What is HIV?
HIV is a virus that damages the immune system. The immune system help the body fight of infections. So, Untreated HIV infects and kills CD4 cells, which are a type of immune cell called T cells. Over time, as HIV kills more CD4 cells, the body is more likely to get various type of infections and cancers.
HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids that include:
-blood
-semen
-vaginal and rectal fluids
-breast milk
The virus doesn’t spread in air or water, or through casual contact.
HIV is a lifelong condition and currently there is no cure, although many scientists are working to find one. HIV can cause changes throughout the body.
What is AIDS?
AIDS is a disease that can develop in people with HIV. It’s the most advanced stage of HIV. But just because a person has HIV doesn’t mean they will develop AIDS. A person can also be diagnosed with AIDS if they have HIV and develop an opportunistic infection or cancer that’s rare in people who don’t have HIV. An opportunistic infection, such as pneumonia, is one that take advantage of a unique situation, such as HIV.
If AIDS does develop, it means that the immune system is severely compromise its weakened to the point where it can no longer fight of most diseases and infection. That makes the person vulnerable to a wide range of illnesses including;
-pneumonia
-tuberculosis
–oral thrush, a fungal infection in the mouth or throat
-cytomegalovirus (CMV), a type of herpes virus
-cryptococcal meningitis, a fungal infection in the brain
-toxoplasmosis, a brain infection cause by a parasite
-cryptosporidiosis, a infection cause by an intestinal parasite
-cancer, including KAPOSL’s SARCOMA (KS) and LYMOHOMA
What is the connection between HIV and AIDS?
To develop AIDS, a person has to have contracted HIV. But having HIV doesn’t necessarily mean that someone will develop AIDS.
Cases of HIV progress through three stages:
–stage 1: acute stage, the first few weeks after transmission
–stage 2: clinical latency, or chronic stage
–stage 3: AIDS
There is no cure for HIV, but it can be controlled. People with HIV often have a near-normal lifespan with early treatment with antiretroviral theraphy. Along those lines, there’s technically no cure for AIDS. However, treatment can increase a person’s CD4 count to the point where they’re considered to no longer have AIDS.
HIV and AIDS are related, but they’re not the same thing.
Causes of HIV
HIV is a variation of a virus that infects African chimpanzees. Scientists suspect the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) jumped from chimps to humans when people consumed infected chimpanzee meat. Once inside the human population, the virus mutated into what we now know as HIV. This likely occurred as long ago as the 1920s.
HIV spread from person to person throughout Africa over the course of several decades. Eventually, the virus migrated to other parts of the world. Scientists first discovered HIV in a human blood sample in 1959.
It’s thought that HIV has existed in the United States since the 1970s, but it didn’t start to hit public consciousness until the 1980s.
Causes of AIDS
AIDS is caused by HIV. A person can’t get AIDS if they haven’t contracted HIV.
Healthy individuals have a CD4 count of 500 to 1,500 per cubic millimeter. Without treatment, HIV continues to multiply and destroy CD4 cells. If a person’s CD4 count falls below 200, they have AIDS.
Also, if someone with HIV develops an opportunistic infection associated with HIV, they can still be diagnosed with AIDS, even if their CD4 count is above 200.
Anyone can contract HIV. The virus is transmitted in bodily fluids that include:
- blood
- semen
- vaginal and rectal fluids
- breast milk
Some of the ways HIV is spread from person to person include:
- through vaginal or anal sex — the most common route of transmission, especially among men who have sex with men
- by sharing needles, syringes, and other items for injection drug use
- by sharing tattoo equipment without sterilizing it between uses
- during pregnancy, labor, or delivery from a woman to her baby
- during breastfeeding
- through “pre-mastication,” or chewing a baby’s food before feeding it to them
- through exposure to the blood of someone living with HIV, such as through a needle stick
The virus can also be transmitted through a blood transfusion or organ and tissue transplant. However, rigorous testing for HIV among blood, organ, and tissue donors ensures that this is very rare in the United States.
It’s theoretically possible, but considered extremely rare, for HIV to spread through:
- oral sex (only if there are bleeding gums or open sores in the person’s mouth)
- being bitten by a person with HIV (only if the saliva is bloody or there are open sores in the person’s mouth)
- contact between broken skin, wounds, or mucous membranes and the blood of someone living with HIV
HIV does NOT spread through:
- skin-to-skin contact
- hugging, shaking hands, or kissing
- air or water
- sharing food or drinks, including drinking fountains
- saliva, tears, or sweat (unless mixed with the blood of a person with HIV)
- sharing a toilet, towels, or bedding
- mosquitoes or other insects
It’s important to note that if a person with HIV is being treated and has a persistently undetectable viral load, it’s virtually impossible to transmit the virus to another person.
Early symptoms of HIV can include:
- fever
- chills
- swollen lymph nodes
- general aches and pains
- skin rash
- sore throat
- headache
- nausea
- upset stomach
Symptoms of AIDS can include:
- recurrent fever
- chronic swollen lymph glands, especially of the armpits, neck, and groin
- chronic fatigue
- night sweats
- dark splotches under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids
- sores, spots, or lesions of the mouth and tongue, genitals, or anus
- bumps, lesions, or rashes of the skin
- recurrent or chronic diarrhea
- rapid weight loss
- neurologic problems such as trouble concentrating, memory loss, and confusion
- anxiety and depression
Although many researchers are working to develop one, there’s currently no vaccine available to prevent the transmission of HIV. However, taking certain steps can help prevent the spread of HIV.
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 unprotected sex (sex without a condom or HIV medicine to prevent or treat HIV), or through sharing injection drug equipment.
If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). And AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection that occurs when the body’s immune system is badly damaged because of the virus.
References: https://www.healthline.com/health/hiv-aids, https://www.avert.org/about-hiv-aids/what-hiv-aids
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