Restaurants must follow guidelines established by the health department to ensure cleanliness and good hygiene. Always order meat medium to well done, if it’s served rare, send it back. Check how well cooked poultry or meat is by cutting into the centre of it.
If it’s the least bit pink or bloody, send it back. Fish should be flaky, not rubbery, when cut. Order well cooked fried eggs, scrambled eggs and avoid that look runny. Caesar salad dressings and hollandaise sauce should also be avoided, if they contain raw eggs. If you’re not sure about the ingredients in a particular dish, ask before ordering.Raw seafood can pose a serious risk of food poisoning. Raw shellfish, like raw meat and poultry, may contain harmful bacteria. It’s a bad idea to eat oysters on the half shell or raw clams. Lightly steamed seafood, like mussels and snails, may also contain harmful bacteria.
You’ve probably heard about the hole in the ozone layer and the risk involved in getting too much sun. Your skin tans because of damage caused by the sun. Over time, this can lead to skin cancer. You can be exposed to ultraviolet light (the damaging rays of the sun) on both sunny and cloudy days. If you’re going to be outside for long, use a lotion with a high level of sunblock. Sunlight may cause HIV and herpes viruses to multiply. And spending time in the sun can be a problem when you’re taking certain drugs and treatments. Many drugs cause photosensitivity - your skin may react to sunlight by getting network, and you may have tingling and burning sensations. Staying in the sun too long can cause you to burn more easily or quickly.However, lying in the sun can be a positive experience; soaking in its energy can help you relax. If you enjoy doing this, it’s important to use a sunblock and only go out for short periods of time. Suntanning is also used as a treatment for several types of skin conditions. It may be beneficial for many minor skin complaints which are more common in people living with HIV / AIDS.
Americans often forget that many parts of the world have more contagious diseases than are found in North America. Vaccination against many of these diseases is available.
But be careful of live vaccines (made with live germs), since they can cause infection in people with HIV. Discuss your options with your doctor or nearest infectious disease clinic.Food and water can contain germs and parasites that can cause serious diarrhea or vomiting if you’re not used to them. Unboiled water and raw vegetables and fruit can cause the worst problems. Try drinking hot drinks, bottled water, or canned or bottled soft drinks. Do not use ice, unless it’s made from bottled water or water that’s been boiled for five minutes. Brush your teeth with bottled water (not tap water). Avoid salads. Wash fruit well and then peel off any skins, rinds, or shells.
Do not be surprised if you feel fine while you’re away but get sick as soon as you get home. Sometimes this happens because of changes in temperature or climate, or because of jet lag or exhaustion. You may feel weak or nauseous, or have diarrhea. See your doctor right away if you come back from a vacation feeling sick. Drink lots of water (follow safe water guidelines) and other non-carbonated fluids on the plane. Keep all your medicine with you on the plane, in case your luggage is lost or delayed. If you’re carrying a lot of medicine, allow extra time to clear customs.
More than 50 countries put travel restrictions on people who have HIV. This means they have rules about whether you can travel there, or how long you can stay, if you are HIV positive. (Officials may be able to figure out that you’re positive if, for example, you’re carrying certain medications.) Most of these rules have to do with people who plan to stay for a long time - in order to study or work , for example. Many countries will not let HIV-positive people stay for good. The U.S. Government does not let HIV-positive people into the country, even to visit, without a special permit. Canada allows HIV-positive visitors and immigrants. Every country has different rules, so check with the embassies or consulates of the countries you plan to visit to get up-to-date information about whether you need to get a visa. It’s usually recommended that you get extra health insurance every time you leave the country, since most provincial health plans do not cover out-of-country medical expenses. Some private insurance policies have a “pre-existing condition” clause. T
his means that any infections or problems that you already had before you left will not be covered. Some plans consider HIV infection a pre-existing condition. Others cover people with HIV as long as their health is stable and they do not have any active infections. Check with your insurance carrier for such restrictions. Regardless, it’s a good idea to buy health insurance, since HIV and AIDS are not the only causes of hospitalization or illness. Accidents do happen, and any problems should be treated right away, rather than waiting till you get back.
Food poisoning
You can not always tell by looking, tasting, smelling or if food has bacteria on it that can cause food poisoning. But such bacteria can cause serious infections in people with weakened immune systems. These infections can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, and are often hard to treat. This can further weaken your immune system. Most food poisoning is caused by food that’s been badly handled or prepared. You can protect yourself by being careful about buying, preparing, and storing food. It’s also useful to know about the following common, harmful bacterial infections and the foods you can get them from. Many kinds of bacteria can cause food poisoning, but three kinds are especially dangerous to people with HIV: Salmonellosis is the illness that can develop from eating foods containing Salmonella bacteria. It causes flu-like symptoms, and sometimes also nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea. Symptoms can develop six to 48 hours after eating infected food, and may last up to a week. The foods that most often cause salmonellosis include raw or undercooked meat, poultry (chicken, turkey, etc..), And fish. Campylobacteriosis, or campylobacter infection, can cause belly pain, diarrhea (which can be watery and / or contain blood), nausea, headache, muscle pain, and fever. Symptoms begin two to five days after eating bad food and generally last seven to ten days. These bacteria are found in raw or undercooked poultry, unpasteurized milk, and unchlorinated water.Listeriosis, the disease caused by Listeria, gives you flu-like symptoms: chills, fever, and headache, and sometimes also nausea and vomiting. These early symptoms can appear two to 30 days after eating the bad food, and can be followed by meningitis or encephalitis. Foods that can contain Listeria are unpasteurized milk and cheeses and raw or undercooked meat, poultry, and fish.
Drug treatments used for HIV / AIDS may interact with drugs used to treat hemophilia. Some drugs may affect clotting time, and should not be used. Talk to your doctor or nearest hemophilia group to see if any drugs you are taking can harm your health. In particular, you should avoid Aspirin (ASA).
Many people with hemophilia, and some people who have had transfusions, may be infected with hepatitis C and should therefore consider the effect of any therapy on liver function. A hematologist and a hepatology specialist should be consulted.
The treatments are now available that can both improve the quality of life of many children with HIV and increase their life span. Most of the same treatments used for adults are also used for children. AZT, ddI, AZT and 3TC with are the antivirals that have been approved for children, but studies are still ongoing.
Since normal T cell counts in children are different from those found in adults, different guidelines are used to decide when prophylaxis (preventive treatment) is necessary. Contact your local AIDS group to see if any pediatric (children’s) AIDS clinics are available in your area.
While you’re reading about treatments, keep in mind that these are only one part of your health care. Also, treatment information changes quickly, and new treatments become available. The information in this book is current as of the time of writing. Contact your nearest AIDS group or the Community AIDS Treatment Information Exchange’s HIV / AIDS Treatment Information Network to get updated information.
When your doctor (or any health professional) prescribes a treatment for you, it’s important to follow his or her prescribed dosage schedule as closely as possible. Make sure you understand how much of the treatment you’re supposed to take, and when. Ask if there are any side effects, and whether it can interact (react badly) with other treatments you’re taking.
Tell your doctor about any other medication (such as over-the-counter drugs) and any type of complementary therapy (such as herbs or supplements) you’re using. Street drugs can also interact with medications. It’s best to discuss this with your doctor.
If you are asymptomatic, it seems that being pregnant will not cause you to develop AIDS faster. There’s no proof that pregnancy will cause you to develop symptoms. If you already have symptoms or have AIDS, pregnancy may cause health problems and lead to AIDS-related illnesses. While you are pregnant, your T4 cell count will drop. After your baby is delivered, your count may rise again slowly. Drugs may have an effect on how your fetus develops, especially during the first trimester (the first fourteen weeks) of pregnancy. Your doctor may advise you to avoid all drugs during this period. If you are pregnant and have a T4 count of less than 200, your doctor will suggest treatments to prevent PCP.
It is advised by AIDS professionals that TMP / SMX, dapsone, and aerosolized pentamidine seem to be safe to use during pregnancy. Acyclovir may be used safely late in pregnancy (after your baby’s organs have formed completely). AZT can reduce the chance of passing on HIV to your baby. It seems to be safe to use after the first trimester.
Not a lot is known about the effects of street drugs on HIV / AIDS or how those drugs will affect different treatments. A small amount of alcohol (one or two drinks a day) does not seem to increase damage to your immune system or cause you to get AIDS faster. However, drinking lots, or often, over a long period of time puts stress on your liver and other internal organs, which makes them less able to help your body use any medications you’re taking. Alcohol and drugs can make it harder for your body to absorb important vitamins and minerals, which can contribute to health problems.
Drug use increases the risk of getting bacterial infections such as bacterial pneumonia, sepsis (blood infection), and endocarditis (an inflammation of the heart). It might help to clean your skin with an alcohol swab before shooting up. Tuberculosis and hepatitis B are also major concerns for drug users. Also, it can be difficult to tell the difference between problems related to drug use and symptoms of some infections associated with AIDS. This may prevent the early diagnoses of some infections. Several important drug interactions (drugs reacting badly with each other) happen with methadone (a narcotic used to help people get off heroin). Rifampin and phenytoin (used for the treatment of seizures in patients with central nervous system infections) cause the elimination of methadone, which leads rapidly to withdrawal symptoms. This can be prevented by increasing your daily methadone doses. Because of the effects of some drugs and of alcohol on your body, you may want to think about the pros and cons of cutting down, switching drugs, or quitting. A worker at a detox centre or your nearest AIDS group may be able to help you choose which drugs are the most harmful and how to reduce or use them safely. Decisions about drug use are your own business.
When you’re HIV positive, you have to watch not only what you eat, but also how you prepare your food. Some uncooked foods may put you in danger of bacterial or other infections. Avoid undercooked or raw meat or fish (although salt water fish is generally safe if prepared professionally). Meat should be well done (thoroughly cooked). Raw eggs and unpasteurized milk carry a risk of salmonella infection. Avoid salad dressings (such as Caesar salad dressing) and unpasteurized eggnog if they are or contain raw eggs. Use pasteurized eggs (frozen or processed) rather than fresh eggs when making homemade ice cream, eggnog, and mayonnaise.
When cooking eggs, make sure that the yolks and whites are firm, not runny. Raw vegetables and fruit must be washed to remove all dust. Cut off any mouldy parts. You can use grapefruit seed extract or bleach in the water when you wash these foods. About ten to 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract or one teaspoon (4 millilitres) of bleach per litre of water should kill organisms on the surface of the vegetables or fruit. Before you handle any food, wash your hands with soap. Wash them again after you touch any raw meat or fish. Try to buy your meat fresh or thaw it quickly. Use one cutting board for meat and another one for fruit and vegetables.
Plastic cutting boards are easier to keep clean than wooden ones. Wash your cutting boards with hot soapy water immediately after use. Keep shelves, counter tops, cutting boards, refrigerators, freezers, utensils, and dish towels clean.Keep hot foods hot, cold foods cold. Properly cooking food can protect you from food poisoning. Heat kills bacteria. Most cookbooks give cooking times and temperatures for various foods. A minimum temperature of 60 Celsius (140 Fahrenheit) is necessary in order to kill bacteria.
When reheating leftovers or heating partially cooked foods, heat to a temperature of at least 70 Celsius (160 Fahrenheit). Do not taste before cooking is finished. If you are using a microwave oven, first heat the food at full power, then heat for another five minutes at a lower power - 20 or 30 per cent.
