CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS AND STATISTICS ABOUT HIV/AIDS

1981 - American doctor Michael Gottlieb intoduced terminology "AIDS" - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
1983 - Luke Montagne from the French Intitute "Louis Pasteur" discovered Human Immunodeficiency Virus (VIH) that brings on AIDS, the last stage of disease.
1983 - Doctors dicrovered a causal relation between HIV and AIDS.
1985 - The first test for detecting antibodies to HIV was eleborated and the ways of getting infected with the virus were classified in the USA.
1987 - The first cases of 6 Ukrainians and 75 foreigners infected with AIDS were registered in Ukraine.
1987 - AZT, the first anti-retroviral medication to fight AIDS was officially registered.
1988 - UNO officially announced December 1 to be the Day of the World-wide Fight Against AIDS.
1990 - The network of AIDS centers was set up in Ukraine.
1991 - The artist Frank Moore designed the Red Ribbon, a symbol of the global struggle against AIDS.
1999 - The All-Ukrainian network of people infected with HIV/AIDS was set up.
March 4, 2004 - The Cabinet Council of Ukraine made the resolution # 264 "About approving the concept of strategy of govermental measures aimed at preventing HIV and AIDS from spreading for the period until the year of 2011 and the national program of providing preventive measures against HIV, relief and medical treatment of HIV-positive and AIDS patients for the period of 2004-2008."

Since 1987, HIV/AIDS has been referred to as the plauge of XX century. Statistics indicate that one out of every one hundred people on the earth is infected with HIV. Every 14 seconds someone becomes infected with the virus, which amounts to 15-16 thousand people a day. Mainly these are young people between 14 - 25 years old. On the whole, by December 1, 2004, as many as 23 million people died of HIV/AIDS.
The survey conducted by the United Nations Children's Fund in the period from 1999 through 2002 showed that only 12% of youth aged 15-24 were aware of the possible ways to get infected with HIV from other people and how to protect themselves from becoming infected with HIV/AIDS.
If the virus keeps spreading in Ukraine at the same pace, one out of every three people in our country will become infected by 2010.
Unfortunately, contemporary medicine can only decrease blood concentration of HIV but it is still unable to kill the virus.
It's a mistake to believe that HIV/AIDS can strike only people in AIDS risk groups (smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes, homosexuals and those who have unprotected sexual intercourse). This disease can attack all sections of the population, irrespective of their sex, welfare, religion, etc.)

WHAT DOES "HIV/AIDS" MEAN?

HIV:

"V" stands for VIRUS. Virus is a tiny organism that one can see neither with his eyes nor through the strongest microscope. It often hides in a human's body for many years before causing a disease. Even a healthy man can infect other people. Once you acquired the virus, you cannot get rid of it.
"I" stands for IMMUNE DEFICIENCY
The virus destroys a human's immune system and after a while his organs become unable to defend themselves from different diseases.
"H" stands for HUMAN.
This virus lives only in a human body. It cannot abide in insects or animals. It has been discovered in all countries throughout the world.

"AIDS":

"S" stands for SYNDROME.
Syndrom means a bunch of different symptoms and diseases. People diagnosed with AIDS have a bunch of different symptoms and diseases.
"A" stands for ACQUIRED.
It means that it was obtained from someone who had been infected with the virus.
"I" stands for IMMUNE
It refers to the protective (immune) system of a human body that protects us from diseases like an umbrella protects us from rain.
"D" - DEFICIENCY
Deficiency is a lack of something. Weakening of the immune system results in "deficiency". The immune system cannot do what it was predestined to do any longer, which is fighting diseases. Can an umbrella full of holes protect us from rain? In the same way the immune system having a "deficiency" can be compared to an umbrella full of holes. It's still the umbrella but it cannot work properly any more since it has a defect.

SOME OF THE REASONS WHY HUMANS GET INFECTED WITH HIV/AIDS

1. Economic:
- poverty
- lack of legal jobs for women
- lack of jobs for men in their neigbourhood
- economic hopelessness amongst the youth
- big profits received from drug sale
2. Environment:
- lack of single-use syringes in medical clinics and centers
- lack of equipment for doing blood tests
3. Political:
- In some countries politicians develop different programs instead of taking the real preventive measures to fight and treat AIDS.
4. Informative:
- illiteracy
- ignorance, indifference
5. Cultural:
- In some countries women are not allowed to work or inherit money.
- Women have no right to speak and vote in their family, church and society.
- Women have no predestination except being an object of sexual intercourse and giving birth to children.
- Women often have no right to handle their own bodies.
- Women are often abused in their homes.
6. Psychological:
- Lonely people are often willing to take a risk to feel that the other people need them.
- Lonely depressed people often don't care whether they will live or die.
7. Spiritual:
- witchcraft, seculatism, legalism and other demonic things prevent people from seeing the truth that can save their lives.

IS IT DANGEROUS FOR A HEALTHY PERSON TO HAVE CONTACT WITH A "HIV-POSITIVE" PERSON?



Most people get the HIV virus through:
- Unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person. Sexual intercourse without a condom is risky, because the virus, which is present in an infected person's sexual fluids, can pass directly into the body of their partner.
- Sharing a needle (shooting drugs) with someone who's infected. - Contact with an infected person's blood. If sufficient blood from an infected person enters someone else's body, it can pass on the virus.
- From mother to child. HIV can be transmitted from an infected woman to her baby during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding.
- Use of infected blood products. Many people in the past have been infected with HIV by the use of blood transfusions and blood products which were contaminated with the virus - in hospitals, for example. In much of the world this is no longer a significant risk, as blood donations are routinely tested.
- Using the same needle when making tattoos, body piercings and filling teeth.
- Injecting drugs. People who use injected drugs are also vulnerable to HIV infection. In many parts of the world, often because it is illegal to possess them, injecting equipment or works are shared. A tiny amount of blood can transmit HIV, and can be injected directly into the bloodstream with the drugs.
It is not possible to become infected with HIV through:
- Sharing a room with an "HIV-positive" person, using the same towel, bed linen and toilet seats; swimming in the same pool;
- Touching, hugging or shaking hands with an "HIV-positive" person;
- Insect / animal bites. - One should not use such personal things of an "HIV"-positive person like razor, tooth-brush, etc.

HOW CHURCH SHOULD TREAT "HIV"-POSITIVE PATIENTS

Unfortunately, millions of "HIV"- positive people die without having a chance to hear the Gospel, come to know the Lord or be baptized in water.
Chirstians should:
1. Encourage people and show him or her that an "HIV"- positive diagnosis is not a synonym to the word "death". The church should stress that "HIV"-positive patients can live a normal life on the earth and be reconciled with God to acquire the inheritance of enternal life.
2. Christians should have a tolerant attitude towards "HIV"-positive people and not be afraid to communicate with them.

Franklin Graham, an evangelist, said, "AIDS patients are the biggest missionary field today".

WHERE YOU CAN GET HIV/AIDS COUNSELING?

1. Hot line free phone number 8-800-500-45-10 (24-hours a day).
2. Every big city has an ANTI-AIDS center.
3. International HIV/AIDS Union in Ukraine, tel.(044) 490-54-85; 490-54-86; 490-54-87; 490-54-88;
4. Holland organization "Doctors Without Borders" in Ukraine, tel. (044) 290-67-09; 220- 75-03; 220- 45- 86; 220 - 75- 03; 227- 37-29.
5. "We Are With You" organization, counseling center (044)213-94-61.
6. Contraception questions counseling center (044) 212-49-92.

Centers located in Ukraine
7. Red Cross Kiev City Organization in Ukraine, tel. 235-80-10
8. Kiev City Medical Enquiry Service 0-83
9. All-Ukrainian Network of People Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, counseling center 244-87-86
10. MFV "Vertical", hot line phone number 240-87-66; counseling office 100 Saksaganskogo str., office 521 (Monday, Thursday, Friday 14.00 - 18.00; Wednesday 9.00-13.00)
11. Ukrainian ANTI-AIDS center, tel. 290-64-29
12. "New Life" support group for HIV-positive people at the ANTI-AIDS Fund,16/2 Yangelia str., tel. 456-56-02, 446-93-25.

You can have HIV/AIDS tests in the following Kiev clinics:
1. Local policlinics
2. Kiev City ANTI-AIDS Center, 11 Otdykha str., Zitomirskaya subway station., tel.450-91-68, 9.00 - 15.00, Monday-Friday.
3. Counseling Office at the Kiev City ANTI-AIDS Center, 7 Triekhsviatitelskaya str., tel. 229- 48-38, 9.00 - 13.00, Monday-Friday.