinking about you. Every time I do, tears fill my eyes. I am not sad that you are gone anymore. I believe you are in a better place; Peaceful place. I just miss my friend sooo much.
I shared a lot with you, learned bagfuls of stuff from you. Key though is how much love can exist in our hearts if we just allow it. R.I.P sweety.

All of us are affected by HIV&AIDS either directly or indirectly. We have all lost someone we know. Let that not be in vain. Let it be a light in our hearts that would make us do what is right so that we stop new infections, get treatment to those who need it, Access Voluntary Counseling and Testing to enable us make informed choices and Live life!!

So this Sunday, I will light candles for these incredible women who in their own way touched my life. I hope you light some too!