What you need to know about HIV
Infection with HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus is one of the most deadly diseases known to man. Based on the World Health Organization’s estimate, 25 million people have already been killed by this pandemic since December 1, 1981 when it was first recognized. HIV is a retrovirus that causes a person to develop a condition known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Once a person gets this, his immune system loses the ability to protect the body making the patient more vulnerable and open to other infections.
Anybody can be infected by the HIV infection even newly born babies. They can easily acquire the virus at birth from their infected mother in a transmission called as Mother-to-Child transmission (MTCT). It can happen during the pregnancy at the uterus of the mother or during the intrapartum on the delivery of the child. There is also a risk of infecting the baby through breastfeeding if the mother has the virus.
The virus can also be transmitted through blood route. There are several ways in which this can occur. One is by blood transfusions. Although hospitals are obliged to check donated bloods for HIV, there are still reported cases of blood recipients acquiring the disease after the said procedure. Reusing of needles is strictly prohibited in hospitals and clinics because it also serves as a way of transferring the virus. Drug users as well as people who give and receive tattoos, piercing have a possibility of getting the disease.
The most common way of transmitting the HIV infection is by unprotected sexual intercourse. Since the virus can be passed through sexual secretions like semen and vaginal fluids, it is not advisable to perform sexual intercourse with a stranger.
HIV -1 and HIV – 2 are the two specie of the virus that infect humans. The more virulent virus is HIV-1 and it can be transferred easier compared to HIV-2. According to medical reports, majority of HIV infections globally is caused by HIV-1. Based on studies, this virus originated from a chimpanzee while HIV-2 is believed to come from Sooty Mangabey, also a type of monkey.
HIV infection has three stages, namely the Primary HIV infection, Asymptomatic Stage and the Symptomatic stage. The primary stage of infection lasts for a few weeks. The infected person usually experiences a flu-like illness. At this stage, there is already a large amount of HIV in the blood and the immune system starts to fail and resist the virus. During stage 2, the asymptomatic stage which often lasts for ten years. No symptoms can be observed during this period except from some swollen glands. The level of HIV in the system drops at this stage but still, the person remains weak. Unlike in the primary stage where the virus is difficult to detect, here, tests can be made to spot HIV antibodies. One procedure that can be done is the Viral Load Test that measures the genetic material of the HIV. The point where the immune system of the patient becomes severely damaged is known as the Symptomatic HIV Infection. After long years of exposure to the virus, the lymph nodes and body tissues become so burnt out they can no longer function properly. The virus also becomes more pathogenic enabling it to destroy more healthy cells specifically the T helper cells.
Until now, there is no cure for HIV infection. Specialists say that it is hard to deal with this kind of virus because they have the ability to mutate and adapt to the environment they’re presently in. The best method they can suggest is to avoid activities that might expose them to the deadly virus.
Infection with HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus is one of the most deadly diseases known to man. Based on the World Health Organization’s estimate, 25 million people have already been killed by this pandemic since December 1, 1981 when it was first recognized. HIV is a retrovirus that causes a person to develop a condition known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Once a person gets this, his immune system loses the ability to protect the body making the patient more vulnerable and open to other infections.
Anybody can be infected by the HIV infection even newly born babies. They can easily acquire the virus at birth from their infected mother in a transmission called as Mother-to-Child transmission (MTCT). It can happen during the pregnancy at the uterus of the mother or during the intrapartum on the delivery of the child. There is also a risk of infecting the baby through breastfeeding if the mother has the virus.
The virus can also be transmitted through blood route. There are several ways in which this can occur. One is by blood transfusions. Although hospitals are obliged to check donated bloods for HIV, there are still reported cases of blood recipients acquiring the disease after the said procedure. Reusing of needles is strictly prohibited in hospitals and clinics because it also serves as a way of transferring the virus. Drug users as well as people who give and receive tattoos, piercing have a possibility of getting the disease.
The most common way of transmitting the HIV infection is by unprotected sexual intercourse. Since the virus can be passed through sexual secretions like semen and vaginal fluids, it is not advisable to perform sexual intercourse with a stranger.
HIV -1 and HIV – 2 are the two specie of the virus that infect humans. The more virulent virus is HIV-1 and it can be transferred easier compared to HIV-2. According to medical reports, majority of HIV infections globally is caused by HIV-1. Based on studies, this virus originated from a chimpanzee while HIV-2 is believed to come from Sooty Mangabey, also a type of monkey.
HIV infection has three stages, namely the Primary HIV infection, Asymptomatic Stage and the Symptomatic stage. The primary stage of infection lasts for a few weeks. The infected person usually experiences a flu-like illness. At this stage, there is already a large amount of HIV in the blood and the immune system starts to fail and resist the virus. During stage 2, the asymptomatic stage which often lasts for ten years. No symptoms can be observed during this period except from some swollen glands. The level of HIV in the system drops at this stage but still, the person remains weak. Unlike in the primary stage where the virus is difficult to detect, here, tests can be made to spot HIV antibodies. One procedure that can be done is the Viral Load Test that measures the genetic material of the HIV. The point where the immune system of the patient becomes severely damaged is known as the Symptomatic HIV Infection. After long years of exposure to the virus, the lymph nodes and body tissues become so burnt out they can no longer function properly. The virus also becomes more pathogenic enabling it to destroy more healthy cells specifically the T helper cells.
Until now, there is no cure for HIV infection. Specialists say that it is hard to deal with this kind of virus because they have the ability to mutate and adapt to the environment they’re presently in. The best method they can suggest is to avoid activities that might expose them to the deadly virus.
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