Needs
of Family: Family needs love, caring, respect among family
members, close relationship with extended family, gender equality of family
members, no abuse, food, clothing, medicine (particularly for treatment of malaria and diarrhoea), values of faith, living, family, kindness to people in need,
domestic violence to be avoided, self esteem for family members, education for
children and parents if needed, employment, money for all family needs.
Abuse: There should not be abuse in a family particularly
towards women and girls. Men and boys can be abused in a family too. Violent abuse (bashing, torture), Verbal
abuse ( name calling - pamuk man, pamuk meri), Financial abuse (money not given to wife and children as punishment), Sexual abuse ( rape, incest, child sex,
unnatural sex).
Contraception is the act of blocking ovulation and pregnancy by
artificial means as part of family planning (1) rhythm method – sex in the safe period
of the menstrual cycle (2) Depo-provera is an injection every 3 months to block
ovulation and pregnancy (3) condom is a rubber placed on the penis or in the vagina to
prevent pregnancy and HIV infection. There is a male and female condom. (4) Vasectomy is the cutting
of the man’s sperm duct to block the passage of sperm (5) Tubal ligation is the
blocking of the female oviduct often by burning with an electric device to
prevent the passage of the ovum and fertilization (6) Pill is taken daily by the woman to prevent
ovulation (8)Intra-uterine device (IUD) is a nylon loop inserted in the uterus to
block fertilization.
Sexually
Transmitted Infections (STIs),These
are viruses that will infect men and women during sexual intercourse. Gonnohoea is an infectious
venereal disease with discharge of mucus
and pus from the eurethra and vagina. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that affects the
genitals and progresses to all parts of the body. The virus can damage the
brain. HIV is a virus
that infects through exchange of body fluids of blood, semen or saliva.
HIV is a virus that infects the body through (1) vaginal
sex (2) anal sex (3) oral sex (4) infected syringes used by addicts and (5)
infected blood used in transfusions. It slowly destroys the immune system by
attacking the CD4 cells in the blood and in the small intestine. The HIV breeds
in CD4 and slowly destroys the small intestine or gut thus blocking the absorption of
nutrients, water and salts.
The
patient suffers from weight loss and diarrhoea and the nutrients and water pass
through the body. The person becomes weak and slowly moves to destruction of
the immune system and the onset of AIDS. There has to be treatment with
antiretroviral medication (ARV) 2 times a day for the rest of the person’s
life. The person may live for another 30 years. Without ARV the person will die
within 6-10 years. With ARV daily, the small intestine slowly mends and allows absorption of nutrients, salts and water.
There are two lines of drugs. If
the sufferer defaults on the first line the virus may become immune with the
need for the second line of ARV to be used. There is no third line and the
person dies. In final or full blown AIDS the person becomes demented and dreams
about being killed by evil spirits. They scream at night. There is memory loss
and the person comes to forget who they are and does not even recognize their
family. Then they die looking like a skeleton.
Raped
women need to go to the AIDS clinic within
60 hours of the rape to be given ARV treatment. If they wait longer and the man is HIV positive they will be infected. If
he is not HIV positive they are safe. They take ARV for one month. If there is
virus in the woman’s blood, it will be removed and she will be cleared of the
infection. There is a chart on the ANGAU AIDS clinic on ARV within 60 hours of rape called PEP treatment. Seek a doctor's advice.
Pregnant women have to go
to the care clinic after they are diagnosed as pregnant to receive an AIDS
test. If negative they and the foetus are safe. If positive, she has to begin
ARV before the baby is born. The baby can be infected at birth by mixing of
mother’s blood and baby’s blood in the womb. But if she is on ARV the virus
will be cleared from the blood. An HIV mother not on ARV may give the virus to
the baby in breast milk and mixing of blood at birth. There can be internal bleeding to infect the foetus if
the pregnant mother is punched in the stomach by a violent husband.
Nutrition for pregnant mother. She needs
to eat well for herself and baby. It is important for her to eat fruit and
vegetables every day and drink clean water. She must not drink alcohol or
home brew and smoke tobacco or marijuana
as this will damage the baby and reduce its brain power. It may be born
small and weak with the danger of heart problems in later years.
The mother
needs to exercise daily but not do hard
work. The mother must go for an AIDS test before the baby is born. A baby must not be born HIV positive.
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