HIV, which stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is that virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). HIV is different from most other viruses because it attacks the immune system, which is the system in our body that gives us the ability to fight off infections. HIV finds and destroys a certain type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune system must have to fight disease and infection.
What are the statistics for HIV?
In 2006, an estimated 56,300 individuals were infected with HIV. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) estimates that about 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV. About one quarter of these people do not currently know that they are infected with the HIV virus.
What are the symptoms of HIV?
The fact is that most people infected with HIV have no idea that they are infected as many people do not develop symptoms after their initial infection. For those that do experience symptoms, they may experience a flu-like illness within several days to a week after exposure.
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV is primarily found in the blood, semen, or vaginal fluid of an infected person. HIV is transmitted in 3 main ways:
• Having sex (anal, vaginal, or oral) with someone infected with HIV
• Being exposed to the blood of someone infected with HIV ‐ sharing needles and syringes
• Being exposed (fetus or infant) to HIV before or during birth or through breast feeding
HIV is not transmitted through day-to-day activities such as shaking hands, hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, drinking fountain, doorknob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. You also cannot get HIV from mosquitoes.more
Can you get HIV Testing?
Yes, you can be tested for HIV. Once HIV enters the body, the body starts to produce antibodies—substances the immune system creates after infection – and most HIV tests look for these antibodies rather than the virus itself. There are many different kinds of HIV tests. GetSTDtested gives you the ability to confidentially test for HIV at any of our over 2,000 local medical centers.
How soon after contracting HIV can I be tested for it?
The "window period" is the time it takes for a person who has been infected with HIV to react to the virus by creating HIV antibodies. This process of reacting to the HIV virus and creating antibodies is called Seroconversion.
Soon after infection, the infected person may have significant levels of HIV in their blood, sexual fluids, or breast milk – yet antibodies will not be generated during the “window period,” making the virus initially undetectable.
Here is what the CDC says about the window period:
"Antibodies generally appear within three months after infection with HIV, but may take up to six months in some persons." This CDC definition of a three to six month window period has been commonly used for several years now.
What does this mean for you?
• The three month window period is normal for most of the population. Many people will have detectable antibodies in three or four weeks. Very, very rarely (i.e., only a few cases ever), a person could take six months to produce antibodies.
• Although you may be anxious to be tested soon after an encounter which you perceive to be risky (to see what puts you at heightened risk for HIV, see the “How is HIV transmitted question), the best thing to do is wait until your window period has passed. Currently, there is no data to show the accuracy of a test before the window period ending. Even if you receive a negative test at, let’s say, 6 weeks, we recommend you get HIV testing again at 3 months. Some STD test centers will even recommend you to return and test in 6 months, just to completely rule out infection.
• Although HIV may not be detected by a test during the window period, HIV can be transmitted during that time. In fact, individuals are often most infectious during this time (shortly after they have been exposed to HIV).
Is there any treatment/cure for HIV?
No, there is currently no cure for HIV. However, research for a cure continues, and many around the world are devoted to this cause. Although there is currently no cure for HIV, there are treatment options that can help stave off the symptoms.
The most common and effective treatment for the HIV virus is a combination of various antiviral agents, to produce a type of therapy called HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy). This type of therapy helps to suppress the HIV virus from replicating itself throughout the body, which in turn helps stave off symptoms of the illness. HAART has proven to be an extremely effective treatment for the HIV virus, and has been proven to help the immune system stay stronger by improving the T-cell count in the body.
It is important to note that HAART, no matter how effective for fighting the HIV virus, is not a cure and does not protect an infected individual from transmitting the virus to another person.
0 comments:
Post a Comment