I What is HIV and how is it transmitted?
HIV stands for “Human Immunodeficiency Virus” and it is the virus that causes AIDS. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection. The most common ways that HIV is transmitted are by having unprotected sexual intercourse with an HIV infected person, by sharing needles or injection equipment with an injecting drug user who is infected with HIV, from HIV infected women to their babies during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding and finally through transfusions of infected blood. HIV is not transmitted through normal, day -to -day contact.
II what do we know about HIV?
· HIV, like other viruses is very small, too small to be seen with an ordinary microscope. Viruses cause all sorts of diseases from flu (influenza) to herpes to some kinds of cancer.
· To reproduce, HIV must enter a body cell, which in this case is an immune cell. By interfering with the cells that protect us against infection, HIV leaves the body poorly protected against the particular types of diseases, which these cells normally deal with.
· Infections that develop because HIV has weakened the immune system are called “opportunistic infections”. These include: respiratory infections for example, tuberculosis, neumocystis carinii pneumonia; gastro -intestinal infections for example, candidiasis in the mouth or diarrhoea; and brain infections for example, toxoplasmosis or cryptococcal meningitis.
· Some people may also develop cancers, for example Kaposi sarcoma, a cancer which often causes red skin lesions.
III What is AIDS? What causes AIDS?
AIDS - the Acquired Immuno -Deficiency Syndrome -is the late stage of infection caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
A person who is infected with HIV can look and feel healthy for along time before signs of AIDS appear. But, HIV weakens the body's defence (immune) system until it can no longer fight off infections such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, tumours, cancers and other illnesses.
Today there are medical treatments that can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system (anti-retroviral treatment). There are other treatments that can prevent or cure some of the illnesses associated-with AIDS, though the treatments do not cure AIDS itself. As with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and preventative health care.
IV What are antibodies?
The body's defence system (immune system) develops germ fighters, called antibodies to fight off and destroy various viruses and germs that invade the body.
The presence of particular antibodies in a person's blood indicates that the person has been exposed to that infection. For example, when a blood test reveals that the antibodies to HIV are present in the blood, it means that the person is infected with HIV.
V What is the “window” period?
This is the time that the body takes to produce measurable amounts of antibodies after infection. For HIV this period is usually 2-12 weeks, and in rare instances it may be longer.
This means that if an HIV antibody test is taken during the “window” period it will be negative since the blood test is looking for antibodies that have not yet developed. But, that person is already HIV-infected and can transmit HIV to others.
People taking the test are advised, if the result is negative, to return for a re-test in 3 months by which time if the person had been infected, the antibodies are almost certain to have developed (they should avoid risk behaviours during the 3 months).
The most common test for HIV antibodies is called the ELISA test.
What does the asymptomatic period mean?
The asymptomatic period is the period of time between infection and the beginning of signs and symptoms related to AIDS.
This varies from person to person for HIV/AIDS. It may be as short as 6 months or as long as 10 years.
People usually have an asymptomatic period of several years in which they may have swollen lymph nodes but no other complaints. Then, they may start to develop symptoms like oral thrush or night sweats. It may then still take years before they develop full-blown AIDS. The period between the development of full-blown AIDS and death may be as short as 6 months or as long as 2 years. During the asymptomatic period there may be no evidence that the person is sick, however, HIV-related illnesses can occur regularly over many months or years before full-blown AIDS develops. During the asymptomatic period (as well as during the symptomatic period), the person is infectious - that is, can pass HIV on to others
Can I get AIDS from “casual contact” with an infected person?
No. This means that it is OK to play sports and work together, shake hands, hug friends or kiss them on the cheek or hands, sleep in the same room, breathe the same air, share drinking and eating utensils and towels, use the same showers or toilets, use the same washing water and swim in the same swimming pool. You cannot get infected through spitting, sneezing, coughing, tears, sweator bites from mosquitoes or other insects.
Can someone infected with HIV look healthy?
There is no way of knowing whether someone is infected, just by looking at them. A man or woman you meet at work, at school, in a sports stadium in a bar or on the street might be carrying HIV -and look completely healthy. But during this time of apparent health, he or she can infect someone else.
What are the symptoms of AIDS?
This question must be approached with caution, since it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms actually mean onset of AIDS or if they are simply symptoms of other conditions. People develop signs and symptoms of their HIV infection before they develop what has been defined as AIDS. AIDS is the final and most severe phase of HIV infection and leads to death.
The obvious signs and symptoms are indications of an opportunistic disease, such as tuberculosis or pneumonia. However, associated findings might include recent, unexplained weight loss, fever for more than one month, diarrhoea for more than one month, genital or anal ulcers for more than one month, cough for more than one month, nerve complaints, enlarged lymph nodes and skin infections that are severe or recur.
What should I do to protect myself from HIV?
Since there is no vaccine to protect people against getting infected with HIV, and there is no cu re for AIDS, the only certain way to avoid AIDS is to prevent getting infected with HIV in the first place. The best prevention method is the adoption of safe-sex behaviour. Safe sex includes using a condom, but, using a condom correctly
and using one every time you have sex. You should learn how to use condoms and how to negotiate the use of condoms with your partner. For information about effective and healthy use of condoms, you should consult health services for young people and pharmacies. (Please also see: http://www.unaids.org/hivaidsinfo/faq/condom.html)
What are the risks of getting HIV through injecting drug use?
The only way to be sure you are protected against HIV is not to inject drugs at all. If you do inject drugs, you can avoid the very high-risk of being exposed to HIV by always using sterile, un -used needles and syringes and using them only once.
Are men and women equally vulnerable physiologically to HIV infection?
Women are slightly more vulnerable physiologically to HIV infection than men. The area of mucous membrane exposed during intercourse is much larger in the woman than in the man, and the mucous membrane surface of the vagina (compared to the penis) can more easily be penetrated by the virus. Very young women are more vulnerable than women in the 18-45 year age group; their immature cervix and relatively low vaginal mucus production present less of a barrier to HIV. Women are becoming infected at younger ages than men. This is partly because many young women marry or have sex with men older than themselves, who have already had a number of partners and partly because of their biological vulnerability.
If a woman is menstruating is there a greater risk of getting infected with HIV (for her partner and for herself)?
Menstrual blood from HIV-infected women does contain the virus. Infection would be dependent on whether the menstrual blood had contact with the sexual partner's bloodstream. A woman who is menstruating is likely to be at a higher risk for HIV through sexual intercourse.
Can you become infected by blood transfusion or by blood products?
Recommended standard practice for all transfusion services is to test, and exclude from use, all blood and blood products that are “Sero Positive” i.e., contain antibodies to HIV. In most countries, efforts have been made to test all blood donations for HIV since 1985.
There is a very small chance that an occasional transfusion may contain the virus, since an HIV- infected donor might have been in the “window” period (test negative) when giving blood.
You cannot get HIV from donating blood (as long as you insist on a fresh needle).
What happens to a baby born to a woman with HIV infection?
The baby may be born infected with the virus. An infected mother can also pass the infection to her baby during breast-feeding after childbirth.
About 20-40 per cent of babies born to infected mothers will acquire the HIV virus. Some of those will develop AIDS during the first year of life. The majority of HIV-infected babies will not survive to their second birthday. However, some may survive up to 7 years or even longer.
It serves little purpose to test babies born to HIV -infected mothers for HIV antibodies at birth. There are likely to be many false positive results because antibodies from the mother are still circulating in the baby's bloodstream. Only at 18 months or older, can an antibody test result be regarded as reliable.
Does breast-feeding transmit HIV?
Breast milk of an HIV -infected mother contains HN, which can be transmitted to the baby. However, because of the benefits of breast-feeding, the World Health Organization recommends that in situations where infectious disease and malnutrition are the main cause of infant deaths and the infant mortality rate is high,
mothers should breast-feed their babies, even if they are known to be infected with HIV, as the risk to the baby is less than the risks involved in artificial feeding.
What should I do if I think I might already have HIV?
If you think you might have HIV, or if you have had unprotected sex, you should ask your physician about getting an HIV blood test and some counselling. Both pre-test counselling and post-test counselling are important.
If you prefer to check it out yourself, many cities have testing centres where you can get an HIV test and some good confidential counselling. It is essential to know whether you have been infected. If you are infected, early detection will permit you to get full and proper medical care. With proper care, people with HIV infection can live for many years. It is also essential to know whether you are infected to avoid infecting others through blood donation, unprotected sex or through needle sharing.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of being tested for HIV?
The advantages of being tested are as follows:
· You can receive treatment and increase the quality and duration of your life.
· You can make the decision to take care of yourself and those around you.
· You can develop a social and emotional support system during the early stages of the disease.
· You can benefit from new types of medicine as they are developed.
· You can make informed decisions, for example, the decision to get pregnant, or not?
· You can inform your partner and take precautions so that he/she does not get infected.You can choose to abstain from having sex and indulging in other behaviours that may risk others’ chances of getting infected.
· You can choose to abstain from having sex and indulging in other behaviours that may risk others’ chances of getting infected.
· If you are not infected, you will be relieved and will want to protect yourself in the future.
What if I test positive for HIV?
If you test positive for HIV, the sooner you take steps to protect your health, the better. Prompt medical care may delay the onset of AIDS. There are a number of important steps you can take immediately to protect your health. See a doctor, even if you do not feel sick. There are now many drugs to treat HIV infection and help you maintain your health.
Also, you have the opportunity to make others more aware of the disease and to fight for tolerance and compassion for people living with HIV/AIDS.
What should I do if I know that someone has HIV or AIDS?
People with HIV are part of society. They can continue their lives and do their jobs as well as they could before they were infected. They look and feel perfectly healthy for a long time. People with HIV should be treated just like anyone else. If you know that someone has HIV or AIDS, you should respect that person's privacy and not tell any one about his or her infection. We all need to learn to live with HIV and AIDS. This involves understanding people with HIV / AIDS and giving them love and support, not prejudice and rejection.
