What Is Pep And How Does It Prevent Hiv
PEP stands for post-exposure prophylaxis. Its a series of pills you start taking after youve been exposed to HIV that lowers your chances of getting HIV. You have to start PEP within 72 hours , after you were exposed to HIV for it to work. The sooner you start it, the better. Every hour counts, so if you think you were exposed to HIV, call your nurse or doctor or go to the emergency room right away. PEP is only for emergencies it doesnt take the place of using condoms or PrEP. Read more about PEP.
What Are The Treatments For Hiv/aids
There is no cure for HIV infection, but it can be treated with medicines. This is called antiretroviral therapy . ART can make HIV infection a manageable chronic condition. It also reduces the risk of spreading the virus to others.
Most people with HIV live long and healthy lives if they get and stay on ART. It’s also important to take care of yourself. Making sure that you have the support you need, living a healthy lifestyle, and getting regular medical care can help you enjoy a better quality of life.
What’s The Difference Between Hiv And Aids
HIV is an infection that you can catch and spread to other people,;AIDS is a condition that develops usually many years later – in people who have been infected with HIV, but have not had the right, or perhaps any, treatment.
A person can have HIV without it ever developing into AIDS in fact because the symptoms of HIV are often unnoticeable, Public Health England estimates that more than a fifth of people with HIV have no idea they have it.
It is impossible to get AIDS without first being infected with HIV, but, once HIV has developed into AIDS, life expectancy drops significantly. It is difficult to repair the damage to the immune system at this point, and secondary infections are common. These infections are what become fatal for a person with AIDS.
There is not a cure for HIV but with the treatments now available, people on treatment can live a happy, healthy life and have a normal life expectancy without AIDS ever developing. In fact if the correct treatment is started early enough, the virus can actually become undetectable, greatly reducing the chance of onward transmission and making it highly unlikely that AIDS will ever develop.;
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Why Is Haiti Significant
In the 1960s, the ‘B’ subtype of HIV-1 had made its way to Haiti. At this time, many Haitian professionals who were working in the colonial Democratic Republic of Congo during the 1960s returned to Haiti.13 Initially, they were blamed for being responsible for the HIV epidemic, and suffered severe racism, stigma and discrimination as a result.
HIV-1 subtype M is now the most geographically spread subtype of HIV internationally. By 2014, this subtype had caused 75 million infections.14
Hiv Doesnt Always Produce Symptoms
HIV usually causes flu-like symptoms about two to four weeks after transmission. This short period of time is called acute infection. The immune system brings the infection under control, leading to a period of latency.
The immune system cant completely eliminate HIV, but it can control it for a long time. During this latency period, which can last for years, a person with HIV may experience no symptoms at all. Without antiretroviral therapy, however, that person may develop AIDS and as a result will experience many symptoms associated with the condition.
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What Do I Need To Know About Dating With Hiv
Some people feel like their love lives are over when they find out they have HIV, but its just not true. People with HIV can have fulfilling romantic and sexual relationships. People living with HIV can have relationships with partners who dont have HIV or with partners that are also living with HIV . HIV treatment helps keep you healthy and helps you avoid passing HIV to someone else. If your partner does not have HIV, they can also take a medicine called PrEP that can help protect them from getting HIV through sex.
Its important to tell your sexual partners about your HIV status. That way, you and your partners can make more informed decisions about safer sex, testing, and treatment that are right for the both of you. ;
Its normal to be worried about how your partners going to react. And theres no way around it: some people might get freaked out. If that happens, try to stay calm and talk about your plan to stay healthy and how they can stay HIV negative. It might help to give your partner a little time and space to process. You could also suggest they talk with your HIV doctor about ways to protect themselves from HIV.
If you tell someone you have HIV and they hurt you, shame you, or make you feel bad, its not ok. You deserve to be with someone who respects and cares about you, and there are plenty of people out there who will.
Can You Get Hiv From Oral Sex
While there is a possible risk of getting HIV from oral sex, the documented risk remains extremely low. The CDC says that the risk is hard to quantify, because a lot of people;who have oral sex have anal or vaginal sex, too.
Still, there are certain factors that may increase the potential for infection. These include coexisting sexually transmitted diseases and bleeding gums. Even then, its unlikely that a person will be infected by having oral sex. Using a condom or dental dam can further reduce the already low risk, as can taking medicine to prevent or treat HIV.
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What Happened In The 1980s In The Usa
People sometimes say that HIV started in the 1980s in the United States of America , but in fact this was just when people first became aware of HIV and it was officially recognised as a new health condition.
In 1981, a few cases of rare diseases were being reported among gay men in New York and California, such as Kaposi’s Sarcoma and a lung infection called PCP.1516 No one knew why these cancers and opportunistic infections were spreading, but they concluded that there must be an infectious ‘disease’ causing them.
At first the disease was called all sorts of names relating to the word ‘gay’.17 It wasn’t until mid-1982 that scientists realised the ‘disease’ was also spreading among other populations such as haemophiliacs and heroin users.1819 By September that year, the ‘disease’ was finally named AIDS.20
It was only in 1983 that the HIV virus was isolated and identified by researchers at the Pasteur Institute in France. Originally called Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus the virus was confirmed as the cause of AIDS, when scientists working at the USA National Cancer Institute isolated the same virus and called it HTLV-III. LAV and HTLV-III were later acknowledged to be the same.
Are Hiv And Aids The Same In Short No
While HIV can lead to AIDS, HIV and AIDS are by no means “the same.” HIV is a virus. AIDS is a diagnosed disease that is caused by that virus. A person doesn’t need to have AIDS to have HIV, however she does have to carry HIV to have AIDS.
Experts believe HIV was transferred from monkeys to humans more than 100 years ago in Africa, but HIV wasn’t formally discovered until the 1980s, when gay men in New York City began dying from AIDS at an alarming rate and HIV was found to be its cause, according to the Body, a blog for people with HIV/AIDS.
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Here’s a breakdown of the two directly related but not equivalent illnesses:
HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a virus spread through bodily fluids. So, people can develop aids through unprotected sex or sharing needles. Anyone rich, poor, gay, straight, male, female, transgender, cisgender; has an equal ability to develop it. “It’s what you do, not who you are, that puts you at risk for HIV,” the Body reminds us.
Unlike most common viruses, people with HIV can go 10 years without noticing any symptoms of the virus, according to The Body, and once you have it, you have it for life. So, it’s important to get tested. Here‘s how to do that.
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When And Where Did Hiv Start In Humans
Studies of some of the earliest known samples of HIV provide clues about when it first appeared in humans and how it evolved. The first verified case of HIV is from a blood sample taken in 1959 from a man living in what is now Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The sample was retrospectively analysed and HIV detected. There are numerous earlier cases where patterns of deaths from common opportunistic infections, now known to be AIDS-defining, suggest that HIV was the cause, but this is the earliest incident where a blood sample can verify infection.9
Educating People On Prevention And Treatment Strategies
The cornerstone of efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS is widespread testing. As stated above, approximately one in seven people in the U.S. with HIV dont know theyre infected. Educating people about the need for testing and for appropriate precautions after testing positive would reduce the rate of infection substantially, according to the CDC.
By delivering a timely diagnosis, testing allows people with HIV to receive the treatment they need to maintain a healthy immune system and keep AIDS at bay. HIV.gov emphasizes recent improvements in HIV testing that identify infections sooner, which reduces the chances of the person transmitting the disease during the acute phase of the infection when viral loads are highest and the risk of another person contracting the virus is highest.
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Does Hiv Always Progress To Aids
HIV doesn’t always become AIDS, but when a persons immune system drops below a certain level of T cells, they are considered to have progressed to AIDS. An AIDS patients cell count drops to 200 cells/mm3 from a normal count of 5001500 cells/mm3. In laymans terms, theyve acquired an immune deficiency syndrome .
When AIDS first caught the worlds attention back in 1981, we didn’t have the same detection methods we do now. This meant it was only diagnosed by infections that occur late in the game, like Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a rare cancer. Back then, treatment focused on these infections, but by the time patients were showing symptoms, it was usually too late. Late detection meant that patients had so few T cells, they were often near death.
Whats The Actual Difference Between Hiv And Aids
HIV/AIDS. The two go together. When you see them in the media, read about them online, or hear them on the news, its always HIV/AIDS.
But why do people say both? Doesnt HIV mean AIDS? If you have HIV do you also have AIDS? Is HIV just a different way to say AIDS? ;
All of these questions are valid. Especially when HIV and AIDS are used interchangeably. It might seem like the difference between the two doesnt really matter, or one means the other. But thats not true.
HIV and AIDS are not the same.
HIV is a virus. AIDS is a condition. But what does that actually mean?
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. Its a virus that can only infect humans and leads to the weakening of the immune system. ;The immune system is the bodys system for fighting disease. When its compromised or weakened, a person becomes susceptible to all kinds of bacteria, viruses, or other agents that cause disease.
When HIV is left untreated, it can wreak havoc on a persons immune system. As this happens, the body is less able to fight off infections. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, which means the immune system has been made less effective by HIV. When this happens, a person is considered to have an acquired immune deficiency, or AIDS.
HIV Doesnt Always Mean AIDS
Its important to note that you cannot have AIDS without being infected with HIV. But people can, and do, live long lives with HIV and never develop AIDS.
SoWhen in Doubt Get Tested what?
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How Do I Get Prep
You can get PrEP from some health clinics or Planned Parenthood health centers, local health departments, and doctors offices.
Your nurse or doctor will talk with you about the sex you have, the protection you use, and your medical history to see if PrEP is right for you. Theyll also give you tests for HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and other STDs. And they’ll test your kidneys to make sure theyre working well.
Some nurses and doctors dont know about PrEP, or they dont want to prescribe it because they dont have all the facts about PrEP. If you dont have a doctor, or your regular doctor or nurse doesnt prescribe PrEP, you still have options. The doctors and nurses at your local Planned Parenthood health center can provide up-to-date, accurate, non-judgmental information about PrEP, and help you get a prescription if PrEP is right for you.
There are also other organizations that can help you get and pay for PrEP. Greater than AIDS has a tool that can help you find PrEP near you.
How The Definition Changed
Since the last revision of the list of AIDS-defining conditions was issued in 2008, the CDC definition of AIDS has remained largely unchanged. What has changed is how the definition is used.
Back in the 1980s and early-1990s, the CDC definition of AIDS was used to establish when a person was eligible for Social Security disability and other forms of financial or medical assistance. Because an AIDS diagnosis was still associated with a high risk of death, having a CD4 count of 200 was often enough to establish a person as permanently disabled.
The same criteria would not apply today. Because HIV is now considered a chronically managed condition, people who meet the definition of AIDS will need to undergo a case-by-case evaluation to determine if they are, in fact, disabled under the terms of the law.
At the same time, doctors are using the term “AIDS” less and less todayin part because of the fluidity of the definition but also because the prognosis for many AIDS-related conditions has improved dramatically since the time of the CDC definition. If anything, the term is used more for surveillance purposes than anything else.
On top of this, “AIDS” remains a highly stigmatizing term, and, in its place, many doctors and advocates prefer the term “advanced HIV infection” when describing the stage of the disease.
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Basic Facts About Aids
- AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Its also called advanced HIV infection or late-stage HIV.
- AIDS is a set of symptoms and illnesses that develop when an advanced HIV infection has destroyed the immune system.
- Fewer people develop AIDS now, as more people are on treatment for HIV and staying well.
Although there is no cure for HIV, with the right treatment and support, people living with HIV can enjoy long and healthy lives. To do this, its especially important to commit to taking treatment correctly.
How Did Hiv Spread From Kinshasa
The area around Kinshasa is full of transport links, such as roads, railways and rivers. The area also had a growing sex trade around the time that HIV began to spread. The high population of migrants and sex trade might explain how HIV spread along these infrastructure routes. By 1937, it had reached Brazzaville, about 120km west of Kinshasa.
The lack of transport routes into the North and East of the country accounts for the significantly fewer reports of infections there at the time.11
By 1980, half of all infections in DR Congo were in locations outside of the Kinshasa area, reflecting the growing epidemic.12
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What Kind Of Hiv Tests Are There
Rapid HIV tests give you results in about 20 minutes. Other tests take longer because they need to be sent out to a lab. HIV tests are usually painless you just gently rub the inside of your cheek with a soft swab. Sometimes youll give a blood sample for testing.
You can test yourself for HIV using an at-home HIV testing kit. With the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test, you swab your gums and test the sample yourself. You get results in 20 minutes. With the Home Access HIV-1 Test, you prick your finger to get a small amount of blood. You mail your blood sample to a lab, and get your results in about a week. At-home tests are totally anonymous you’re the only person who will know the results. And both types of tests help connect you with counselors who can give you support and advice about treatment if you test positive.
If a rapid HIV test at a clinic or a home test shows that you have HIV, get a follow-up test to make sure the results are correct.
Is Hiv And Aids The Same Thing
Introduction;
HIV/AIDS is one of the most devasting global epidemics of the twentieth century.
The human immunodeficiency virus caused by acquired immune deficiency syndrome includes various severe and debilitating disorders such as opportunistic infections like tuberculosis, pneumonia resulting from a compromised immune system, and significant co-occurring psychiatric illnesses.
Due to HIV/AIDS, there is CD4+T cell count is low, and with that, there are so many psychiatric illnesses is associated with anxiety, depression, fear, etc.
Coping with reality and moving forward with HIV/AIDS is very challenging, and it will create so many mental issues.
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