Aids and HIV Awareness Day August 1st
By Sara Millbank
In 2007, globally, over 2 million people died of Aids, 33 million were living with HIV and 2.5 million were newly infected with the virus.
I am sure most of you have heard of Aids and HIV but how much do you know? Do you know how it affects the body and can you even say what the initials stand for? How much should we know about the testing procedure and should it be compulsory to test for HIV before getting married? Surely Aids only affects people in Third World countries and people who don't wear condoms? Here, we look at the truth about this virus and dispel some of the myths surrounding it. Becoming educated about HIV is the most important way of preventing the spread of this devastating virus.
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and is a virus which takes over certain immune system cells (CD 4) and makes many copies of itself. HIV causes slow but constant damage to the immune system.
Aids stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and is the condition diagnosed when there are a group of related symptoms caused by sever HIV infection. Aids make the body vulnerable to life threatening illnesses called opportunist infections (OI's). A person is diagnosed with Aids if they have less than 200 CD 4 cells or one of 20 OI's.
Myth: HIV does not cause Aids.
Truth: If you don't have HIV you cannot get Aids. If you have Aids then you have HIV.
Myth: HIV kills those infected with the virus.
Truth: There is no cure for HIV. However, it is not the virus that kills people infected with HIV; it's the opportunist infections that a normal healthy body can fight. The human body immune system is the body's protection against bacteria's viruses etc; like a coat of armour. When HIV enters the body, it slowly starts poking holes in the armour. Eventually, the armour becomes weak and unable to protect the body and at this point the person is said to have Aids.
Myth: HIV turns into Aids within a year.
Truth: If a person goes untreated for HIV, it takes an average of 8-10 years to progress to Aids. Drugs developed in recent years have slowed this rate down considerably and with the right treatment and life style, medical journals show that the figure for a person with HIV treated with the correct drugs goes up to 20-25 years for HIV to progress to Aids.
Myth: Straight people cannot get HIV.
Truth: Heterosexual people make up the majority of HIV sufferers around the world.
HIV is transmitted through four body fluids: blood, semen, breast milk and vaginal fluid. The HIV fluid gets into the blood stream and is transmitted sharing needles, unprotected sex (anal, vaginal and sometimes oral) and from mothers during birth or while breast feeding.
Myth: Men are more at risk than woman.
Truth: Women who only have sex with women are at a lower risk than men who only have sex with other men. However, heterosexual woman are at higher risk than heterosexual men.
Myth: People in a monogamous relationship cannot get HIV.
Truth: People generally are infected for years before they realise they have HIV. Also while one partner is monogamous, the other may not be. If you think you have been infected with the virus, testing is done immediately but recommended again after six weeks and in some cases does not show up for 3 to 6 months.
Myth: People from Third World countries are more likely to suffer from HIV.
Truth: Washington DC has the highest Aids cases among women, being 12 times the international average. In America, HIV cases have tripled since 1985 from 7% to 25% in 2001. However, 80% of these were of African American or Hispanic origin. Epidemics are abating in some countries and increasing in others. More than 90% of people with HIV are living in developing countries.
Yes the figures are frightening aren't they? Research continues as well as new drugs are being developed all the time, but the battle goes on. The most worrying figures released last year was the amount of young people contacting the virus. Half of the newly infected HIV suffers last year were aged between 15 and 24 years of age. Perhaps the message of the dangers of having unprotected sex is still not getting through. Simply using a condom can save people's lives so make sure those dear to you get the message. In the year of 2008, no-one should be getting infected with the HIV virus; least of all 2.5 million people.
Always seek medical advice from a qualified doctor if you are concerned about HIV or Aids in the first instance.
By Sara Millbank
In 2007, globally, over 2 million people died of Aids, 33 million were living with HIV and 2.5 million were newly infected with the virus.
I am sure most of you have heard of Aids and HIV but how much do you know? Do you know how it affects the body and can you even say what the initials stand for? How much should we know about the testing procedure and should it be compulsory to test for HIV before getting married? Surely Aids only affects people in Third World countries and people who don't wear condoms? Here, we look at the truth about this virus and dispel some of the myths surrounding it. Becoming educated about HIV is the most important way of preventing the spread of this devastating virus.
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and is a virus which takes over certain immune system cells (CD 4) and makes many copies of itself. HIV causes slow but constant damage to the immune system.
Aids stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and is the condition diagnosed when there are a group of related symptoms caused by sever HIV infection. Aids make the body vulnerable to life threatening illnesses called opportunist infections (OI's). A person is diagnosed with Aids if they have less than 200 CD 4 cells or one of 20 OI's.
Myth: HIV does not cause Aids.
Truth: If you don't have HIV you cannot get Aids. If you have Aids then you have HIV.
Myth: HIV kills those infected with the virus.
Truth: There is no cure for HIV. However, it is not the virus that kills people infected with HIV; it's the opportunist infections that a normal healthy body can fight. The human body immune system is the body's protection against bacteria's viruses etc; like a coat of armour. When HIV enters the body, it slowly starts poking holes in the armour. Eventually, the armour becomes weak and unable to protect the body and at this point the person is said to have Aids.
Myth: HIV turns into Aids within a year.
Truth: If a person goes untreated for HIV, it takes an average of 8-10 years to progress to Aids. Drugs developed in recent years have slowed this rate down considerably and with the right treatment and life style, medical journals show that the figure for a person with HIV treated with the correct drugs goes up to 20-25 years for HIV to progress to Aids.
Myth: Straight people cannot get HIV.
Truth: Heterosexual people make up the majority of HIV sufferers around the world.
HIV is transmitted through four body fluids: blood, semen, breast milk and vaginal fluid. The HIV fluid gets into the blood stream and is transmitted sharing needles, unprotected sex (anal, vaginal and sometimes oral) and from mothers during birth or while breast feeding.
Myth: Men are more at risk than woman.
Truth: Women who only have sex with women are at a lower risk than men who only have sex with other men. However, heterosexual woman are at higher risk than heterosexual men.
Myth: People in a monogamous relationship cannot get HIV.
Truth: People generally are infected for years before they realise they have HIV. Also while one partner is monogamous, the other may not be. If you think you have been infected with the virus, testing is done immediately but recommended again after six weeks and in some cases does not show up for 3 to 6 months.
Myth: People from Third World countries are more likely to suffer from HIV.
Truth: Washington DC has the highest Aids cases among women, being 12 times the international average. In America, HIV cases have tripled since 1985 from 7% to 25% in 2001. However, 80% of these were of African American or Hispanic origin. Epidemics are abating in some countries and increasing in others. More than 90% of people with HIV are living in developing countries.
Yes the figures are frightening aren't they? Research continues as well as new drugs are being developed all the time, but the battle goes on. The most worrying figures released last year was the amount of young people contacting the virus. Half of the newly infected HIV suffers last year were aged between 15 and 24 years of age. Perhaps the message of the dangers of having unprotected sex is still not getting through. Simply using a condom can save people's lives so make sure those dear to you get the message. In the year of 2008, no-one should be getting infected with the HIV virus; least of all 2.5 million people.
Always seek medical advice from a qualified doctor if you are concerned about HIV or Aids in the first instance.