AIDS AWARENESS PLAN FOR RADIO SERIES

This awareness series has been prepared for a Christian family

radio station in Port Moresby. These topics will be timed to

last 10 minutes and cover practical aspect of Positive Living

with HIV/AIDS.

These talks in Tok Pisin will be intended for grass roots listeners.

There will be no deep physiological detail except to say that the

virus attacks the gut and stops food, water and salts from entering

the body through the wall of the gut. ARV mends the gut and

allows food, water and salts to pass into the body.

PART 1

General picture. The broad picture of Positive Living in families

and the effects on long life of the sufferer. The family, love and

peace of the family and relaxation, exercise and sleep will keep

the immune strong with no violence, smoking or boozing, shame

or fear. Sufferers have to work to keep their health strong by

water and nutrition.

Living long. People with the virus will live long if they follow

positive living with family love, nutrition. Being HIV infected

does not mean they will die quickly. Without ARV, they may

go on by positive living for up to 12 years.

With ARV and positive living, they may go on for 20 years or

more. With no positive living and no ARV but violence, fear,

starvation, boozing and smoking, the sufferer can die within

4 years. Tell of village women pushed away by family.

Nutrition.  We must follow healthy nutrition. But sick people must

do so too including those with HIV/AIDS. We need to eat less

fatty meat and buy fruit, vegetables, grains and nuts at the market.

We must not cook vegetables too much but should steam the kumu,

carrots and other vegetables. We must drink plenty of clean water

and less beer and soft drink. We need protein to build up our bodies

once we start ARV treatment. Glucose is important to fuel our bodies

Work. A family must not stop a loved one from working. They must

allow a young woman to look after her baby. She can look after her

brothers and sisters and grand mother. She can prepare and cook

the food. She will not give the family the virus.

If she works she will be happy and at peace. She can go to work to

bring home a fortnight pay. In the village she can work in the garden.

Some families have removed their loved ones. This is not good.

Relax. If a loved one can relax in the home, she will be at peace and

live long. She should be encouraged to go to church, play volleyball

and play cards with friends. Playing sport will give strength and fitness. 

strength. The young man can play touch football. It gives a chance to

mix with friends. If on ARV and following positive living, he should

not lose weight and will gain muscle strength.

No ARV.  Once the virus infects the body, there will be fever and pain

within 2 weeks. The virus spoils our gut and slowly stops food, water

and salts from entering our body. It is good to seek diagnosis and ARV

as soon as possible.

If no ARV but positive living, the body will stay long but slowly drop in

health. The sufferer slowly loses weight. Fingernails, toenails and hair

break. Diarrhoea will occur as the food in the stomach and water pass

through the body. Dementia occurs until death. As the immune system

drops, there will be opportunistic infections.

ARV. Once the sufferer starts ARV treatment, there may be problems

if the drug affects the body badly. Once the drug is working well, the

virus in the blood will be destroyed. This helps the body to get strong.

The gut will mend and the food, water and salts will be absorbed.

The sufferer will return to strong health. But there are side effects.

And the virus may become immune if the drug is stopped and started.

A person with ARV must never lose any days in taking the drug. If

a person lives in a village a long way away, they must plan to get more

drugs before they run out. They must not be held up without drugs by

tribal fights, floods, landslides, raskols and car accidents. They may die.

Churches. There is now a growing awareness that the churches have to

play a strong role in medical support and in counselling and pastoral care.

The pastors need to talk about the importance of family, love, parenting

and marriage. Parents need to learn that HIV infected family members

must not be kicked out of the house.

PART 2

Dementia

Stigma and discrimination

Family rights and responsibilities

Role models for parents to children

Mother to child infection

Superinfection

Family values

Scripture

Hope and health

Water

Danger of antibiotics

An HIV baby

Blaming sorcery