Living healthy with HIV
Advances of treatment can effectively control HIV and prevent or treat conditions associated with advanced HIV disease. With early detection and good adherence to treatment, HIV-positive people can stay healthier longer and lead wonderful and colorful lives like those who are not infected.
A healthy lifestyle is most desirable. Have an optimal balance between work, rest and play, and take adequate rest especially when tired. Mental health is equally important. Avoid stress and anxiety. Talk to someone you trust about your feelings and worries. Keep yourself up to live with HIV.
Physical activity and healthy diet are essential elements in maintaining good health for all. As HIV can lead to weaken of the immune system, people with HIV should be aware of food safety and proper hygiene.
Regular exercise to keep fit is recommended. HIV infection does not affect the choice of daily exercise and types of physical activity. You can make reference to Centre for Health Protection webpage for recommendation on duration and intensity of physical activity for good health
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Eat a diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes;
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Eat more protein-rich food includes eggs, dairy products, lean meat, beans and nuts, etc. as it helps build up muscles and a strong immune system;
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Calcium and vitamin D help prevent osteoporosis. Choose food rich in calcium such as fish and shell-fish, green vegetables, milk, tofu, dried fruits, nuts and sesame. Have mild sun exposure for 10-15 minutes daily;
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Clean and cook food thoroughly;
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Avoid raw or undercooked food (e.g. raw egg, oysters, sashimi, smoked ham);
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Quit smoking or cut down your cigarette consumption;
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Avoid alcoholic drinks;
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Avoid illicit drugs;
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Drink only bottled water and avoid ice or unpasteurized milk when travelling to places where sanitation is poor or water safety is questionable.
Similar to patients with other chronic conditions (e.g., heart disease, high blood pressure), people with HIV positive need to have regular follow-up in order to monitor disease progression and get early treatment. Blood sugar, cholesterol, liver and kidney functions, CD4 cells and viral loads etc. are monitored for early detection of complications and provision of appropriate intervention. It is recommended to check regularly other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis, hepatitis B and C.
With proper treatment and care, many people living with HIV/AIDS are leading regular and healthy lives, including having jobs. The majority of them are still able to maintain their current jobs. When you are gainfully employed, your overall well-being and financial health can be more stable.
In general, an employee is not required to disclose his HIV status to his employer. Please refer to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) for details and enquiries.
Furthermore, the Expert Panel on HIV Infection of Health Care Workers will assess and provide advice on the need of job modification and lookback investigation on a case-by-case basis when received anonymous case referred from attending doctor related to health care workers. For more information, please visit the website of Virtual AIDS Office of Hong Kong (link to: https://www.aids.gov.hk/english/hcw.html).
People living with HIV can also enjoy sexual life. People with HIV who achieve sustained viral suppression to an undetectable level by antiretroviral drugs have no chance of passing on the virus through sex.
If the viral load has not reached to an undetectable level, couple needs to adopt safer sexual practices to protect oneself and partner. Always use condom or have sex without body fluids exchange such as caress or body massage. Besides, using condom can effectively prevent majority of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
For couples who want to conceive when one or both partners have HIV:
People living with HIV can give birth to a healthy baby. Expert consultation is recommended to tailor guidance to couples’ specific needs.
Partners with HIV should achieve sustained viral suppression before attempting conception to prevent HIV sexual transmission and to minimize the risk of HIV transmission to the infant.
If HIV is diagnosed during pregnancy, drug treatment should be started immediately. More intervention may be used to reduce the risk of HIV transmission to the baby according to the clinical conditions.
There are two basic types of vaccines, live attenuated vaccines and Inactivated vaccines. Live, attenuated vaccines are vaccines that contain a weakened but live form of a disease-causing microbe. Although the weakened microbe cannot cause the disease (or can cause only mild disease), the vaccine can still trigger an immune response. Inactivated vaccines are vaccines that are made from dead microbes. There is no chance that an inactivated vaccine can cause the disease it was designed to prevent.
In general, to be safe, people with HIV should get inactivated vaccines to avoid even the remote chance of getting a disease from a live, attenuated vaccine. HIV can weaken body’s immune response to a vaccine, making the vaccine less effective. In general, vaccines work best when your CD4 count is above 200 copies/ml. Also, by stimulating your immune system, vaccines may cause your HIV viral load to increase temporarily.
Because HIV medicines strengthen the immune system and reduce HIV viral load, people with HIV may want to start antiretroviral therapy (ART) before getting vaccinated whenever possible. In some situations, however, immunizations should be given even if ART has not been started such as flu vaccination because the risk of getting flu is the greatest.
People infected with HIV can travel if their health permits. However, it is important to note the following:
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Immunization is a way to protect individuals from the risk of severe illness or death from vaccine-preventable diseases. Please refer to “Immunization” for more information.
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Vaccines are especially critical for HIV infected person, please consult Travel Health Service of DH or your doctor if you have any questions concerning immunization. For more references, please visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Different countries have different policies on AIDS prevention and control. For example, some countries may require visitors or foreign workers to take HIV antibody tests but there is no such regulation in Hong Kong at present. You can contact respective embassies or consulate offices for information. Moreover, you can access the Global Database on HIV related travel restrictions for reference information about HIV-specific travel and residence restrictions of different countries.
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Have enough medications for your trip. Ask your doctor for a letter stating that it is prescribed medication for personal use (no need to specify diagnosis).
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Pack plenty of condoms and lube. They may not be available in the countries you are travelling to or their quality may be poor.
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Clean and adequately cook the food before consumption. Avoid raw food and unboiled water.
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Avoid touching stray animals or wild animals.
Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO)
Under the DDO, PLHIV are protected against discrimination, harassment or vilification in the areas of employment, education, services and facilities, and clubs and sporting activities etc. This protection includes their families and associates. Please visit the Equal Opportunities Commission website for more information.
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Hospitals or clinics cannot refuse to treat people on the ground of having HIV/AIDS.
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People with HIV/AIDS and their families have their equal rights to get access to welfare services under the same set of eligibility requirement, like any other citizen.
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It is unlawful if people with HIV/AIDS are singled out to take an HIV antibody test by the employer who wants to confirm their HIV status.
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It is unlawful for the employer to dismiss people with HIV/AIDS on the ground of their HIV status.
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It is unlawful for colleagues to avoid, harass, or vilify him because of his HIV status.
In case that PLHIV feel discriminated, harassed or vilified, either directly or indirectly, they may make a complaint in writing to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). Some cases may also be brought to court. Upon request, the EOC will assist PLHIV in respect of the legal proceedings.
Apart from EOC, you may also contact the local AIDS Organizations for their advice and assistance.