Author: Prof. (Dr) Vikas Bhatia

Publisher: Newredmars Education Pvt Ltd

Published:

Total Pages: 107

ISBN-13: 9393620024

Globally an estimated 34 million people have HIV. More than 35 million people have died from the virus, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history. Today, many scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, there are laws to protect people living with HIV and we understand so much more about the condition. But despite this, people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others from HIV, and stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many people living with HIV. The idea for this book grew out of a institutional consultation by various departments under the patron ship of the director & the dean of AIIMS Bhubaneswar on offering concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects on HIV/AIDS. This meeting brought experts on HIV/AIDS together with national AIDS programme managers to discuss how HIV/AIDS could be addressed more systematically within existing HIV health sector programmes. The participants recognized that for this goal to be achieved it was necessary to produce an book for programme managers, students and health care staff to provide knowledge about the various guidelines ,address specific types of HIV/AIDS clinical conditions and their management and diagnostic algorithms for screening and identification of HIV positive cases. The process of developing this book has been iterative, with revisions being made continuously through interaction with numerous reviewers, people in the field and, in the final stages, review by the editors with continuous guidance and support by the chief editor. The book is not only thoroughly researched and authoritative – it is very timely, since an epidemic of AIDS and people living with HIV is superimposing itself upon the heavy cost that AIDS is already exacting from men and women throughout the world. This is particularly so in Africa, but also in Western Europe and North America and Asia. The book is important as it reminds the public and Government that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education. It gives an opportunity to learn the facts about HIV and put the knowledge into action. If helps to understand how HIV is transmitted, how it can be prevented, and the reality of living with HIV today - this knowledge can be used to take care of one’s health and the health of others, and ensure treating everyone living with HIV fairly, and with respect and understanding. That's why it was decided to create awareness by releasing a concise book on HIV/AIDS at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. The book is timely for a further reason. The UNAIDS has chosen, “Getting to Zero” as the theme for the year 2015. This selected by the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) to commemorate year 2015 World AIDS Day on 1st December. The new theme, that will be used until 2015, echoes the UNAIDS vision of achieving “Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths. For even though the epidemic has been identifiably present for nearly 30 years, there is still much work to be done – not only in bringing life-saving treatment to everyone who faces death from AIDS, but in shaping insights about how best to deal with AIDS. The grief, pain and loss the pandemic inflicts can make us angry. Ignorance of how HIV is transmitted can make us fearful. HIV-related stigma can make us respond irrationally to those living with the virus. This book will, we think, be very helpful to the programme managers, students and health care staff. The book is well-structured, carefully stated and authoritative. It argues & emphasises a point – “Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths & also provides insight into the various aspects of HIV transmission, diagnostic modalities , social and psychological aspects of AIDS patients with evidence and empathy. Through its information and the authority with which it uses its arguments, this book makes an important contribution to global understanding of policy in the epidemic. The book is not simply a textbook of definitions; each chapter provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given topic. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how it has developed. Whatever the area of HIV / AIDS related study, each topic will fascinates the reader, the book is a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.