A. Warm-up Game

B. The Difference Between HIV and AIDS
Explain the following points:
• Technically, people do not die from AIDS or from HIV.
• HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, so that the immune system cannot protect the body.
• Once HIV has killed enough of the immune system and diseases have started to attack the body, the person is said to have AIDS.
• AIDS is a condition in which the immune system is so weakened by HIV that it cannot protect itself from other diseases.
AIDS:  Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
UKIMWI: Ukosefu Wa Kinga Mwilini
• People with AIDS can get many kinds of diseases easily because their body cannot fight them.
• These diseases are called “opportunistic infections” because they take the opportunity to attack the immune system when it is weak.
• In order to understand how HIV affects the body and progresses into AIDS we are going to act out the immune system.
 

C. Immune-System Role Play
1. What is the immune system?
The immune system is the system in our body that protects us from diseases.  The immune system fights diseases as soon as they enter the body.

2. How does the immune system work?
a)  The immune system has many kinds of white blood cells, each with an important job.  Here are some of the cells and their jobs:

T4 Cells (helper cells/chembechembe saidizi): The T4 cells order other cells to fight antigens.

Antigens:  Germs that cause disease.  They could be virus, bacteria, fungus or any other type of germ.

T8 Cells/ Killer cells:  When the T4 cell alerts them to the danger, T8 cells attack antigens when they enter the body and stop disease.

B cell: When the T4 cell alerts them to the danger, this cell makes antibodies.

Antibodies/Kingamwili: Antibodies learn to recognize antigens and kill them when they enter the body.
 
 

b) How does the immune system work without HIV?

• When an antigen enters the body, the T4 cells see it and tell the B cells and the T8 cells to fight it.
• The B cells make antibodies which will learn to recognize the antigen in the future and will attack it.
• The T8 cells kill the antigen.
• When the antigen tries to enter again the antibodies recognize it and help the T8 cells to kill it.
 

c) How does the immune system work with HIV?
• When HIV enters the body it takes over the T4 cells, multiplies inside them, and kills them.
• The T4 cells are not able to warn the other cells when diseases enter the body.
• When an antigen enters the body, the T8 cells and the B cells don’t recognize it and they let it attack the body.  The body gets very sick since it cannot fight disease.
 

d)  Acting out the immune system:
The following roles are assigned and the immune system is acted out both before and after HIV attacks it.
• T4 cell
• B cell
• T8 cell
• Antibody
• Antigen
• HIV
 
 

D.  Progression of HIV into AIDS
HIV turns into AIDS when a certain amount of the T4 cells have been killed.  Once a person has below a certain amount of T4 cells and has had opportunistic infections, that person is said to have AIDS.  When a person is infected with HIV the disease goes through the following stages:

1. Window period
After a person has first been infected with HIV, they have not yet developed antibodies.  They may test negative for HIV because the test measures antibodies, not the virus.  This period can last 3-6 months.  During this time the person may feel flu-like symptoms and they can easily infect another person, even though they would test negative for HIV.

2. Incubation Period
This is the time when HIV antibodies develop and try to fight the disease.  During this time, a person will test positive for HIV and can transmit the virus to others, but they may not look or feel sick.  This period can last longer than 15 years, but usually lasts between 5 and 10 years.  This period can be prolonged by a healthy lifestyle which includes:  proper rest, exercise, good nutrition, not smoking or drinking, emotional well-being,  and getting early treatment for any diseases that occur.

3. AIDS
After a while the HIV kills enough T4 cells and the body develops AIDS.  During this time a person will get sick very easily with diseases their body would normally be able to fight off.
 

Draw progression chart on board.  Have participants put the following symptoms in their correct place in the progression of the illness.  Stress that the way HIV develops is different for each person depending on their body and their lifestyle.  If a person with HIV is healthy, he or she can live a lot longer before developing AIDS.
 

Early symptoms:
Weight loss/ Kupungua uzito
Cough / Kukohoa
Chronic Diarrhea /Kuharisha sana
Yeast infections
Chills /Baridi

Opportunistic Infections:
Tuberculosis (TB) /Kifua kikuu
Pneumonia /Baridi yabisi
Shingles /Upele
Kaposi Sarcoma
Toxoplasmosis
Cervical Cancer/ Saratani ya kizazi
 
 

D. Co-factor tug of war:
Have half of the group stand in a line and the other half stand in a line facing the other direction.  One side of the group represents things that will help a person who is HIV positive to delay the onset of AIDS (a healthy lifestyle).  The other side represents things which make a person who is HIV positive get AIDS faster (an unhealthy lifestyle).  The two sides hold on to the waist of the person in front of them and pull on them, trying to see if they can make the other side topple over.  Afterwards point out to the group that it is important for people who think they could be HIV positive to be tested early.  If they find out they are positive there is a lot they can do to delay the onset of AIDS.