HIV

 

WHAT IS HIV

 

The HIV human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases.

It is spread by contact with certain bodily fluids of a person with HIV, most commonly during sex with a condom or sex without a condom HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

The human body can’t get rid of HIV and no effective HIV cure exists. So, once you have HIV, you have it for life.

In addition, there are effective methods to prevent getting HIV through sex or drug use, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of Lentivirus (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans.

Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive.

The average survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years.

In most cases, HIV is a sexually transmitted infection and occurs by contact with or transfer of blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, and vaginal fluids.

Non-sexual transmission can occur from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy, during childbirth by exposure to her blood or vaginal fluid, and through breast milk.

Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected the vital immune cells in the human immune system, such as helper T cells (specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophages, and dendritic cells.

HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells through a number of mechanisms, including proptosis of abortively infected T cells, apoptosis of uninfected bystander cells, direct viral killing of infected cells, and killing of infected CD4+ T cells by CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognize infected cells.

When CD4+ T cell numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunity is lost, and the body becomes progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections, leading to the development of AIDS.

 

WHAT DAMAGE THE INFECTION CAN CAUSE

 

The different damage the HIV infection can cause are called:

 

-Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP).

This fungal infection can cause severe illness.

PCP is still the most common cause of pneumonia in people infected with HIV.

 

-Candidiasis (thrush).

Candidiasis is a common HIV-related infection. It causes inflammation and a thick, white coating on your mouth, tongue, esophagus or vagina.

 

-Tuberculosis (TB).

TB is a common opportunistic infection associated with HIV. Worldwide, TB is a leading cause of death among people with AIDS.

 

-Cytomegalovirus.

This common herpes virus is transmitted in body fluids such as saliva, blood, urine, semen and breast milk. A healthy immune system inactivates the virus, and it remains dormant in your body. If your immune system weakens, the virus resurfaces, can cause damage to your eyes, digestive tract, lungs or other organs.

 

-Cryptococcal meningitis.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes and fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord (meninges).

Cryptococcal meningitis is a common central nervous system infection associated with HIV, caused by a fungus found in soil.

 

-Toxoplasmosis. This potentially deadly infection is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite spread primarily by cats.

Infected cats pass the parasites in their stools, which may then spread to other animals and humans. Toxoplasmosis can cause heart disease, and seizures occur when it spreads to the brain.

 

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HIV INFECTIONS

 

The symptoms of HIV and AIDS vary, depending on the phase of infection.

Primary infection (Acute HIV)

Some people infected by HIV develop a flu-like illness within 2 to 4 weeks

Most people experience a short flu-like illness 2 to 6 weeks after HIV infection after the virus enters the body which lasts for a week or 2.

After these symptoms disappear, HIV may not cause any symptoms for many years, although the virus continues to damage your immune system.

This means many people with HIV do not know they're infected as they're at particularly high risk. This illness, known as primary (acute) HIV infection, has Possible signs and symptoms include:

 

-Fever

-Headache

-Muscle aches and joint pain

-Rash

-Sore throat and painful mouth sores

-Swollen lymph glands, mainly on the neck

-Diarrhea

-Weight loss

-Cough

-Night sweats

- Persistent, unexplained fatigue

-Swollen lymph glands

-Oral yeast infection (thrush)

-Shingles (herpes zoster)

-Pneumonia

-Progression to AIDS

-Sweats

-Chills

-Persistent white spots or unusual lesions on your tongue or in your mouth

-Weakness

-Weight loss

 

These symptoms can be so mild that you might not even notice them. However, the amount of virus in your bloodstream is quite high at this time. As a result, the infection spreads more easily during primary infection than during the next stage.

Clinical latent infection (Chronic HIV)

In this stage of infection, HIV is still present in the body and in white blood cells. However, many people may not have any symptoms or infections during this time.

This stage can last for many years.

Some people develop more severe disease much sooner.

 

HOW IS LIFE LIVING WITH HIV

 

If you're living with HIV, taking effective HIV treatment and being undetectable significantly reduces your risk of passing HIV on to others.

You'll also be encouraged to:

 

-Take regular exercise

-Eat a healthy diet

-Stop smoking

-Stop having sex

 

There no remedy for HIV and AIDS because it an incurable disease, the immune system will become severely damaged, and life-threatening illnesses such as cancer and severe infections can occur.

 

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HIV INFECTIONS

 

HIV is caused by a virus.

To become infected with HIV, infected blood, semen or vaginal secretions must enter your body

This can happen in several way.

It can be transmitted by coming into direct contact with:

 

- By having sex

-Drug use

-The body fluids of an infected person

-This includes semen

- Vaginal and anal fluids

-The blood

-Transmission from mother to baby during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding

-Semen (cum) and pre-seminal fluid

-Kissing

-Touching

-Sharing anything with a HIV positive person

 

And will be dependent on many things, such as whether you receive or give oral sex and the oral of the person giving the oral sex.

And the most common way of getting HIV is through having anal or vaginal sex.

HIV can be transmitted through sweat, urine or saliva.

It's a fragile virus and does not survive outside the body for long.

The HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person through a mucous membrane (found in the rectum, vagina, mouth, or tip of the penis); open cuts or mouth sores; or by direct injection.

The virus can also enter your body through small tears that sometimes develop in the rectum or vagina during sexual activity.

drug paraphernalia puts you at high risk of HIV and other infectious diseases, such as hepatitis.

Or from blood transfusions.

The risk is high in the upper-middle-income countries and low-income countries.

 

HOW CAN YOU PREVENT THE SPREADING OF THE HIV

 

There's no vaccine to prevent HIV infection and no cure for HIV/AIDS. But you can protect yourself and others from infection.

To help prevent the spread of HIV by:

 

-Stop having sex

-Not touching contaminated people

-Stop sharing everything with the HIV positive people

-Stop hugging

-Avoiding being in contact with those that has AIDS in any shape or form

-Staying far away from HIV contaminated people

-Not sharing the same food or drinks

 

Choose to Stop risky sexual behaviors.

By getting married to only 1 partner for life

Stop the number of sexual partners and only choose 1 person to married

The more partners you have, the more likely you will catch HIV (STD).

Having an STD can increase your risk of getting HIV or spreading it to others and for people who do

not have HIV but who are at risk of getting HIV.

To reduce the risk of getting HIV through sex or drug use.

And also, do not share your equipment with others