HIV/AIDS

Fact: Some people can become infected by HIV without knowing it.

What is HIV?
Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It can only survive in the cells of another organism. It damages the immune system. At the beginning of 2004, it was estimated that nearly 42,000,000 people were dying because of HIV.

What is AIDS?
Aids is acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A syndrome is a set of signs and symptoms that occur together. The syndrome of AIDS is caused by HIV. But a person that has HIV may not develop AIDS as a disease. AIDS was first diasgnosed in 1991. And since then it has spread rapidly and cases have been heard of in more than a 150 countries.

How is HIV transmitted?
Unprotected sexual contact that may transmit HIV includes vaginal and anal sex, oral sex. Sharing drug injecting equipment. Pregnant mother to child and through breast milk.
Myths About HIV.HIV is not transmitted through sharing plates, cups, cutlery, swimming pools, toilets, kissing, coughing, sneezing, or spitting.HIV is not transmitted through mosquitoes.

Stages of HIV Infection.
Seroconversion and primary illness.
Other people may experience a short seroconversio illness between two and six weeks after becoming infected. Symptoms included in this seroconversion illness include: tiredness, fever, diarrhea, rash, and flu-like symptoms.

Asymptomatic HIV Infection.
After the seroconversion there might be a period of months or years during which the HIV does not show any symptoms. Though, it still damages your immune system.
Symptomatic HIV Infection.Indications of symptomatic HIV infection may include lack of energy, fevers, and night sweats, persistent thrush in women and prolonged bouts of diarrhea.

Late Stage Disease. (Which is the same as HIV).
A person may develop any number of infections which are considered as indicators of AIDS. These conditions include:
- Kaposi's Sarcosis
- Pnuemocystis Carinii Pnuemonia
- Toxoplasmosis- Cytomagalovirus disease
- Candidiasis (thrush) in the oesophagus, throat or lungs

Testing and diagnosis
Detected by a blood test for HIV antibodies. It may not be detectable immidiately after the infectio because it takes a while for measurable quantities of antibodies to be produced by the immune system (up to three months).

Treating HIV and AIDS.
There are 4 principles:
- targeting the virus itself using antiviral drugs.
- treating and where possible preventing the individual opportunistic infections which result from the damage to the immune system.
- restoring or rebuilding the damaged immune system
- treating and alleviating the symptoms of HIV.

Preventing transmission.
It can be prevented by:
- practising safe sex (using condoms although they are NOT 100% safe all the time)
- not sharing drug injecting equipment
- prevention is better than cure

from Maria and Taryn.