What does ''Towards zero'' mean?
Oct 04, 2012
What is the meaning of the new title to your column in the health pull out, “Towards zero”, which replaced “Face HIV: with Dr. Watiti”?
QDear Doctor,
What is the meaning of the new title to your column in the health pull out, “Towards zero”, which replaced “Face HIV: with Dr. Watiti”?
Sarah
ADear Sarah,
“Towards zero” refers to the three zeros advocated for by UNAIDS in their efforts to eradicate HIV and AIDS. The three zeros are; zero new infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero discrimination of people living with HIV (PLHIV).
My hope is that by sharing information about HIV and AIDS in this column, we shall help equip people with knowledge, so that we reduce the HIV prevalence which, at the moment, stands at 7.3% in Uganda.
This is the only way we shall stop this disease; when no people are infected with the virus. As of now, there are more people infected annually than those we manage to put on ARVs during the same period.
The second zero is premised on the fact that there are people who are already infected, and in Uganda we have an estimated 1.2 million, while worldwide there are 33.4 million PLHIV.
We know that with the advent of ARVs, these people need not die of AIDS, and yet in Uganda in 2009 alone, we lost over 100,000 people to AIDS! If we were to have universal access to care, including antiretroviral therapy, AIDS-related deaths would be drastically reduced.
Lastly, the campaign for zero discrimination is aimed at one of the unfortunate accompaniments of HIV and AIDS, and that is stigma and discrimination. We would like to eliminate discrimination, which is enacted stigma so that PLHIV can live freely and openly without shame and denial.
Stigma is based on myths and misconceptions, and the greatest weapon we have against it is correct information about HIV and AIDS, given consistently to all people.
***************************
Can alcohol cause drug resistance?
QDear Doctor,
Is true that alcohol causes drug resistance and should never be used by people infected with HIV and are on ARVs? I am HIV-positive and have just started taking ARVs, but I like taking a beer or two daily. Please advise.
Sarah
ADear Sarah,
One of the tenets of positive living is avoiding harmful practices like alcohol and tobacco consumption. It is important to understand why we counsel and advise PLHIV to abstain from alcohol.
Abuse of alcohol can cause damage to organs like the brain and liver, which are also attacked and damaged by HIV. ARVs can cause liver toxicity, so alcohol, which is associated with liver damage, should be avoided when one is on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Alcohol consumption also leads to risky sexual behaviour that could expose one to getting infected with new and maybe more virulent strains of HIV. You could also infect other people with HIV if you indulge in unprotected sex, which often happens when people are under the influence of alcohol. Remember, we shall never overcome this disease if we who are already infected are not vigilant in preventing new infections.
Lastly, taking alcohol may make adherence to ARVs difficult because it is easy to forget to take the drugs at the right time and in the right amounts when you are under the influence of alcohol.
This will mean the virus in you is not be maximally suppressed and may even become resistant to the ARVs you are on and you face the danger of developing AIDS. So, although alcohol itself may not directly cause drug resistance, its consumption is certainly an important factor in the success or failure of ART.