Thoughts about AIDS and HIV

The never-ending caption between reading the lines of sex is the transitioning of disease called AIDS through HIV. This has scattered as rumors that sex has always been tied to as an illness on a case basis. Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is the one that causes AIDS. Normal illness affect immune system but is controllable by doctor medication. HIV is a virus that scatters on the human immune system that supports illness. CD4 is the type of white blood cells that targets the infection. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) are the most developed type of illness that can be seen in HIV. AIDS are caused by HIV. Long term side effects of the illness make a person die due to AIDS.

Difference between HIV and AIDS:

The difference between HIV and AIDS is, you cannot not have AIDS if you already have HIV. For a couple of years, you can never determine or see the effects or signs of the disease. As for our generation today, people infected by HIV can now be under be medication and treatment. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can determine if the person has AIDS if they go on lab tests and are positive in HIV, they had had at least one positive of the 21 AIDS-defining opportunistic infections and has the CD4 cell result of less than 200 cells.

Signs that positive HIV:

We can never say and pin-point the symptoms of the infection not, unless you’ll take an HIV test. It usually ended up to 12 weeks for an HIV test result to be positive. Exposure to HIV symptoms usually occurs two to four weeks.  If in case you go on positive with the HIV test, so therefore your body is infected; which means that the immune system will take some antibodies to battle the virus. It also includes fever, muscle aches and rashes and swollen glands.

We have common misconceptions in line with HIV and AIDS. The much rumored misconception is “HIV doesn’t cause AIDS”. The truth beyond the myth is that – if you don’t have HIV, you don’t have AIDS as well. And, if you have AIDS, you have HIV. The second much rumored misconception is – “the medicines, they take that killed people and not the AIDS.” The truth beyond the myth is that HIV treatment called antiretroviral, don’t cure people with HIV, but they can keep the person healthy for a couple of years. And the last misconception is – “AIDS test can’t be tested”. The truth beyond the myth is – AIDS test measures the body response to HIV, which is called the antibodies. One of the reliable HIV antibody test sources for is ELISA. The CDC is 99% accurate.

HIV is transmitted not only through sex but also in many different ways. HIV is multiplied through body fluids like vaginal fluids, breast milk, blood and semen and other male sexual fluids. You cannot transmit HIV from tears, sweat and spit of saliva. The most common way in which HIV is transmitted is through re-using of needles to inject heroin, drugs and methamphetamine. This process can be reduced by using a bleach solution to cleanse the needle before use of other purposes. Body piercing and tattoo should also be under the license professional to operate equipment. Unsafe sex is the most common HIV transition – may it be anal, oral or vaginal. Barriers such as dental dams, condoms or even latex gloves help reduce the risk substantially in having HIV. Mother-to-child transmission such as breast-feeding, birth and pregnancy, is also one way of transmitting HIV. Mothers with positive HIV can pass the infection to their babies while pregnant, during birth and while on breastfeeding. Mothers with positive HIV should not breast-feed their babies for safer purposes.

Uncommon transmission of HIV

Using a razor is very unusual for HIV transmission, but – it really did infect a number of people already. Using a toothbrush immediately after use of the other person who has HIV could also transmit the virus but on rare cases only. One rare documented case of HIV transmission is “French Kissing” with two individuals having severe dental problems. For safer purposes, avoid contact with blood and sex fluids so as not to be transmitted from HIV.

Learning more about HIV and AIDS

Do you know someone who has HIV or AIDS? This is commonly known to be a condition that does not have a total cure. This is what most individuals don’t like. If you have this you will probably be in controversy among people. Some are rejected by their friends because of such a condition.

Do you want to know about HIV and AIDS? Let us start by knowing the difference between AIDS and HIV. Do you think both are the same? Let’s find out. AIDS mean Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. From the word acquired it means that it is passed to individuals through direct or indirect contact excluding genetic and inborn. In this case, the individual is having a low immune system meaning he or she is very prone to different infections. It is also stated that it is a syndrome, meaning it has numerous signs and symptoms. Next is HIV. This means Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is a type of virus that can eventually trigger AIDS. This virus is capable of destroying the immune system of our body. It requires a lot of time before an infected person will show its signs and symptoms. This will result to further transmission of the virus. The person may think that he is not infected where, in fact, he is.

Let us understand how HIV attacks our body. When the virus is already present in our system it will destroy several types of cells. Mostly, it attacks cells that are part of the immune system. The virus will eventually stick itself to a molecule called the CD4. As the virus enters its surface it will release its genetic material responsible for its replication. In a certain period, the invaded cell will die and the new HIV cell is produced. This process is rapid that our immune system can no longer fight the invading microorganism.

Now we know how the virus acts on our body. Let’s now familiarize the different signs and symptoms of this condition. Actually, an infected individual will stay free from manifestations and may even appear like a healthy normal person. As the period of invasion progresses, the person will gradually experience loss of memory, disturbed gait, sleep cycle alterations, and even depression… In cases of a severe condition of this disease the person may require absolute treatment. In Human Immunodeficiency Virus, there are so called minor and major signs. The minor signs would include coughing persistently for about a month or two, having a herpes zoster, having herpes simplex, and general pruritic dermatitis. On the other hand, the major signs would include sudden weight loss, diarrhea for a long period, and chronic fever that may be due to some infection in the system.

Do you know what are the common signs and symptoms of Acquired Immunodeficiency Virus and Human Immunodeficiency virus? Always remember these signs and symptoms are not confirmatory manifestations of the condition. The symptoms include depression, loss of weight, general weakness, nausea and vomiting, Candida Albicans, and diarrhea. Because of low immune system status, it would be easy for opportunistic infections to set in the body system. Let us know these infections. It includes the bacterial infections (example: tuberculosis), viral infections (example: hepatitis), fungal infections (example: Candidiasis), pneumonia infections (example: Bacterial pneumonia), and parasitic infection (example: Toxoplasmosis). What are the modes of transmission of this disease? It can be transferred by an infected person to another individual through sexual intercourse, blood transfers, maternal to fetal circulation.

There are risk factors for having such a condition. This includes the reusing of needles, unscreened blood transfusion, donation of organ, exposure to some places. How to know if you are having this kind of disease? Actually there are a lot of diagnostic procedures for this condition but despite it, the best thing you can do is to have a confirmatory test. This test is called the Western blot analysis. This will save time and money. Just be practical enough. What is the treatment? Your doctor would probably prescribe you with Anteroviral drugs. Remember that this drug will not cure HIV or AIDS. It will just decrease the reproduction rate of the virus. All types of virus cannot be killed by medications.

In the Midst of Agony

AIDS – Acquire Immune Deficiency Syndrome, the epidemic that has caused extreme agony in Africa. As global trends for this disease rise, the continent is facing a more challenging course. The number of people living with HIV has risen from around 8 million in 1990 to 33 million today, and is still growing, 67% of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that adults living with AIDS are to be around 30.8 million, women accounting to 15.5 million, and around 11.6 million children being orphaned because of AIDS. The statistics may be shocking, but it is important to introduce ourselves to the causes of this condition that defiled the global community.

AIDS is an advanced HIV virus infection wherein the number of immune system cells, CD4 in the blood drops to a certain level as being attacked. As this virus gradually and progressively attacks the immune system cells, the body can become more vulnerable to infections. This virus is not transmitted through food, mosquitoes or even in close contact with an HIV-positive person. Many would think that it’s only cause is unprotected vaginal, oral, anal, and unsafe sex. However, why are children infected? Why are the sexually inactive people still infected? It is caused by the usage of HIV-infected syringes or needles. Mother to baby transmission during pregnancy or childbirth is also possible as HIV virus can be transmitted through drinking breast milk.

As this virus spread like wild fire across the world, shrinking it to a global village, third-world countries are much more affected than first-world countries. Why is this so? This is due to the lack of funds, support, and attention given by the government. It is the governance of the region that is prolonging the agony. As former President Mbeki consistently refused to acknowledge that HIV is the cause of AIDS, having no thorough study in his theories, he argued that HIV is just one factor amongst many that might contribute to deaths resulting from immune deficiency, alongside others such as poverty and poor nutrition. Similarly, Yahya Jammeh, the president of Gambia, claims that he has discovered a cure for AIDS. Having no medical degree, being only a former army colonel, declares that this herbal medication as revealed by his ancestors in his dreams is the panacea for AIDS. It is in this outlook that slows the provision of antiretroviral drugs in Africa. As the only recognized drug to significantly delay the progression of HIV to AIDS, antiretroviral (ARV) drugs allow people living with HIV live relatively normal and healthy lives. Yet because of the lack of support by the political bodies in the region, the distribution of this drug has been inadequate; there has been poor medical education and health awareness; severe deprivation of healthcare infrastructure; and an insufficient number of medical professionals to tender these people requiring treatment. Take note that medical treatment doesn’t only involve taking these antiretroviral drugs but counseling and testing, food management nutrition, protection from stigma and discrimination, treatment of other sexually transmitted infections, and the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections.

In response to the unresponsive governance in Africa, global organizations such as the United Nations and US President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Global Fund to fight AIDS in numerous countries. Other organizations such as AidsandAfrica, use the internet as a medium to encourage people to be proactive in fighting AIDS. As Africans become aware and vigilant to the distressing condition, local association about are now becoming vigorous such as Children in Distress (CINDI), focused on helping meet the needs of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS; The Kenneth Kaunda Children of Africa Foundation, by former President Kenneth Kaunda, which supports independent low-cost HIV testing and counseling Clinic; The Luke Society of Uganda dedicated to help HIV-positive convalescents susceptible to pneumonia, tuberculosis, malaria, and related infections; and AIDS Orphans Education Trust(AOET) committed in providing formal and vocation education to the underprivileged orphans.

In the midst of agony and devastation, one action can make a difference, one voice can be audible. So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.