Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). By killing or damaging cells of the body's immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers.
Over one million Americans are living with HIV/AIDS today. Worldwide, the figure is over 33 million. Effective HIV care—including antiretroviral drug therapies and regular access to primary health care—can help people manage their HIV disease and live longer.
As HIV attacks the human immune system, the immune system weakens over time and becomes more susceptible to opportunistic infections (OIs). Opportunistic infections are generally illnesses that don’t make people with a healthy immune system sick or don’t occur as often. There are many kinds of opportunistic infections, including other viruses, bacterial infections, and some types of cancers. Even common colds can become more dangerous and the flu is considered a serious condition in persons with HIV/AIDS.
To name just a few, common HIV/AIDS related health issues include:
• Tuberculosis (TB)
• Hepatitis C
• Cryptoccocal meninigitis
• Pneumocystis carinii pneumosia (PCP)
• Cryptosporidiosis (crypto)
• Toxoplasmosis (toxo)
HIV/AIDS can make treating opportunistic infections more difficult. The longer an individual’s immune system can be kept healthy through diet, exercise, and working with health care providers regarding making treatment decisions and adherence to treatment regimens, the less likely opportunistic infections may occur.
Facts and Myths
HIV can be found in body fluids, including:
• blood
• semen
• vaginal fluids
• breast milk
• some body fluids sometimes handled by healthcare workers (fluids surrounding the brain and spinal cord, bone joints, and around an unborn baby)
HIV is passed from one person to another by:
• having sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) with a person who has HIV
• sharing needles with a drug user who has HIV
• during pregnancy, birth, or breast-feeding if a mother has HIV
• getting a blood transfusion from a person with HIV
Abstaining from (not having) sex is the most effective way to prevent HIV transmission. There are several ways to protect yourself or to prevent transmitting HIV during vaginal, oral, or anal sex if you choose to have sex:
• Get tested for HIV and know the HIV status of yourself and your partner
• Be faithful to your sexual partner
• Use condoms or other latex barriers during vaginal, oral, and anal sex, and never reuse condoms or latex barriers
HIV cannot be transmitted by casual contact. Here are the facts:
• You cannot get HIV from shaking hands or hugging a person with HIV/AIDS
• You cannot get HIV from using a public telephone, drinking fountain, restroom, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, or hot tub
• You cannot get HIV from sharing a drink
• You cannot get HIV from being coughed or sneezed on by a person with HIV/AIDS
• You cannot get HIV from giving blood
• You cannot get HIV from a mosquito bite
Transmission of HIV while getting a tattoo or through a body piercing is possible, but it can be prevented through:
• Single-use instruments intended to penetrate the skin being used only once, then disposed of
• Reusable instruments or devices that penetrate the skin and/or contact a client's blood should be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized between clients according to medical guidelines
These guidelines are the same as those practiced within any medical facility where there is a risk of instruments coming into contact with blood.
What Happens If I'm HIV Positive?
You might not know if you get infected by HIV. Some people get fever, headache, sore muscles and joints, stomach ache, swollen lymph glands, or a skin rash for one or two weeks. Most people think it's the flu. Some people have no symptoms.
The virus will multiply in your body for a few weeks or even months before your immune system responds. During this time, you won't test positive for HIV, but you can infect other people.
When your immune system responds, it starts to make antibodies. When this happens, you will test positive for HIV.
After the first flu-like symptoms, some people with HIV stay healthy for ten years or longer. But during this time, HIV is damaging your immune system.
One way to measure the damage to your immune system is to count your CD4 cells you have. These cells, also called "T-helper" cells, are an important part of the immune system. Healthy people have between 500 and 1,500 CD4 cells in a milliliter of blood.
Without treatment, your CD4 cell count will most likely go down. You might start having signs of HIV disease like fevers, night sweats, diarrhea, or swollen lymph nodes. If you have HIV disease, these problems will last more than a few days, and probably continue for several weeks.
How Do I Know If I Have AIDS?
HIV disease becomes AIDS when your immune system is seriously damaged. If you have less than 200 CD4 cells or if your CD4 percentage is less than 14%, you have AIDS.
If you get an opportunistic infection, you have AIDS. There is an "official" list of these opportunistic infections put out by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The most common ones are:
• PCP (Pneumocystis pneumonia), a lung infection;
• KS (Kaposi's sarcoma), a skin cancer;
• CMV (Cytomegalovirus), an infection that usually affects the eyes
• Candida, a fungal infection that can cause thrush (a white film in your mouth) or infections in your throat or vagina
AIDS-related diseases also includes serious weight loss, brain tumors, and other health problems. Without treatment, these opportunistic infections can kill you.
AIDS is different in every infected person. Some people die a few months after getting infected, while others live fairly normal lives for many years, even after they "officially" have AIDS. A few HIV-positive people stay healthy for many years even without taking antiretroviral medications (ARVs).
Is There A Cure For AIDS?
There is no cure for AIDS. There are drugs that can slow down the HIV virus, and slow down the damage to your immune system. There is no way to "clear" the HIV out of your body.
Other drugs can prevent or treat opportunistic infections (OIs). In most cases, these drugs work very well. The newer, stronger ARVs have also helped reduce the rates of most OIs. A few OIs, however, are still very difficult to treat.
While there is currently no cure or vaccine for HIV/AIDS, people living with HIV disease can benefit from an array of antiretroviral therapies and other services that have proven effective against it. HIV is now managed as a chronic, long-term disease for many Americans.
Federal efforts are underway to investigate even more effective drug regimens, develop vaccines, and design prevention strategies that can help people from becoming infected. Most are under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health, within HHS.
The best way to protect yourself is…
1. To know about AIDS,
2. To spread the Aids Awareness and its deadly endangers.
3. Not to be a victim of the deadly virus by being all time alert.
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