What Does The Word Hiv Mean

Side Effects And Costs

Side effects of antiretroviral therapy vary and may include nausea, headache, and dizziness. These symptoms are often temporary and disappear with time.

Serious side effects can include swelling of the mouth and tongue and liver or kidney damage. If side effects are severe, the medications can be adjusted.

Costs for antiretroviral therapy vary according to geographic location and type of insurance coverage. Some pharmaceutical companies have assistance programs to help lower the cost.

To develop AIDS, a person has to have contracted HIV. But having HIV doesnt 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

As HIV lowers the CD4 cell count, the immune system weakens. A typical adults CD4 count is 500 to 1,500 per cubic millimeter. A person with a count below 200 is considered to have AIDS.

How quickly a case of HIV progresses through the chronic stage varies significantly from person to person. Without treatment, it can last up to a decade before advancing to AIDS. With treatment, it can last indefinitely.

Theres currently no cure for HIV, but it can be managed. People with HIV often have a near-normal lifespan with early treatment with antiretroviral therapy.

Also, treatment can typically help manage opportunistic infections.

HIV and AIDS are related, but theyre not the same thing.

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.

What Are The Symptoms Of Hiv

After the first month or so, HIV enters the clinical latency stage. This stage can last from a few years to a few decades.

Some people dont have any symptoms during this time, while others may have minimal or nonspecific symptoms. A nonspecific symptom is a symptom that doesnt pertain to one specific disease or condition.

These nonspecific symptoms may include:

• headaches and other aches and pains
• swollen lymph nodes
• recurrent oral or vaginal yeast infections
• pneumonia
• shingles

As with the early stage, HIV is still transferable during this time even without symptoms and can be transmitted to another person.

However, a person wont know they have HIV unless they get tested. If someone has these symptoms and thinks they may have been exposed to HIV, its important that they get tested.

HIV symptoms at this stage may come and go, or they may progress rapidly. This progression can be slowed substantially with treatment.

With the consistent use of this antiretroviral therapy, chronic HIV can last for decades and will likely not develop into AIDS, if treatment was started early enough.

The cause of the rash determines:

• how it looks
• how it can be treated depends on the cause

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What Is The Origin Of The Covid

On December 31, 2019, a strange new pneumonia of unknown cause was reported to the Chinese WHO Country Office. A cluster of these cases originally appeared in Wuhan, a city in the Hubei Province of China. These infections were found to be caused by a new coronavirus which was given the name 2019 novel coronavirus .

It was later renamed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses on February 11, 2020. It was named SARS-CoV2 because the virus is a genetic cousin of the coronavirus which caused the SARS outbreak in 2002 .

The unofficial name for the virus is the COVID-19 virus.

Common Names For Hiv/aids

There are many common names for HIV/AIDS which varies among different cultures, languages and regions in the world. Example : isandulela ngculazi is the Zulu word for AIDS, widely used in South Africa which has the highest HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate. HIV/AIDS is a global problem affecting every sector of the human population and the disease is perceived differently based on ignorance, misconceptions and cultural and religious beliefs.

The most common names for HIV/AIDS refers to the wasting which typically occurs in the latter stages of the disease. This is often referred to as the thins or slims disease, a term very often used in Africa in the native tongue. Less politically correct names had emerged in the 1980s and early 1990s at a time when the disease was only associated with gay men and homosexual behavior. These misconceptions have been allayed in recent years as HIV is more often spread in heterosexual couples.

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How Is Hiv Controlled

It is important to recognize that not all HIV-positive people go on to develop AIDS. Antiretroviral therapy is an effective treatment developed in the mid-90s that keeps the amount of HIV particles in the body low. ART is used as a combination therapy consisting of different types of HIV drug. Before ART was available, many HIV patients would develop AIDS within a few years now HIV-positive individuals receiving ART can live a healthier life, with life expectancy almost that of unaffected people. Whats more, they are less likely to pass the virus on to others than untreated HIV patients. Unfortunately, there is no cure for HIV as yet, and the virus remains in the body, but researchers hope to discover a cure within the next few years.

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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Hiv Doesnt Always Progress To Stage 3

HIV is a virus, and AIDS is the condition the virus may cause. An HIV infection doesnt necessarily progress to stage 3. In fact, many people with HIV live for years without developing AIDS. Thanks to advances in treatment, a person living with HIV can expect to live a near-normal life span.

While a person can have an HIV infection without having AIDS, anyone diagnosed with AIDS has already contracted HIV. Because there is no cure, the HIV infection never goes away, even if AIDS never develops.

How Do People Get Hiv

Most young children who have HIV got it before they were born or shortly after birth.

Older people can get HIV through:

• sex
• sharing needles for injecting drugs or tattooing
• getting stuck with a needle with an infected persons blood on it

HIV is NOT spread through:

• pee, poop, spit, throw-up, or sweat
• coughing or sneezing
• sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses

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How Do You Get Or Transmit Hiv

You can only get HIV by coming into direct contact with certain body fluids from a person with HIV who has a detectable viral load. These fluids are:

• Blood
• Semen and pre-seminal fluid
• Rectal fluids
• Vaginal fluids
• Breast milk

For transmission to occur, the HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person through a mucous membrane open cuts or sores or by direct injection.

People with HIV who take HIV medicine daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative partners.

Treatment And Life Expectancy

If HIV develops into stage 3 HIV, life expectancy drops significantly. Its difficult to repair damage to the immune system at this point. Infections and other conditions, such as certain cancers, resulting from severe immune system impairment are common. However, with successful antiretroviral therapy and some immune system recovery, many people with stage 3 HIV live long lives.

With todays treatments for HIV infection, people can live with HIV and never have AIDS develop. Its also important to note that successful antiretroviral treatment and a sustained undetectable viral load greatly lowers the risk of transmitting the virus to a partner.

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Us National Library Of Medicinerate This Definition:

Early Symptoms Of Hiv

The first few weeks after someone contracts HIV is called the acute infection stage.

During this time, the virus reproduces rapidly. The persons immune system responds by producing HIV antibodies, which are proteins that take measures to respond against infection.

During this stage, some people have no symptoms at first. However, many people experience symptoms in the first month or so after contracting the virus, but they often dont realize HIV causes those symptoms.

This is because symptoms of the acute stage can be very similar to those of the flu or other seasonal viruses, such as:

• they may be mild to severe
• they may come and go
• they may last anywhere from a few days to several weeks

Early symptoms of HIV can include:

• fever
• nausea
• upset stomach

Because these symptoms are similar to common illnesses like the flu, the person who has them might not think they need to see a healthcare provider.

And even if they do, their healthcare provider might suspect the flu or mononucleosis and might not even consider HIV.

Whether a person has symptoms or not, during this period their viral load is very high. The viral load is the amount of HIV found in the bloodstream.

A high viral load means that HIV can be easily transmitted to someone else during this time.

Initial HIV symptoms usually resolve within a few months as the person enters the chronic, or clinical latency, stage of HIV. This stage can last many years or even decades with treatment.

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What Does Hiv Mean

HIV is the acronym or abbreviation for Human Immune-deficiency Virus.You can see we are talking about a virus. This particular virus is found only in human beings and infects only humans. The virus damages the immune system to such an extent that it can no longer effectively protects the body against other infections. This damage leaves the immune system deficient or short of something it needs to protect the body. We will consider this further in the section on the immune system later in the manual.

Is There A Vaccine For Hiv

Currently, there are no vaccines to prevent or treat HIV. Research and testing on experimental vaccines are ongoing, but none are close to being approved for general use.

HIV is a complicated virus. It mutates rapidly and is often able to fend off immune system responses. Only a small number of people who have HIV develop broadly neutralizing antibodies, the kind of antibodies that can respond to a range of HIV strains.

The first HIV vaccine efficacy study in 7 years was underway in South Africa in 2016. The experimental vaccine is an updated version of one used in a 2009 trial that took place in Thailand.

A 3.5-year follow-up after vaccination showed the vaccine was 31.2 percent effective in preventing HIV transmission.

The study involves 5,400 men and women from South Africa. In 2016 in South Africa, about contracted HIV. The results of the study are expected in 2021.

Other late-stage, multinational vaccine clinical trials are also currently underway.

Other research into an HIV vaccine is also ongoing.

While theres still no vaccine to prevent HIV, people with HIV can benefit from other vaccines to prevent HIV-related illnesses. Here are the CDC recommendations:

• pneumonia:

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Patient Discussion About Aids

Q. Why AID spred? and How?

A.

Q. The HIV test came back POSITIVE! My very close friend ‘Demonte’. One day in December as he was returning from a business trip, his wife met him at the airport with terrible news. During a routine pregnancy check up, her doctor had administered an HIV test along with other blood-work. The HIV test came back POSITIVE! The doctor wanted to begin administering drugs immediately but the cost of these drugs here when compared to their family income was prohibitive. I helped him with some of my savings. He already sold his favorite sentimental car to save his precious wife. Now i want to know is there any NATURAL medicine to cure this? Hope it costs less and available.

A.

Aids Diagnosis Is More Complicated

AIDS is late stage HIV infection. Healthcare providers look for a few factors to determine if HIV latency has progressed to stage 3 HIV.

Because HIV destroys immune cells called CD4 cells, one way healthcare providers diagnose AIDS is to do a count of those cells. A person without HIV can have anywhere from 500 to 1,200 CD4 cells. When the cells have dropped to 200, a person with HIV is considered to have stage 3 HIV.

Another factor signaling that stage 3 HIV has developed is the presence of opportunistic infections. Opportunistic infections are diseases caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that would not make a person with an undamaged immune system sick.

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How Is Hiv Spread From Person To Person

HIV can only be spread through specific activities. In the United States, the most common ways are:

• Having vaginal or anal sex with someone who has HIV without using a condom or taking medicines to prevent or treat HIV. Anal sex is riskier than vaginal sex.
• Sharing injection drug equipment , such as needles, with someone who has HIV.

Less common ways are:

• From mother to child during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding. However, the use of HIV medicines and other strategies have helped lower the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV to 1% or less in the United States.
• Getting stuck with an HIV-contaminated needle or other sharp object. This is a risk mainly for health care workers. The risk is very low.

HIV is spread only in extremely rare cases by:

• Having oral sex. But in general, the chance that an HIV-negative person will get HIV from oral sex with an HIV-positive partner is extremely low.

Living With Hiv: What To Expect And Tips For Coping

More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV. Its different for everybody, but with treatment, many can expect to live a long, productive life.

The most important thing is to start antiretroviral treatment as soon as possible. By taking medications exactly as prescribed, people living with HIV can keep their viral load low and their immune system strong.

Its also important to follow up with a healthcare provider regularly.

Other ways people living with HIV can improve their health include:

• Make their health their top priority. Steps to help people living with HIV feel their best include:
• fueling their body with a well-balanced diet
• exercising regularly
• avoiding tobacco and other drugs
• reporting any new symptoms to their healthcare provider right away

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Using Barrier Protection And Prep

Using a method of barrier protection, such as a condom, during every sexual act can drastically reduce the chances of contracting HIV and other STIs.

In their 2019 guidelines, the Preventive Services Task Force advise that doctors only recommend PrEP to people with recent negative HIV tests.

They also approve a PrEP formation: a combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine. They advise people who take PrEP to do so once a day.

The have also approved a second combination drug tenofovir alafenamide and emtricitabine as PrEP.

Common Scientific Terms Related To Hiv/aids

• ELISA or Western Blot are the two common blood tests utilized to detect for HIV infection. Both tests should be conducted to confirm the diagnosis if either test reveals a positive result. A positive ELISA test indicates the presence of HIV antibodies in the blood. A Western Blot test detects HIV proteins in the blood to confirm diagnosis. If both are positive, the person can be diagnosed as HIV-positive meaning that they are infected with HIV. If negative, this indicates that HIV infection has not occurred or may be in an early stage where it cannot be detected in the blood . Repeat testing is then required after 6 weeks to 3 months. A negative test is commonly termed as being HIV negative although this is not an accurate medical term for a persons HIV status.

• ART or anti-retroviral therapy refers to the cocktail of antiviral drugs that are used in HIV infection, usually more than one type of antiretroviral . The individual drugs may be referred to as ARVs or anti-retrovirals. The use of several antiviral drugs to reduce the viral load may also be termed HAART .

• Viral load is a measure of the HIV nucleic acid present in the infected person which increases as the disease progresses over time. It gives an indication of the progression of the disease, response to therapy and prognosis. Viral load together with the CD4 count are important in monitoring HIV infection and are deciding factors for the commencement of ART before the onset of AIDS.

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