Explain how to protect oneself from HIV/ AIDS

Explain how to protect oneself from HIV/ AIDS                     10 Min

Tell trainees that it is critical to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS, they should follow some important steps. Refer to the earlier session on drug abuse and mention that drug addicts belong to a risk group. Highlight that it is important to know that protection and prevention is important for not catching HIV/AIDs. Describe the important procedure to protect from HIV/AIDS using the following visual aids.

Visual Aid 2.4.9: Protect yourself from HIV/AIDS

How to protect yourself
·   Inform yourself about HIV/AIDS    and testing ARE YOU AT RISK? ·    Avoid drug use and injections ·    Never re-use any syringes ·    Abstain from sex with several partners ·    Safe Sex: use condoms, have same partner ·    Test yourself and know whether your     partner is HIV positive ·    Precautions for safe injections and blood     transfusions
THINK OF OTHERS: Ensure that you do not infect another person!

Highlight that HIV/AIDS makes people extremely vulnerable and they need compassion and support from the society. Again highlight that people can live a healthy life with HIV, provided people detect the virus and take the required steps and medication. Refer to the case study, which the trainees have read. Emphasise that it needs to be detected so that further spreading does not take place. Highlight that stigmatisation prevents from testing and emphasise that many people, because of lack of knowledge on whether they are HIV/AIDS infected, are putting other people at risk: particularly, women and children are more vulnerable. 

Take home assignment: At the end of the discussion, please give a task to the trainees to find out local contact points or organisations who deal with i) drug abusers and ii) HIV/AIDS patients and bring the list in the session. This will be a take home assignment and will give the trainees at least some idea about local contact points for these issues.