My 18-year-old girl is HIV-positive

28 NEW VISION, Monday, January 12, 2015
HEALTH & BEAUTY
NEW VISION, Monday, January 12, 2015
Home accidents cannot be completely avoided, but can be reduced if every one is cautious and careful
Why you should keep your
home safe from accidents
Safety tips
From page 27
T
here have been reports
of toddlers wandering
off and falling in pitlatrines. Sometimes the
fire-brigade or locals dig the
pits and save them, but some
die before they are rescued.
Some people have lost babies
after they ate poisonous leaves
from plants innocently placed
in the house for decoration.
Little Andrew may
thoughtlessly leave his rollerskate in the corridor and
grandpa may place one foot on
it or little Jane may carelessly
throw a banana peel and
grandma steps on it. You can
guess what could result from
both instances.
We often think of our homes
as safe havens, but that is not
always true. The home can
be a scene of many accidents;
both inside and outside the
house. Hundreds of gruesome
accidents occur each time in
homes, although we do not
hear about most of them in the
media.
Who is at risk?
According to Josephine
Nassiwa, a counsellor at Home
Out Of Home International,
everybody is at risk but
children under five are most at
risk, with boys more likely to be
injured than girls.
Burns and scalds are common
injuries in children. Many
infants also end up in hospital
after swallowing objects or
poisonous substances. Older
children are more likely to
experience fractures, such as a
broken arm or wrist.
Nassiwa says a child can
be injured anywhere in or
around the home, but the most
common place for accidents
to occur is in the living or
dining room. The most serious
accidents occur in the kitchen
and on the stairs.
She explains that the main
cause of home accidents is
general negligence of safety
at home. However, many
accidents and deaths that occur
in the home are avoidable.
“By identifying and
understanding the potential
risks and taking some basic
safety measures, it is possible
to keep your children safe,” she
says.
A father swimming with a child. Drowning is a common accident in homes
A parent giving first aid to an injured child
Statistics from Police
Fred Enanga, the Police
spokesperson, says they do
not have figures because home
accidents are general cases
which are reported. However,
he says such accidents are
almost in every home.
About 500,000 children
below the age of fives are
admitted to hospitals every year
due to accidents at home.
Home accidents may lead to
disablement and sometimes
death. Therefore, one must be
aware of the immediate action
to take in case of an accident.
“The saying prevention is
better than cure is wise counsel
in this case,” Enanga says.
Risks
Fires can start suddenly and
spread quickly, damaging
your home and furniture and
putting lives in danger. Many
accidents and fatalities involve
electricity — it must be treated
with caution.
Falling may lead to fractures,
whereas chemical preparations
of any sort, whether in the form
of medicines or household
cleaners, may lead to death.
Kiyimba was cleaning the
compound after slashing and
left the rake on the ground
to get a glass of water. His
younger brother stepped on it
accidentally and one end of the
rod hit his face hard.
A mother might forget her
needles, pins and scissors on a
chair and somebody might sit
on them. Or daddy might place
his nails, harmer, screwdriver
and files on another chair and
someone might sit on the nails.
Loose and naked electric
wires might keep sticking out
and a child may want to test
their length. Medicine bottles
may be left within baby’s reach
but even adults may take a
large gulp of iodine thinking
it is soda, if the bottle is not
labelled.
You may leave a hot iron-box
lying on a board or table after
ironing clothes, and a crawling
baby may touch it. Or leave
boiling water or porridge and
a hot charcoal stove within
the reach of children. You can
imagine what can happen.
Nassiwa says drowning
is considered the number
one home accident and falls
account for the most of the
non-fatal accidents.
The falls have enormous
social, health and economic
costs for older people and the
whole community. About a
third of older people fall each
year and half of all falls occur in
and around home.
What should be done
Enanga says a home can be a
very dangerous place if careless
people live in it. But if we
become more vigilant, we can
avoid a number of accidents
at home. One must be careful
when using cutting instruments
such as knives. Only those who
have experience should use
them.
Care must be taken when
handling very hot things. Hot
things should be kept out
children’s reach. Use tongs to
remove hot things from the
oven.
Falling down in bathroom
and off the staircases is another
example. One should ensure
that ladders are properly
installed and stools are stable.
The bathroom floors should not
be slippery and, therefore, have
to be cleaned daily.
Electrical wiring should be
periodically checked. Electrical
appliances should be well
insulated or properly handled.
The kitchen windows and
bedroom windows should be
properly grilled and locked in
order to prevent children from
climbing out.
The bathroom sinks; toilet
bowls and buckets should
always be covered. Some
children have lost lives after
falling there.
“Kitchen accidents involving
gas leaks, fires, burning of
oil are becoming common.
Youngsters must be taught
to prevent such mishaps. If
everyone is careful, then there
will be no accidents,” Enanga
says.
According to Nassiwa, home
accidents cannot be completely
avoided, but can be reduced.
She says if accidents happen,
stay calm and immediately call
for help.
Is this child mine?
l If there are children
around, keep matches
and lighters out of reach.
l Have your wiring
installation checked at
least once every five
years by an approved
contractor.
l Keep portable
appliances out of the
bathroom.
l If an appliance is
faulty, stop using it and
have it checked.
l Never overload a
socket.
l Always keep a special
watch on young children
and elderly people when
fires and heaters are in
use.
l Take extra care with
hot water, tea, coffee or
soup. If there are young
children around, they
could get scalded.
l Keep knives in good
condition and out of
children’s reach.
l Keep panhandles
turned inward so that
children cannot reach
them and pull them over.
l Do not smoke in bed.
TOWARDS ZERO
DR WATITI
My 18-year-old girl
is HIV-positive
Why has my CD4 count
fallen drastically
Dear doctor,
Q
My daughter who is 18 years old and going to
university has just tested HIV-positive during a routine
medical check up. My late wife, who was her mother,
died 15 years ago from meningitis after testing HIVpositive, leaving the child when she was three years old. I
am HIV-negative. Could the girl have got infected by the
mother and lived with the virus for so long without falling
sick or could she have been infected along the way? She
is a virgin.
Solomon
Dear doctor,
Q
Dear Solomon,
What could be the explanation for the fall in my
A
It is possible for
CD4 count after it rose initially from 80 cells/ml when I
someone to live with HIV for
started taking the drugs to 350 cells/ml, then dropped to
the current 42 cells/ml? I have been adhering well to my
drugs all the time.
Edgar
Dear Edgar,
A
Measuring CD4 cells
of people living with HIV
(PLHIV) who are on ARVs
helps us to objectively follow
how the drugs are working
for them because it is a
measure of the repair of the
damage done to the immune
system by HIV.
It is good you are at a
centre where this is done
and the anomaly was
noticed. All PLHIV who
are on ARVs should have
their CD4 counts measured
regularly.
However, since the drop is
so drastic, the test should be
repeated to make sure it was
not a mistake and if it is true
the CD4 count is that low,
another test; the viral load
should be done on you.
Whereas CD4 count
measures the amount of
damage done to the immune
system, the viral load test
measures the amount if HIV
one has in his or her blood.
If the viral load is high,
it means the ARVs are no
longer suppressing the virus.
This could be due to a
change in the nature of the
virus, which is referred to as
mutation or being re-infected
with a different strain of the
virus, which is resistant to
the drugs you are on.
Once the drop is confirmed
and the viral load is found
to be high, you will be
counselled and put on a
second line regimen, which
should help suppress the
virus and your CD4 count
starts to rise again.
Fat hopes
a long time without falling
sick. That is why all people,
including children born to
HIV-positive mothers or those
whose parents, especially
mothers, died and we do
not know the cause of death
should be tested for HIV.
HIV disease progression
depends on the virulence or
aggressiveness of the virus,
the person’s natural immunity
and the environment the
person lives in. That is partly
why poor people living in
poor and dirty surroundings
tend to have more severe
disease.
So, in order to eliminate
AIDS among children, all
adults need to work together
to ensure that no child is
infected with HIV in the first
place and all those already
infected are looked for and
put under care and treatment
in order to protect their
immune systems from being
badly damaged and they
develop AIDS.
Lastly, knowing how and
when your daughter got
infected may not be very
helpful at the moment. What
she needs is counselling,
care and support in order
for her to adjust and learn to
live with a chronic, incurable
and stigmatising disease that
HIV is.
Many children born with
HIV are doing very well
under care and treatment,
although the majority of them
are not and more needs to be
done to help them.
A worried father
All he needs is to put on some weight.
Actually, he’s got the frame for it
If All
you’re
anything
we know
how you feel.
he needs
is tolike
put him,
on some
weight
If you’re
anything
likeon
him,
we know how you feel.
But
still you
can’t put
weight.
You hang out with your friends and you eat a lot.
So what’s next?
But you still can’t put on weight
Well.
There’s
So what
next?nothing really wrong with you. It’s just that the
Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) of what you eat is low.
Well. There’s nothing really wrong with you. It’s just that the
Protein
Efficiency
(PER) of
you eat
is low
(Don’t
worry.
PERratio
is simply
a what
scientific
measurement
of the
protein
yourisfood)
(Don’t quality
worry. in
PER
simply a scientific measurement of the
AT: MBN CLINICAL
LABORATORIES
protein quality in you food)
The solution is Appeton Weight Gain. It is clinically
The solution
is Appeton
Gain.
proven
to gain
weightWeight
healthily.
Plot 28, Nakasero Road
Kampala - Uganda
Opp Multiplex /
AMREF Offices
Tel: +256 414 533 951,
+256 702 739 545,
+256 776 739 545
Appeton weight
Gain
has
a PER
value
of of
3.1,
which
is is
higher
Appeton
Weight
Gain
has
a PER
value
3.1
which
higher
thanthe
the food
Foodand
& Drug
Authority’s
(FDA)
standard
PERPER
valuevalue
of
than
Drug
Authority’s
(FDA)
standard
2.5.
of 2.5
Made from natural ingredients, Appeton Weight gain is a high
Made
from
Natural
Appetton
Weight
Gainneeds
is a highprotein
formula
withingredients,
the necessary
nutrients
your body
to
protein
formula
the necessary nutrients your body needs to
generate
tissuewith
growth.
generate tissue growth.
And it is fortified with Lysine, which
is an
essentialwith
amino
acid
that
And
it’s fortified
Lysine,
which
PER. We’ve
the
isimproves
an essential
aminopacked
acid all
that
vital
mineral
and
multivitamins
our
improves PER. We’ve packed all
body
needs
into formula,
to help turn
the
vital
minerals
and multivitamins
whatbody
you needs
eat intointo
good
fashioned
your
theold
formula,
to
weight.
help
turn what you eat into good old
fashioned weight.
Just take 3 glasses a day in between
meals
andthree
keep glasses
to your regular
Just
take
a day diet
in
pattern. That
help and
you. keep to
between
your will
meals
Fee: UGX. 220,000/- per sample for paternity or maternity.
Results are received within 3 days.
EXPRESS/VIP: UGX. 440,000/- per sample, results are received within 24hrs
BRANCHES:ARUA:- Plot 11 Oda Road Anyafio,
Tel: 0392 533951 / 0752 739545 / 0776 739547
MBALE:- Nkokonjeru Terrace Mbale, Behind Standard Chartered
Bank,
Tel: +256 0392 175847 / 0750 899713 / 0773 231204
MBARARA: Standard Chartered Bank Building, High Street,
Tel: 0392 175848 / 0750 899742 / 0773 231206
29
your
regular Weight
diet pattern.
That will
Appeton
Gain.
help you gain weight healthily.
Gain weight healthily.
Healthcare
Distributors Limited,
PHONE: +254 - United
719464659
(SAFARICOM)
26 Nakasero(AIRTEL)
Road, P.O. Box 34458,
+254 - Plot
731873464
Kampala-Uganda; Office Tel: +256 31-2313700
EMAIL: [email protected]
[email protected]; www.appeton.com