Cebu City - Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) remains a public health issue in many countries including the Philippines. AIDS is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By damaging your immune system, HIV interferes with your body's ability to fight infection and disease.

The first day of December every year is celebrated as the Worlds Aids Day. This year’s theme is “End inequalities. End AIDS”. With a special focus on reaching people who are left behind. The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are underscoring the growing inequalities in access to essential HIV services (WHO 2021). UNAIDS is also highlighting the urgent need to end the inequalities that drive AIDS and other pandemics around the world. The measures needed to tackle inequalities according to UNAIDS include community-led and people-centered infrastructure; equitable access to medicines, vaccines, and health technologies; human rights, to build trust and tackle pandemics; and elevating essential workers and providing them with the resources and tools they need. The WHO calls out to leaders to confront the inequalities that drive AIDS and reach out to people who does not have the access in receiving essential HIV services.

With AIDS being a chronic disease, proper nutrition care is in needed. So here are some tips in maintaining good health and nutrition. 

Tip #1 Ensure food safety

Consuming safe food also ensures that no added infection or contamination is introduced to the body like foodborne illness or food poisoning that could further threaten the health of people with AIDS. Avoid eating raw foods like sushi, ‘kinilaw’, raw or runny eggs and make sure that the food is cooked properly. Wash hands before and after eating. Also ensure utensils used in food preparation are clean.

Tip #2 Maintain healthy weight

This is to ensure that our body can support the stress that the body goes through in fighting off the infection. 

Tip #3 Eat food that are packed with vitamins and minerals

B vitamins helps in energy metabolism, while zinc helps in improving immune function and response. Increasing intake of iron-rich foods helps in decreasing the chance of having anemia.  

Tip #4 Eating high protein and high caloric meal

Consuming high protein and high caloric meals helps the body compensate the catabolic or the breaking down of stored energy process that the body undergoes.

Nutrition is important in maintaining a healthy and safe lifestyle of people with HIV AIDS. There's no cure for HIV/AIDS, but medications and healthy lifestyle can dramatically slow the progression of the disease. Our role as part of the community is to help in making a comfortable and safe environment for people with HIV AIDS// NO I Christine April M. Lopez, RND