AIDS AWARENESS DAY!!!

 Happy new month lovelies!

Well, aside from being a new month, and the last month of the year, today is also the international AIDS awareness day. We all know that HIV/AIDS has established itself all over the world to be a dreadful killer. Regarding absolutely no one and making it's presence well known amongst the people of earth.

We can join hands together to archive an AIDS free generation. Yes, it's doable! But first we have to create it's awareness, to know what we're really up against. 

What should you know about HIV/AIDS? 

HIV/AIDS is a viral infectious disease that affects the immune system. Having HIV does not always mean that you have AIDS. It can take many years for people with the virus to develop AIDS.  

What does HIV do to your cells?

HIV attacks and destroys the white blood cells; also called the T-cell: is an essential part of the immune system, that determines how the body responds to antigens (foreign substances).

After attacking the T-cells, it uses proteins in the cell to make a copy of itself and then kills other cells. This can go on for years without you having any major symptoms, depending on how strong ones immune system is.

How can one get HIV?

-HIV can be gotten from contact with infected body fluid, such as: blood, vagina fluid, semen, breast milk.

-Sharing needles or blades with someone who is infected.

-Having unprotected sex.

-Receiving blood transfusion from an infected victim.

-Transferred from mother to child during child birth.

HIV/AIDS and nutrition

A healthy diet is very important for people living with HIV, because the virus damages the immune system; therefore, foodborne illnesses are more severe for people with HIV than in people with a healthy immune system.

Eating healthy includes eating varieties of food, maintaining healthy weight, and abstaining from food with low saturated fats. 

These are healthy options- poultry, fish, brown rice, wheat meals, eggs, beans, and nuts. Most importantly, fruits and vegetables are highly recommended because they’re high in nutrients called antioxidants, which boost the immune system. 

Finally, I would advise everyone to be cautious. One thing should always ring in your head, and that's the fact that you only live once. We should treat our health like it's our number 1 priority.

Also remember, the virus cannot survive outside a surface, therefore HIV/AIDS cannot be gotten when meals, love and care is shared. We shouldn't discriminate. 

INTERESTING FACTS:

~Advances in treatment have substantially reduced AIDS-related deaths and extended the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS. For young people who start treatment for HIV early in their diagnosis, life expectancy is near-normal at 78 years.

~Do you know that there are about 36.7 million people living with HIV in the world.

~Taking combination anti-retroviral therapy (ART) prevents HIV from multiplying in the body.