Facts about HIV and AIDS

What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is the virus that infects human body and destroys the body system. It weakens the body's immune system, making it difficult to fight infection. A person may live for ten years or more after infection, much of this time without symptoms or sickness although they can transmit the infection to others. HIV is the cause of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

How can you get HIV infection?

HIV is transmitted through body fluids, in particular blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk. It has been established that transmission takes place in four ways, namely through:

• unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected partner
• blood and blood products, for example, infected transfusions and tissue or organ transplants or the use of contaminated injection or other skin-piercing equipment
• transmission from infected mother to the child in the womb or at birth
• breast feeding

How can you recognize HIV/AIDS?

Early infection is not noticeable immediately. In most cases, a few years pass before any sign or symptoms of the disease are developed. Three major signs are: 1) Weight loss (progressive and unexplained weight loss for more than 10% of the body weight); 2) Fever (unexplained or recurrent fever for more than one month); and 3) Diarrhea (continuous or intermittent diarrhea for more than one month). There are several minor signs, including: 1) Cough for more than one month persistently; 2) Chronic fatigue: tiredness even if you have not done anything; 3) Skin rash: itchy severe recurrent skin rashes; 4) Mental changes such as memory loss; 5) Herpes and mouth and throat infections (thrushes); 6) Swelling of the lymph nodes or glands at two or more sites such as in the neck, under the arm, groin area, etc. A person is diagnosed as having AIDS if he or she has one major sign plus two minor signs.

Opportunistic Diseases

Once HIV has destroyed most of the defense cells of the body, the body can no longer fight other infections. As a result, opportunistic diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis, hepatitis, meningitis, pneumonia, diarrhea, etc., may take advantage of the body's weakened immune system. Therefore, the person develops full-blown AIDS or succession of illnesses and dies. Although periods of illness may be interspersed with periods of remission, AIDS is almost always fatal.

How can you protect yourself from contracting HIV?

Sadly, there is no cure against HIV. Antiretroviral drugs are available that slow progression of the disease and prolong life, that is, they stop the virus from multiplying, but no drug is able to permanently destroy the virus inside the human body yet. Research is underway into vaccines.

HIV is a fragile virus, which can only survive in a limited range of conditions. It can only enter the body through naturally moist places and cannot penetrate unbroken skin. Bleach, strong detergents and very hot water kill the virus. Some protective measures include: 1) Avoid pre-marital or casual sex; 2) Abstain from sex; 3) Stay faithful to one partner; 4) Do not share sharp objects such as blades, needles, clippers, etc., with any one; 5) Use male or female condoms of approved quality; 6) Use protective equipment such as gloves and masks where appropriate when dressing a wound of an infected person.

What can you do to someone who has HIV/AIDS?

People who have HIV/AIDS are not dangerous, unless you have sex with them, share skin-piercing instruments with them or receive their blood. So give them love and care. Treat the person like anyone who is sick and needs your love and understanding. Encourage the person to take prompt treatment whenever ill. Advise the person on nutritional diet using variety of locally available foods. Advise the person to maintain personal hygiene and to live in a clean and healthy environment. Treat the person the way you would like others to treat you if you were sick. Advise the person to have faith in God.

Demographic impact of HIV/AIDS

In Africa, demographic impact of HIV/AIDS has consequences on total populations, age and sex differentials. In terms of total population, by 2010, for the 29 countries with over 2% prevalence rates now, total population will be 50 million less than in the absence of AIDS. In terms of sex, women often become infected at younger age than men, and half new infections in Africa are women, thus in the longer run childbearing women will be fewer. In terms of age, everywhere, 15 - 40 year-olds are the worst affected; this active population's contribution to the family, society and the economy is being lost.

Conditions that contribute to vulnerability

There are general factors that create conditions that contribute to vulnerability. AIDS thrives where economic, social and cultural rights are violated, and where civil and political norms are ignored.

On economic side, poverty is a major factor.

Illiteracy and marginalization of the poor make them more vulnerable to infection, and poverty puts pressure on women to survive and support their families by engaging in unsafe sex. Poor diet, inadequate housing and lack of hygiene make HIV-infected persons even more vulnerable to AIDS-related diseases.

On social and cultural side, inequality in personal and working relations leads to unwanted sex in conditions of risk. Attitudes, behaviors and some traditional practices are also factors that may increase the risk. HIV may be transmitted through injecting intravenous drugs, cutting tribal marks or through female genital mutilation (FGM), with or by using contaminated equipment. Drug and alcohol abuse can impair a person's ability to practice safe sex and injecting behavior. The stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS fuels a natural desire to keep quiet about infection, thus helping its spread.

Cultural pressures and denial mask the extent of infection locally and nationally, thus making it harder to plan an effective response for communities as well as individuals.

On civil and political side, conflict situations, break down of law and order, poor frameworks and enforcement mechanisms, together with the denial of organizational rights and collective bargaining, hamper development in general and undermine essential health promotion measures in particular.

The Gender Dimension

HIV/AIDS affects women and men differently in terms of vulnerability and impact. There are biological factors which make women more vulnerable to infection than men, and structural inequalities make it harder for them to take measures to prevent infection, and intensify impact of AIDS on them.

Women experience sexual and economic subordination in marriages, and therefore unable to negotiate safe sex or refuse unsafe sex. Power imbalance in workplace exposes women to threat of sexual harassment.

Source: RefillPill.com Editors' Choice