Dear Counsellor:
My daughter, 17, tested HIV positive. I found out last month. I know she had a lifestyle that I really did not accept and I warned her over and over but she just would not take heed. I have begged her to tell her boyfriends but I guess she had too many to tell and to tell you the truth she has not changed even though she heard about her HIV status. I don't know what to do. I need help for her. Who can I turn to?
- Mother
Dear Mother:
You should speak with an HIV knowledgeable counsellor and encourage her to speak with the counsellor too. The counsellor will help you understand your daughter's illness so you will be better able to cope with this very frightening news.
Your daughter will also learn to accept and deal with her HIV status. She will know that if she continues to have unprotected sex she is destroying her own health/life. Ask your doctor or local health centre to refer you to a counsellor or call the AIDS/STD
Helpline.
My baby's father has syphilis
Dear Counsellor:
I'm two months pregnant and I recently found out that my baby's father is infected with syphilis and I may be infected too. How can I know I'm infected with syphilis?
Will my baby be okay?
- Pregnant and worried
Dear Pregnant and Worried:
You must speak with your health care provider right away so that you can be tested and treated if you are infected. If a pregnant mother with syphilis gets treated before her fifth month, her child almost certainly will be born without syphilis, unless of course, she becomes re-infected later in the pregnancy.
Therefore it is important that your sex partner be treated at the same time as you and must follow the doctor's instructions carefully. Otherwise you could become re-infected, thus posing a threat to the unborn child. If you are not treated for syphilis, your baby may be born too soon (premature); or may be born dead. You could have a sickly baby. Remember if you start to use a condom every time you have sex this would greatly reduce your chances of becoming re-infected with syphilis or becoming infected with other sexually transmitted infections including HIV the virus that causes AIDS.
For more information on condom use, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, call the AIDS/STD Helpline at 967-3830, 967-3764 or toll free at 1-888-991-4444 or write to AIDS c/o the Star, 7 North Street, Kingston.
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