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AIDS Treatment Information made understandable

Advances in treatment and treatment strategies have led to greater options and longer lives for many people living with HIV. Unfortunately, for many people, HIV treatment often seems too complex and difficult to understand.

The Toronto PWA Foundation has produced a series of plain-language pamphlets about HIV treatments. Rather than overwhelming the reader with dozens of details and medical terms, these pamphlets break the information into manageable chunks, and present it in language most people can understand. They are meant to serve as a starting point: a friendly, simple introduction to the often-bewildering world of AIDS treatment information.

We are currently working on the "second generation" of these information pamphlets. We have already produced a series of 11 plain-language pamphlets on various topics, all of which are available through PWA. They are currently being revised to reflect updates in medical practice, and redesigned into a more graphic and easily readable format, downloadable as PDF files. Currently, there are 2 pamphlets available in this "2nd-gen" format:

• Living and learning about HIV: the basics
  (An introduction to basics like the immune system, HIV and AIDS, CD4 counts and viral load, and a "road map" to further reading.)

• HIV Treatments: understanding "the cocktail"
  (Information on the drug treatments - sometimes called HAART or "the cocktail" - used to fight HIV.)

( The remaining pamphlets in the series - which deal with opportunistic infections, weight loss, vitamin supplements, and medical marijuana - will be made available over the coming months. )

To check out these pamphlets, click on the following link to the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation website.