Valuable Resources for HIV/AIDS Patients

If you are living with HIV/AIDS, you are not alone. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an estimated 1.1 million other Americans are living with the disease, and every 9½ minutes someone else in the U.S. is infected with HIV. The good news is that since the advent of triple drug therapy, individuals with HIV/AIDS are living longer, happier, more fulfilling lives than they were 10 years ago.

This resource will help you educate yourself on safe practices to prevent further transmission, find supportive counseling and treatment services to ensure your well being, as well as provide information on the latest antiretroviral treatments that will help you lead a healthy life.

Educate yourself: Prevention, Symptoms, Testing and Transmission - Resources for the Recently Diagnosed
Quality of Life: How to Live Well with HIV/AIDS - Supportive Services - Recent Developments in Medication and Research

Educate yourself: Prevention, Symptoms, Testing and Transmission

• AIDS.org instructs those with HIV on how to prevent further transmitting the virus to those who are HIV negative. This resource tells you how to prevent spreading HIV through sex, drug use, If you are pregnant—to your child, and through contact with blood.
• Avert provides essential information on how HIV is passed from one person to another. Here you will learn about how the virus spreads, common myths about contracting HIV, and how to prevent spreading the virus to someone who is HIV negative. 
• eMedicine outlines and explains all the essential topics concerning HIV and AIDS. Here you will learn how exactly the virus is transmitted, when to seek medical care, information on the forms of treatment, and how to prevent further spreading HIV to others.
• Center for Disease Control provides an informative guide on mother-to-child transmission of HIV. If you are HIV positive and pregnant, or considering pregnancy, this resource is essential for you to understand risk factors involved with passing on the HIV virus to your child. It also offers information on the latest drugs and preventative medicine to reduce the risk of transferring the virus to your unborn child.
• Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention provides a useful handout on the "treatment as prevention" approach to reducing the spread of HIV. Here you will learn about how scientists are exploring how HIV positive individuals can substantially reduce the risk of further transmitting the virus by adhering to an antiretroviral regimen.
• HIV Test is a comprehensive resource for HIV testing. Here you can look up a testing site nearby, read about basic facts about HIV/AIDS, and access other resources on the transmission and treatment of HIV.
• The US Department of Veteran Affairs offers an outline of the various stages of HIV infection and AIDS. Here you will learn about the difference between HIV and AIDS, how the virus is transmitted, the symptoms, how to get tested, the long term effects, and the mortality rates.

Resources for the Recently Diagnosed

• AIDS Info provides a tool that will allow you to search for clinical trials for new HIV drug treatment options in your area. Simply enter your state, what type of drug trial you are interested in, and a list of results will direct you on how to get involved in a trial.
• AIDS.gov reminds the newly diagnosed to relax and breathe—that with proper care, HIV is NOT a death sentence. Here you will find advice on aspects of caring for your condition, from making an appointment with an HIV specialist to disclosing your status to family and friends.
• AIDS Map helps those who are recently diagnosed with HIV. While some of their resrouces are targeted to those living in the UK, their links to advice on starting treatment, disclosing your status with friends and family, and information on medical care are relevant to all.
• Avert helps you cope with and talk about your positive test results. Here you can read personal stories of others who were recently diagnosed, discover resources on how to tell your partner, previous partners, friends and family, and how to choose whether or not to have children.
• The Body provides several comprehensive resources specifically tailored to those who have been recently diagnosed with HIV. This site gives you access to resources about HIV/AIDS, how to cope with your diagnosis, how to tell your loved ones, and stories from others who are living with HIV. This site reminds you that if you have just been diagnosed with HIV, you are not alone.
• CATIE, a HIV/AIDS resource based in Canada, helps you move past your diagnosis to living a healthy life. This resource explains how you can get connected and find supportive services, how to tell others about your diagnosis, and how to stay healthy.
• Dhiverse walks you through all of the expected emotions and reactions you may experience after you learn you are HIV positive. They also provide steps and resources to move past these emotions to take action and learn how you can live a fulfilled and healthy life while being HIV positive.
• Healthy Place provides helpful information for those just diagnosed with HIV. This site explains how to effectively manage HIV, when to start treatment, how to choose an antiviral medication, and explains details about expected side effects.
• Journal of the American Medical Association provides a short information sheet about the basics of the HIV virus. Here you will learn how exactly the virus is transmitted, how to detect symptoms of infection, how to prevent contracting the virus, and how to prevent transmitting it to others if you are already infected.
• MayoClinic provides a comprehensive resource to walk you through understanding HIV virus. This site will help familiarize you with HIV, its symptoms, causes, and risk factors, in addition to information about testing and diagnosis, and finally treatment options and lifestyle remedies.
• My HIV Life helps you figure out what to do next after you've been diagnosed as HIV positive. Here you will find links on what you need to know, what steps to take, how to find an appropriate healthcare provider, and specifically how HIV affects women.
• The US Department of Veteran Affairs offers an essential resource for individuals who have been recently diagnosed with HIV and are looking for more information. This resource offers information on your first steps after diagnosis, details on opportunistic infections and the progression to AIDS, in addition to additional resources you may find useful.

Quality of Life: How to Live Well with HIV/AIDS

• A Positive Life instructs you on how to live well with HIV. This site also provides links to how to talk about being HIV positive, other HIV related health problems, and resources for caregivers.
• Avert provides several stories from real life women who are HIV positive. These stories remind you that you are not alone and that other people are not only coping, but are living full and happy lives while being HIV positive. This site also offers a support resource targeted at the emotional strains and needs that come from living with HIV/AIDS.
• The Body provides a comprehensive guide on how to live well with HIV/AIDS. This site offers advice on how to live beyond the medications, how to express yourself artistically, how to connect with others who are living with HIV/AIDS, and how to live a full and happy life. 
• Center for Disease Control answers all of your questions about how to live well with HIV. Here you will find links to information about staying healthy longer, possible treatment regimens, other diseases you may be at risk of contracting, and how to prevent spreading HIV to others.
• National Association of Social Workers outlines how to go about getting Social Security when you are HIV positive. As persons with HIV may qualify for disability benefits through SSI and SSDI, this site explains how to determine if you are eligible and how to start receiving help.
• Strength for Caring provides an excellent resource for your loved ones or partner who will be helping you care for your medical needs. Here your partner or loved ones can find information on the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of being HIV positive, enabling them to better care for and support you.
• The University of San Francisco explains all you need to know about health and nutrition. This site tells you what types of food to avoid, how much water to consume, and how to avoid losing your appetite, among other useful tips on what diet and exercise will maximize your health.
• The US Department of Veteran Affairs offers a list of valuable resources for daily living with HIV/AIDS. This site offers information on home remedies, diet and nutritional advice, the use of drugs and alcohol, exercise, and mental health, as well as information about sex and sexuality.

Supportive Services

• The Body provides a comprehensive database of all the HIV/AIDS organizations so you can search for them on a state by state basis and find one in your area. 
• Caress offers services and support for those who are living with AIDS. Caress is a service that helps care for issues you may not have the time or ability to while living with AIDS such as transportation to medical appointments and maintaining your home. They also provide information pertaining to AIDS support groups and additional services.
• GMHC is a support and advocacy group whose motto is "Fight AIDS, love life." This site provides links to free testing, counseling services, information on health, exercise, and nutrition services, in addition to several other helpful services.
• HIV AIDS Tribe is an online supportive community for those living with HIV/AIDS. Here you can connect with others who are HIV positive, find access to medical news and treatments, and other relevant supportive services.
• HIV Support provides a listing of HIV/AIDS Support groups. This resource allows you to find nearby supportive services, including counseling, testing sites, and housing assistance programs.
• POZ provides a health services directory for people living with HIV/AIDS. This directory allows you to search for different types of treatment and supportive services in your area.
• Project Inform seeks to inform, inspire, and advocate for those living with HIV/AIDS. This resource provides access to current advocacy work for HIV treatment and public policies, as well as detailed health information.

Recent Developments in Medication and Research

• AIDS.org links you to all of the current news on HIV/AIDS. Here you will find links to stories on public policy, and both national and global news and challenges. This site also offers a wealth of information on the HIV virus itself, how it is transmitted, and the variety of medication available to treat it.
• AIDS Info discusses the difference between preventative HIV vaccines and therapeutic HIV vaccines. Preventative vaccines are being developed to help prevent an HIV negative person from contracting the HIV virus, while therapeutic vaccines help suppress the virus in those who are already HIV positive.
• Avert offers advice and information on ARV regimens. This resource will help you understand how this medication regime works, when you should begin it, the effects and expected side effects, and how it will affect your daily life.
• Be the Generation is a movement to gather support for a vaccine for HIV. Here you can learn about their initiative, how to get involved with the organization in your local community, and find links to additional organizations advocating or developing a vaccine.
• The Body outlines the current most popular medications for HIV regimens and describes in detail what they look like, basic information such as side effects, and news and research information. 
• The Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention provides a wealth of information about the global movement to create a vaccine for HIV. Here you find detailed information on the numerous trials of different vaccines going on around the world, current published scientific research, and tools for advocacy so that you can join the push towards developing a vaccine.
• The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative provides the latest vaccine developments from across the globe. Here you will learn about a variety of vaccine clinical trials, how a vaccine will change the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic across the globe, and get a wider picture of how people and doctors and in other countries are working together to fight against the spread of HIV.
• Journal of the American Medical Association provides an in depth clinical article on current trials for new artiretroviral drugs for HIV. This resource is helpful for those who wish to understand the more complex medical processes of treatment and the development of new ARV drugs.
• NIAID discusses its progress in developing and testing the HVTN 505 HIV vaccine. Currently the vaccine is in Phase II of a clinical study to determine if it can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood of vaccinated people who later contract HIV.
• The University of San Fransisco hosts a site that offers all of the latest medical news and developments concerning HIV. This resource provides links to antiretrovial management, global resources, and basic facts about HIV.
• USAID discusses current efforts that the United States is making towards developing an HIV vaccine. This resource discusses the scientific elements of research and development, in addition to a helpful glossary of terms to aid in comprehension of the science behind developing the vaccine.
• The US Department of Veteran Affairs explains how clinical trials work and why you may or may not be interested in participating in one. This site provides steps towards getting involved in a clinical trial, what you can expect, as well as the benefits and risks involved with clinical trials.
• The US Military HIV Research Program provides an array of information concerning their search for a vaccine. Here you will also find updated information on the RV144 vaccine trial in Thailand, which is the first study to show some effectiveness in preventing HIV.