Web Watch
Join global forces on World AIDS Day
What is your facility planning for Dec. 1, World AIDS Day? Since the first event was held in 1988, observances have been broadened into a year-round campaign, with events culminating on Dec. 1.
The theme for the 2000 observance is "AIDS: Men Make a Difference." Men tend to have more sex partners than women, including more extramarital partners, thereby increasing their own and their primary partners’ risk of contracting HIV, according to the Geneva-based Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), lead organization for the annual event. That risk is compounded by the secrecy, stigma, and shame surrounding HIV, which keeps men and women from acknowledging their HIV status. Focusing the campaign on men also acknowledges the fact that men are often less likely to seek health care than women, says UNAIDS.
Learning about prevention, treatment
Following are some Web resources to help you and your patients focus on prevention and treatment of HIV:
1. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): www.unaids.org/wac/2000/index.html.
This section of the UNAIDS Web site deals specifically with the World AIDS Campaign. It offers two posters in Adobe Acrobat format that may be downloaded for use. Also available is information from past campaigns that may provide insight for designing present and future campaigns.
2. National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention: www.cdc.gov/hiv/wad.htm.
The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention has a wealth of patient and provider information at its World AIDS Day site. While the site still contains information on the 1999 campaign, it offers many brochures and fact sheets in both HTML and Adobe Acrobat for-mat that can be downloaded for use for general education on HIV/AIDS. Click on "World AIDS Day Activities" to see a state-by-state breakdown of 1999 activities to get ideas for your 2000 observance.
3. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: www.niaid.nih.gov/publications.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases offers several brochures and fact sheets on HIV/AIDS. Click on "AIDS," then "General," then "How to Help Yourself" to view handouts written in an easy-to-read format in English and Spanish on such subjects as "Taking the HIV Test" and "Testing Positive for HIV."
4. The Body: www.thebody.com.
The Body Web site, which is operated by Body Health Resources Corp. in New York City, defines itself as a Web tool "to lower barriers between patients and clinicians; demystify HIV/AIDS and its treatment; improve patients’ quality of life; and foster community through human connection." It offers forums on such topics as treatment regimens, side effects management, and diet and exercise. Search more than 250 topic areas of HIV/AIDS information through the site’s search engine.
5. HIV InSite: hivinsite.ucsf.edu/social/un/3098.0041.html.
HIV InSite is a project of the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center and the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, which are programs of the UCSF AIDS Research Institute. The project offers a link to "Fact Sheets on HIV/AIDS for Nurses and Midwives," developed by the World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Providers may choose from 13 fact sheets that cover the care of people living with HIV/AIDS.
While the fact sheets are written in an easy- to-understand style, they are designed for nurses and midwives and contain detailed information about nursing care and medical matters. The fact sheets are available in Adobe Acrobat format.
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