Introduction
AIDS
(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) looms larger every week. We are afraid for
ourselves and for our families. We worry when we see no vaccine or cure in
sight for years to come. Above all, wanting to be strong we feel helpless in
the face of something that is becoming the plague of our lifetime.
How will
Seventh-day Adventists respond to this global crisis? How will our church
administration, educational system, medical system, and local churches respond?
How will individuals respond? By their response to the AIDS epidemic.
Seventh-day Adventists demonstrate their mission and purpose. We must question:
"Does our mission and purpose closely reveal the face and heart of God as
reflected in the life and actions of Jesus Christ?" Desiring to reveal the
redemptive love of Christ we need to separate the disease from the issue of
morality, demonstrating a compassionate, positive attitude toward persons with
AIDS, offering acceptance and love, and providing for their physical and
spiritual needs. We should feel ashamed when we see social rejection of people
who have AIDS.
We must be
adequately informed as to the dangers of AIDS and how it is spread. We must use
that information to protect ourselves as well as share with others the
information on prevention.
What
is AIDS?
AIDS is a
contagious disease caused by a virus called the human immuno-deficiency virus
(HIV). The virus enters the blood and disables a vital part of the body's
immune system. This leaves the body unable to defend itself against a wide
variety of infections and certain kinds of cancers.
Medical
science is working intensely to combat AIDS. Some medications delay the onset
of AIDS and others prove effective against some of the infections which persons
with AIDS acquire, but to date there is no vaccine or cure for AIDS and none is
likely in the near future.
What
are the Symptoms of AIDS?
Shortly
after acquiring the virus, humans can transmit the disease although they feel
fine and have no symptoms. The commonly used blood test for the virus remains
negative for two to six months after initial contact and in rare cases, more
than 12 months. After the blood test for the virus becomes positive, people
usually continue to remain symptom free for several years. During this
incubation period they can continue to spread the virus to others. AIDS usually
develops within five to fifteen years of first acquiring the infection. As of
1990 it seems that almost everyone infected with HIV will eventually develop
symptoms and die of this disease
An
intermediate stage of the infection called AIDS-Related Complex (ARC) shows
itself in a variety of symptoms, including: loss of appetite, drastic weight
loss, fever, skin rashes, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea, night sweats, fatigue
and weakness. Affected persons may die from ARC without developing the specific
infections associated with AIDS. People with AIDS commonly suffer repeated
bouts of illness, many due to infections. These may be marked by pneumonia;
severe infections of the mouth, throat or bowels; diarrhea; weight loss;
prolonged fever; and unusual cancers. The virus can also attack the nervous
system and damage the brain, causing loss of memory and coordination, profound
weakness and personality changes.
Global
Impact of AIDS
AIDS has
been reported in nearly every country of the world. During the 1980's AIDS
became an international pandemic, the number of persons with symptoms doubling
every 18 to 24 months. Some people are calling AIDS the "plague" of
the twentieth century. It is estimated that as many as seven million people are
carrying the virus in 1990. At the present, however, well known diseases such
as malaria, schistosomiasis and measles afflict and kill far more people
worldwide than AIDS does. Yet AIDS remains a major threat to public health in
most parts of the world.
The World
Health Organization believes that by the beginning of the twenty-first century
more than 100 million people around the world will be infected by the virus.
One specialist in epidemics, Dr. B. Frank Polk of Johns Hopkins University in
the United States, says that some countries may lose 25 percent of their
population to AIDS by the mid-1990's.
Can
AIDS Be Treated?
Drugs,
such as zidovudine (AZT) effectively slow the progression of AIDS. Many
additional drugs are in various stages of testing and may be released in the
near future. While awaiting better HIV drugs, patients are treated for the
specific infections or cancers as they develop.
Medical
treatment in the United States for a person with AIDS costs an average of
$40-60,000 a year. The prevalence of AIDS is straining the capacity of medical
facilities in many parts of the world. The expense of treating AIDS threatens
to overwhelm the health care system in even the wealthiest countries.
How
People Do and Do Not Get Aids
AIDS is
spread most often through sexual contact. Infected men or women pass it on to
partners of either sex. Because the AIDS virus is carried in the blood, it can
be transmitted when IV drug users share needles and syringes, by transfusions
of infected blood or blood products and by improperly sterilized hypodermic
needles. Instruments used for tattooing, ear piercing, cutting tribal scars or
penetrating the skin for any purpose can also carry the organism. Mothers can
pass it on to children through pregnancy and/or delivery and, rarely, through
nursing.
AIDS is
not casually spread. AIDS is not transmitted by shaking hands, touching,
hugging or being close to people who have AIDS so long as there is no sexual
contact or contact with blood. It is not caught by touching door knobs, using
telephones, eating out in restaurants, swimming in public pools, using public
toilets or through the ordinance of foot washing or baptism. Although the AIDS
virus is found in very low concentrations in tears, nasal secretions and
saliva, it is not easily transmitted by sneezing, coughing or casual contact.
It is not transmitted by mosquito or insect bites or by contact with animals.
It cannot be contracted by donating blood.
AIDS
and the Worldwide Work of Seventh-day Adventists
The
Seventh-day Adventist Church, because of its far reaching ministry in nearly
200 countries, will encounter the challenges posed by AIDS. Seventh-day
Adventist leaders in all institutions and in the local congregations must
actively educate for the prevention of HIV infection.
The
Seventh-day Adventist Church is committed to meeting the challenge of AIDS
comprehensively and compassionately. The General Conference formed an AIDS
Committee in 1987. It is composed of experts in medicine, public health,
nursing, church administration, minority interests, ethics, theology and
education. Its recommendations must be acted on by the church's executive
committees and boards if the church is to have a balanced, comprehensive and
timely approach to AIDS.
AIDS
and Pastoral Ministry
AIDS
challenges the ministry of Seventh-day Adventist pastors and chaplains. They
already have people with HIV infection in their congregations, communities and
hospitals. The numbers will increase. They should not fear casual physical
contact including shaking hands and baptizing. Pastors should continue to call
on the sick at their homes or in the hospital. HIV infections should not change
patterns of visitation or in any way limit ministry.
The AIDS
crisis provides pastors and chaplains the opportunity to speak publicly about
AIDS, sexuality, the sanctity and beauty of marriage, interpersonal
relationships, and about health practices which provide a barrier against
acquiring AIDS. In advocating and educating regarding behaviors that prevent
the transmission of HIV, pastors and chaplains demonstrate the love and
compassion of God in their Seventh-day Adventist ministry.
AIDS
and Pastoral Care
The fear
of AIDS should not compromise our compassion or our witness. Those who test
positive for HIV and who may be sick with the disease should find acceptance
and fellowship in the local congregation. They should be comfortable in our
church services and be welcomed to participate in all activities of the church:
baptism, foot washing and the communion supper. The local church can find many
ways to minister to those with AIDS. Church members can join or form a support
group and become individually involved in a supportive role to meet the needs
of persons and families impacted by AIDS.
AIDS
and Seventh-day Adventist Schools
The HIV
infected child must be welcome in Seventh-day Adventist schools even as God
welcomes us into a relationship with Him. AIDS predisposes to others infectious
diseases such as tuberculoses. If these are present proper precautions may be
necessary confidentiality of students who test positive for HIV must be
protected. Parents and teachers should be educated as to the nature of AIDS and
the steps required to prevent its spread. Guidelines for educational
institutions and a recommended curriculum for AIDS education is available
through the General Conference Education Department.
AIDS
and Seventh-day Adventist Health Care Institutions
Seventh-day
Adventist hospitals and clinics should provide an environment in which AIDS
patients receive compassionate, quality care. At the same time procedures and
policies need to be implemented for the safety of employees to minimize any
careless exposure to the AIDS virus. All needles, syringes and surgical equipment
must be adequately sterilized. Blood and blood products should be tested and
made as safe as possible. Guidelines for preventing AIDS in medical
institutions are available through the General Conference Health and Temperance
Department.
AIDS
and International Workers
Workers
assigned to fields outside of their homeland are receiving special training for
the medical problems in the countries where they will be serving. These workers
are receiving AIDS education. The church is advocating that travelers avoid
injections where oral substitutes are available. They are advised to carry
sterile disposable needles and syringes for their own personal use when
injections are necessary, and they are advised to avoid transfusions of
untested blood or blood products.
A
Final Word About AIDS
Seventh-day
Adventist church members and employees have a Christian obligation to respond
to and treat people suffering with AIDS as Jesus our Savior treated the sick
and outcast. Tragically, the world responds to AIDS sufferers as it once did to
lepers--as sinful carriers of death to be shunned and isolated. But God in
Jesus gave us His response. He went out of His way, often walking for several
days, just to touch and heal a person afflicted with leprosy. He always offered
love, acceptance and forgiveness to those afflicted by religious pride and
other sins of the day. Through His redemptive love He offered life and freedom
from the burden of sin. The Seventh-day Adventist Church seeks to engage in the
ministry of Christ. It must respond with love and acceptance when dealing with
all people, including those with AIDS.
How
to Prevent Aids
�
Limit sexual activity to a monogamous marriage relationship with a person known
not to be infected with HIV. When one person is infected and sexual activities
are continued, condoms are recommended.
�
Use only sterilized needles or syringes for injections.
�
Test blood prior to transfusions.
�
Sterilize sharp instruments used for scarification, tattoos and circumcision.
�
Consult your doctor in the early stages of pregnancy.
�
Educate other people about how to prevent AIDS.
�
Choose to avoid high-risk behaviors such as sexual promiscuity and use of
unsterile needles.
This study
document was published by the AIDS Committee of the General Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists, and was released by the Health and Temperance
Department at the General Conference Session in Indianapolis, Indiana, 1990.
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