Although there is no cure for HIV/AIDS, there are various ways by which women can live longer and healthier with HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS related treatment is vital for maintaining the good health of women, thus enabling them to lead longer, quality life styles, delay orphan-hood of their children and contribute to the development of their families, communities and nations.

What are Antiretroviral (ARV) Medicines?

These are medicines, which can be taken to fight HIV in the body. They work to keep the level of HIV low in the body and help to keep one’s immune system stronger and able to fight diseases.

Why is ARV medicines Important for Women?

Antiretroviral medicines will allow women to live a healthier and longer life so that they can:

• Watch their children grow and give them love, support and guidance.
• Finish their education and get the qualifications they want.
• Go on working and improve themselves in their career.
• Get married and enjoy family life.
• Go on doing all the things that they enjoy in their life –as long as they support their health.

ARV will make their body stronger and delay progression to AIDS.

What is Treatment Literacy?
Treatment literacy is the basic understanding of HIV/AIDS related treatment. Treatment literacy helps people living with HIV and AIDS to appreciate, manage and navigate the complicated treatment options available to them , according to their lifestyles and circumstances.

It involves the understanding of how antiretroviral treatment (ART) works, what the side effects of Antiretroviral (ARV) medicines maybe, and how to recognise them, which pills to take and when to take them and the need for proper adherence to ARV medication.

Treatment literacy encompasses preparing individuals and communities for HIV/AIDS treatment through treatment education and advocacy efforts, to increase access to and demand for HIV/AIDS treatment and for safe and effective use of HIV related therapies. The term HIV/AIDS Treatment refers to a broad range of treatment and care interventions.

Why is Treatment Literacy Important for Women?
Treatment Literacy supports women to:

• Understand more about antiretroviral medicines and how they work.
• Know when, where and how to take antiretroviral medicines.
• Appreciate why it is vital that they should take ARV medicines, when the time is right.
• Develop their own adherence strategies that suit their life styles and their life cycles, and participate in choosing ARV combinations that suit their daily routines.
• Understand the common ‘side effects’ of ARV medicines and how to manage them.
• Know when they have developed drug resistance and how to avoid it.
• Understand Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) of ARV.
• Be aware of Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), how it works, why and when should women take it.
• Think about themselves as important in terms of accessing treatment, as mothers, sisters, wives and aunts.
• Help adhere to ARV medicines and overcome challenges in adherence.
• Identify, prevent and seek treatment for women-specific opportunistic infections and conditions.
• Understand safer satisfying sex practices as part of Positive Prevention for Women (PPW).
• Learn how and when to support other woman who are taking ARV medicines, materially, emotionally, and practically and become a ‘treatment buddy’.
• Nurture other women advocates for HIV/AIDS related treatment issues.
  

How can women be helped to adhere to ARV medicines?

1. What is Adherence?
This means closely following the given treatment instructions. Adherence requires a lot of commitment and working together of both the patient and the care provider, with the patient taking a more active role. To obtain full benefits of ART, adherence to treatment is very critical more than with any other chronic long-term condition treatments. Non-adherence can be observed through not observing instruction regarding dietary or fluid intake or not taking medication at prescribed times.

2. What can be difficult in taking ARV medicines?
ARV medicines are lifelong medicines and patients may get tired of taking them (pill fatigue) especially when they are feeling better or when they experience side effects from taking the medication. However they must continue to take the medicine at the right time, in the right quantity as prescribed by their doctor.

3. Some solutions to Adherence Problems.

• Get as much information about one’s treatment as possible and clearly understand one’s treatment plan.
• Accept that being on ART might change some aspects of one’s life. Choose the combinations that best suit one’s lifestyle.
• For support, letting a member of the family know about one’s treatment.
• Ask if the clinic has tools to use as reminders
• Use a daily activity to remind one everyday to take pills at right time.
• Get a treatment buddy.

How can you support a Woman on ART?

Women need to support other women that are taking ARV medicines. Supporting someone can be very fulfilling. Anyone can support a woman on ARV medicines. Some ways include:

• Moral support – Encourage/support her to disclose her HIV status to others, give her information about ARV medicines, go with her to clinic for checkups, visit her at home, work or school, encourage her to join a support group, encourage spiritual counselling, give her space to share her feelings and be sensitive to her.
• Practical Support – Remind her to take her medicines on time, remind her about check-up appointments, help her to eat correct foods, help her with daily duties like cleaning, cooking etc.
• Material Support – Give her money (donations to buy medicines), provide transport to clinics, help with food needed, mobilise others to help and advocate to raise funds for women on ART in your community.

Please remember: Do not stop taking your medicine without discussing with your doctor or health worker.

‘HIV/AIDS Information: the Power to make a difference’

Reference: Women’s Treatment Literacy Toolkit, SAfAIDS,2005 (www.safaids.org.zw)

Click here to down load the toolkit: English Shona