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Facts You Should Know About HIV/AIDS

Source: www.doh.state.fl.us
Topic: Hiv/Aids
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Sort Desciption: Facts You Should Know About HIV/AIDS. HIV and AIDS is a global emergency claiming over 8,000 lives every day. In fact 5 people die of AIDS every minute. ...

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HIV and AIDS is a global emergency claiming over 8,000 lives every day. In fact 5 people die of AIDS every minute. In 2002, 5 million people acquired HIV, which means there are now 42 million people living with HIV and AIDS. AIDS is short for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. AIDS is a disease that slowly destroys the bodys immune system. Without these important defenses, a person with AIDS cant fight off germs and cancers. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. It kills an important kind of blood cell the CD4 T lymphocyte, or T cell. These T cells are the quarterbacks of the immune system. As they die off, the body becomes more and more vulnerable to other diseases. Germs take this opportunity to invade the body. The diseases they cause are called opportunistic infections (OIs for short). When people with HIV get these infections or when their CD4 T-cell levels get too low, they have AIDS. Usually it takes many years for HIV to weaken the bodys immune system to the point of AIDS. Anti-HIV drugs help prevent this. However, these powerful medicines often have serious side effects and people with HIV have to keep taking these drugs every day for the rest of their lives. Its best to avoid getting HIV in the first place! You cant catch HIV unless another persons body fluids blood, semen, or vaginal secretions enter your bloodstream. This can happen through the tip of the penis, through the vagina, through the rectum, or through an open wound. HIV is spread: By having sex without a condom. Vaginal and anal sex carry a high risk. The risk of getting HIV from oral sex is low. By sharing needles and/or syringes to inject drugs or steroids. From a mother to her infant during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding. By getting a tattoo or piercing from a dirty needle. By transfusions, blood products, or organ transplants. (This kind of transmission no longer happens in developed countries, which test all ...

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