Some kids that I babysit asked me. I just didn't wanna say "it's a disease." but wanted to explain more. Since I also not so familiar with what exactly HIV/AIDS is, I need someone's help. Thanks!
STDs - 4 Answers
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1 :
That's so tough. If the parents are decent and informed parents, it's best that you tell the kids that this is something they ask their parents, and then tell the parents that they really need to address this with their kids as soon as possible, because they know enought to ask so really need to know! (Obviously lots of people are exercising their reproductive organs without any of the other qualifications needed to actually be decent parents or human beings, so if these are kids who fit into this category, they are lucky to have you to fill in for where their parents left off.) http://www.talkingwithkids.org/aids.html A quick google brought up this site, but I think it can be even easier. Essentially HIV is a virus that people contract that takes away their ability to fight off every other virus or bacteria they encounter every day. We are all covered with bacteria and fungi and exposed to viruses every day, and that is normal and good and healthy for us. We don't usually get sick from those! (Sometimes we catch a cold or flu or urinary tract infection or something small from that, but usually our bodies can handle it because we're made tough like that) But if we get HIV, even the normal things in our environment can harm us, and then lots of other more serious illnesses become so hard to fight off that they can become life-threatening. Our normal immune system is working hard to protect us every day from viruses that people accidentally sneeze onto us, or bacteria we eat in our foods, or even cancer cells that normally develop in all of our bodies but that our immune system is strong enough to simply eat up and do away with. With AIDS, we can't fight off any of those normal, everyday invaders. (Without AIDS, we fight them without even trying--we're super strong every day!) With HIV, which eventually develops into AIDS, the body's ability to naturally fight all the every day stuff goes away, so people get sick from all kinds of things in the environment, as well as from things that normally live within our own bodies without harming us. Extremely rarely this can be caught from a blood transfusion or by some other accidental way. Usually, however, people contract this disease because they are engaging in very risky behavior. Most of the times that we engage in very risky behavior it's because we feel bad about ourselves for some reason or another. Either we feel really insecure, or lonely, or we want to be accepted by other people. When we feel lonely or insecure or try to do things that don't feel right to us just in order to try to make other people like or love us, people can sometimes talk us into doing things that could eventually hurt us..... Obviously, avoiding unprotected sex and sharing needles are the easiest way to prevent this disease. In some communities, age 10 is too early to start talking about this so explicitly, but in other areas, lots of kids are becoming promiscuous or have been exposed to kids offering drugs at an early age and already know about these terms and concepts. Depending on your environment, you (or the parents, ideally) will have to decide how much information to give about those details. If kids are asking, they know a lot already! They need honest answers from adults, or else they will get false answers from peers. Good luck!
2 :
Just tell the parents they asked what AIDS/HIV is..the kid i babysit asked where do babies come from i just told him to ask his mom answer mines please http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080802155628AAVZI1R
3 :
It may be helpful for you to know why they are asking. Although I am not sure how I would explain it to a 10 year old, here is some info for you: HIV is a virus that can lead to AIDS. There are often no symptoms of HIV soon after infection, so people need to be tested to find out whether or not they are infected. Many HIV infections are caused when people who do not yet know they are infected pass the virus on to other people. HIV destroys the immune system by destroying the cells that help us fight infections. Once that infection-fighting cell count drops to 200 or below, diagnosis changes from HIV to AIDS, and the person would be susceptible to other infections such as colds, flu, and pneumonia. People with healthy immune systems would have no problems dealing with those illnesses, but people with AIDS (severely damaged immune systems) could die from those infections. HIV is spread through unprotected sexual contact with an infected person, direct contact with infected blood, and can be transmitted from a mother to her child during delivery. If the woman takes appropriate medications and other precautions, the risk of transmission to the baby is very low. HIV is also found in breastmilk, so women who are HIV+ should not breastfeed their babies. These days, people with HIV are able to live longer, healthier, thanks to more available treatments. Progression of HIV to AIDS can be slowed down, but there is no cure for HIV, partly due to the fact that it mutates (changes) a lot, and one medication may kill one mutation, but not others. HIV is not spread by casual contact, or by saliva (as in kissing). The only way you could get HIV by kissing someone is if you both have open cuts or sores in your mouth, exposing you to infected blood (if one of you is infected). HIV does not live for more than a few minutes outside the body. (In contrast, Hepatitis, a virus that causes liver damage, can live on surfaces outside the body for up to 4 days.) I think it is important to let the kids know that if someone they know is HIV+, they can safely touch, hug, or even kiss the person without risking getting infected. People who have HIV need support, not isolation.
4 :
Tell them the truth and also show them some books or print out soem kid friendsly pages about herpes and encourage them to not have sex until they are married or older or in other words not when they are 15 hope i helped!
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