Living with HIV and AIDS

AIDS is a disease that affects millions of South Africans. It is caused by a virus called HIV that slowly weakens a person's ability to fight off other diseases. If your are infected with HIV you can still lead a normal healthy life for many years by: taking care of your health being positive about life getting support from those around you practicing safer sex
Taking care of your health includes: eating properly getting exercise getting enough rest Eating healthily can help your body fight diseases. This includes eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables eating whole grains such as samp and brown bread avoiding junk foods drinking lots of water avoiding alcohol, smoking and drugs keeping your cooking and eating area clean
A positive attitude towards life can be developed by: setting goals in life believing in yourself looking at the positive side of things knowing your strenghs and weaknesses Support can come from family, friends, support groups and trained counsellors. Find out more about services that offer HIV/AIDS support in your area by contacting the AIDS helpline or through your nearest AIDS Training, Information and Counselling Centre.
If you are HIV positive it is very important to prevent passing the infection on to others. Find out more about safer sex, and use a condom every time you have sex.