what vitamins are good for hiv patients
The World Health Organisation - the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the immune system, killing or reducing their function. As the infection advances, the immune system becomes weaker, and the person becomes more susceptible to infections. The most advanced stage of HIV infection is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (AIDS). It can take 10-15 years for an HIV-infected person to develop AIDS; antiretroviral medicines can slow down the process even further.
An estimated 36.9 million people have HIV. More than 34 million people have perished from the virus, making it one of the most deadly pandemics in history.
HIV is transmitted by unprotected sexual intercourse (anal or vaginal), transfusion of contaminated blood, sharing of contaminated needles, and between a mother and her newborn during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.
- Zambia HIV and AIDS estimates 1.2 million individuals living with HIV - 2016
- Number of persons living with HIV - 1,200,000
- Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate – 12.7 percent [11.9 percent – 13.7 percent ]
- Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV – 950,000 [900,000 – 1,000,000]
- Women aged 15 and up living with HIV – 490,000 [460,000 – 530,000]
- Children aged 0 to 14 living with HIV - 160,000 [140,000 – 170,000]
- Deaths related to AIDS - 30,000 [26,000 – 36,000]
- Orphans due to AIDS aged 0 to 17 – 670,000 [600,000 – 760,000]
- 2016 WHO Statistics obtained on average
- In 2016, the globe documented 1.8 million new HIV infections
- 19.5 million people are assessing Antiretoviral Therapy
- at the end of 2016 there were roughly 36.9 million persons living with HIV
- The Butterfly Tree supports HIV and AIDS Prevention efforts to battle the pandemic.
Without addressing the challenges posed by the HIV virus no genuine progress can be accomplished. In recent years our efforts included funding for voluntary testing and counselling, through an HIV and AIDS support group at Mukuni Health Centre. However, peer education for HIV and AIDS prevention is proven to be significantly more beneficial. School leavers have got extesive training to perform workshops in schools and communities. We have funded around 500 AIDS orphans in education, arming them with knowledge to avoid the spread of HIV. We provide help for HIV moms and orphans and funding for therapy for those suffering from this terrible disease.
The HIV and AIDS support group, which is entirely comprised of volunteers, works tirelessly to raise awareness in the community, assist in the removal of stigma, and provide voluntary testing and counselling services. The Butterfly Tree is supporting these initiatives in order to limit the number of new cases being diagnosed each year. In Zambia, one in every six adults is infected with HIV, and in the Livingstone region, 27 percent of the population is infected with the virus. There are also a significant number of children who have tested positive. Every household has been infected or has been affected by this terrible sickness. Our goal is to raise awareness through education, with a special emphasis on schoolchildren, who have the potential to effect change.
Dietary supplements that can assist in HIV therapy include:
- B-complex vitamins, which serve to strengthen the immune system as well as the nervous system, are essential.
- Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that aids the body in fighting infection and responding to disease.
- Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that can help HIV patients who are ageing avoid osteoporosis.
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