What’s The Difference Between Hiv And Aids

The Difference Between Covid

People wearing face masks as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus walk outside the … Forbidden City during the national day marking the 71st anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the country’s national “Golden Week” holiday in Beijing on October 1, 2020.

For the October issue of Scientific American, I penned a piece on what we can learn from the parallels that exist between the coronavirus and HIV crises.* To this essay, called Lessons from AIDS for the Covid-19 Pandemic, I would add one more thought.

A critical difference between AIDS and Covid-19 is that Covid-19 can be controlled by public health means. That continues to be much more difficult for HIV/AIDS.

It is case identification, contact tracing and quarantine that has put the Covid-19 genie back in the bottle in China and several other East Asian countries. Except for sporadic outbreaks, quickly contained, China today is free from Covid-19 back to work and back to school.

It has never been possible to contain HIV/AIDS in any country at this remarkable level of effectiveness despite more than 35 years of strenuous public health measures and intense biomedical research.

How Is Hiv Treated

There are many ways to treat the different stages of HIV, but they usually involve a combination of two or three antiretroviral drugs . One focus of s work to date has been to make ARVs available to mothers in developing countries. To avoid passing HIV from mother to child, the World Health Organization recommends a regimen of three drugs during pregnancy and breastfeeding for the mother and a six-week course of a drug called nevirapine for their newborn babies.

These drugs can have side effects, including nausea, headaches, anemia and depression, but if treated, the life expectancy of an HIV positive person is comparable to someone whos HIV-free. If it isnt treated, the virus will lower a persons immunity, causing them to develop AIDS.

Key Difference Aids Vs Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmunity is an adaptive immune response mounted against self-antigens and the diseases caused by such responses are called the autoimmune diseases. AIDS is the end stage of HIV infection. In the absence of proper treatment, death occurs in 2-3 years. While AIDS is an infectious venereal disease caused by the HIV virus, autoimmune diseases are caused due to different alterations in the immune system which are triggered by the exposure to various exogenous and endogenous antigens. This is the major difference between AIDS and autoimmune disease.

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Can Hiv Be Prevented

To reduce the risk of getting HIV, people who are sexually active should:

• use a condom every time they have sex
• get tested for HIV and make sure all partners do too
• reduce their number of sexual partners
• get tested and treated for STDs having an STD increases the risk of HIV infection
• consider taking a medicine every day if they are at very high risk of getting infected

For everyone:

• Do not inject drugs or share any kind of needle.
• Do not share razors or other personal objects that may touch blood.
• Do not touch anyone else’s blood from a cut or sore.

How Do I Talk With People About Having Hiv

It might feel scary to admit that you have HIV, but talking about things can really ease your mind. You could lean on a close, non-judgmental friend or family member whom you trust to keep the conversation private. Counselors and support groups can also be sources of comfort and they can help you figure out how to talk with others about your HIV. Be careful about who you tell your status to people with HIV sometimes deal with unfair discrimination.

Theres no one right way to talk to your partners about having HIV, but here are some basic tips that might help:

Its really important to also tell your past partners that you have HIV, so they can get tested, too. A lot of health departments have programs that let your partners know they were exposed to HIV without giving them your name unless you want them to.

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How Can I Make Sure I Dont Give Hiv To Anyone During Sex

If you find out that you have HIV, try to stay calm. People living with HIV can have normal, healthy relationships and sex lives. But its important to take precautions to help your partner stay HIV-free.

There are a few ways that you can avoid giving HIV to other people:

• Always use condoms when you have vaginal and anal sex.

• Start treatment for HIV as soon as possible, and keep taking your HIV medicine. When you take it correctly, HIV treatment can lower or even stop your chances of spreading the virus to your sexual partners .

• Theres a daily pill your partner can take to lower the risk of getting HIV, called PrEP.

• Dont share needles for shooting drugs, piercings, or tattoos.

• Get tested and treated for other STDs besides HIV regularly. Having other STDs makes it easier for you to spread HIV to others.

If you test positive for HIV, its important to tell your sexual partners about it so they can be tested, too. Even if youre really careful to not spread HIV, be honest with your future partners about your status so you can both be informed and help each other stay healthy. Read more about talking with your partners about HIV.

Understanding The Difference Between Hiv And Aids

Viruses cause many diseases in humans, as Medical News Today explains. Some are relatively mild, such as cold sores, the common cold, and seasonal influenza outbreaks. Others are potentially deadly, including measles, mumps, chickenpox, hepatitis, polio, rabies, Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome , dengue fever, Zika virus, Epstein-Barr virus and AIDS.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services explains that HIV attacks the cells that help our bodies fight off infections. Without these cells, were more susceptible to infections from other sources, including other viruses. Thats HIVs insidious nature: rather than being fatal itself, it destroys the bodys ability to stave off other diseases that can ultimately cause the persons death.

Efforts to combat AIDS rightly focus on prevention, but successful treatments are now able to boost the immune system of people who contract HIV and prevent the virus from attacking patients natural disease-defense mechanisms.

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How Are Hiv And Aids Treated

Medicines can help people with HIV stay healthy. They can also prevent HIV from becoming AIDS. People with HIV and AIDS usually need to take a few different medicines. The medicines must be taken exactly as prescribed or they won’t work.

These medicines:

• help keep the number of CD4 cells high
• lower the viral load of HIV

Regular blood tests will check to see how well the medicines are working.

Dispelling Misinformation About Hiv And Aids

By taking appropriate precautions, people can nearly eliminate their risk of contracting HIV. The goal of public health outreach is to disseminate precautions about HIV and AIDS, including dispelling misinformation that conflates HIV and AIDS. HIV.gov lists the tools currently available to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS:

• HIV testing to prevent undiagnosed cases from transmitting the virus
• HIV medications to prevent transmission of the infection, including mother-to-child transmission: PrEP and post-exposure prophylaxis
• Preventive interventions, such as condom distributions and needle exchanges to stem infections among intravenous drug users
• Medication-assisted therapy and other drug treatments
• Diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases

Among the strategies that are effective in promoting risk-reduction strategies for people with HIV are media campaigns, behavioral interventions and medication reminders.

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Support Groups And Resources For People Who Have Hiv Or Aids

Peer support is effective in helping people meet the challenges associated with HIV and AIDS. Peer support can reduce anxiety and depression, relieve symptoms, and assist people in maintaining treatment regimens. Healthline describes the work that many online HIV/AIDS support forums do. Some of these include:

• POZ Community Forums provides moderated discussion boards with information about a diagnosis, treatment, and community resources.
• HIV/AIDS TherapyTribe is an online space where people can offer advice and moral support to others who share their experiences with HIV and AIDS.
• The Well Project allows women and girls who are living with HIV to participate in moderated forums and read about the experiences of others who are in the same situation.

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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What Are The Symptoms Of Hiv

An early HIV infection is often marked by flu-like symptoms, including a headache, fever or rash. These symptoms are the bodys natural immune response to the virus. The T cell count drops very quickly, before leveling out a bit though not to previous levels. This is the best time to start treatment.

What Is The Difference Between Hiv And Aids

Difference between HIV and AIDS are:

HIV is the acronym for human Deficiency Virus, whereas AIDS is the acronym for Acquired Deficiency Syndrome. In the case of HIV, the virus that invades the immunity system whereas in the case of AIDS the last stage of the spectrum of conditions, initially caused by the infection of HIV. In the case of HIV, patients will suffer minor difficulties symptoms will be similar to flu, whereas, in the case of AIDS, patients will experience severe signs and symptoms, disrupting the quality of life. A person having HIV may not have AIDS, but a person having AIDS will have HIV. HIV can be diagnosed with a simple test, whereas AIDS diagnosis is a bit more complicated. If a person infected with HIV, your immune system produces antibodies against the virus, and these antibodies can be detected by a blood or saliva test, whereas diagnosing AIDS involves a count of CD4 cells. Still, since its the final stage of HIV, it can go undiagnosed until it’s too late.

So these are a few differences between HIV and AIDS. Yes, these two terms are not similar. People often get confused between the two words because both the public and the medical literature have had a tendency to use HIV and AIDS interchangeably.

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Incorporating Hiv And Aids Education In Community Outreach

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States: Federal Action Plan, which the federal government originally published in 2015, was updated in 2020. The plan highlights the important role played by community-based organizations , healthcare providers and informal networks of people who have HIV in achieving the goal of making new infections rare and ultimately nonexistent.

Another important goal of the federal strategy is to ensure that everyone whos living with HIV has access to quality care and has the opportunity to live a full, healthy life free of discrimination and stigma. The plan calls for the CDC to support community mobilization efforts to strengthen CBOs social network strategies. It also recommends national campaigns targeting segments of the population who are at the greatest risk of contracting HIV.

Malignancies Associated With Aids

• Organ-specific autoimmune diseases Type I diabetes mellitus, Graves disease, multiple sclerosis, Good pasture syndrome
• System specific autoimmune diseases SLE, Scleroderma, Rheumatoid arthritis

As previously mentioned, an autoimmune response is mounted against self-antigens. But, it is impossible to completely eliminate these intrinsic molecules with antigenic properties from our body. Therefore, autoimmune diseases cause a chronic tissue damage because of the repeated attempts to get rid of the self-antigens.

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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.

Treatment Resources And Hotlines For Hiv And Aids

When the first cases of AIDS were identified in the early 1980sbefore the disease even had a namehealth care providers knew so little about the disease that there was no formal treatment approach. Today, countries around the world are making great strides in slowing the spread of HIV and AIDS and in reducing the number of AIDS-related deaths.

• The number of people with HIV receiving treatment more than tripled globally between 2010 and 2020. UNAIDS reports that of the 37.6 million people with HIV worldwide, 27.4 million are in treatment, compared with only 7.8 million in 2010.
• The widespread availability of affordable, quality HIV treatments has prevented an estimated 16.2 million deaths since 2001. Annual AIDS-related deaths declined by 43% between 2010 and 2020.
• The rate of new HIV infections fell by 30% globally in the past decade from 2.1 million newly infected in 2010 to 1.5 million in 2020.

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How Can A Person Reduce The Risk Of Getting Hiv

To reduce your risk of HIV infection, use condoms correctly every time you have sex, limit your number of sexual partners, and never share injection drug equipment.

Also talk to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis . PrEP is an HIV prevention option for people who do not have HIV but who are at high risk of becoming infected with HIV. PrEP involves taking a specific HIV medicine every day. For more information, read the HIVinfo fact sheet on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis .

HIV medicines, given to women with HIV during pregnancy and childbirth and to their babies after birth, reduce the risk of perinatal transmission of HIV. In addition, because HIV can be transmitted through breast milk, women with HIV who live in the United States should not breastfeed their babies. Baby formula is a safe and healthy alternative to breast milk and is readily available in the United States.

Hiv Is First And Foremost A Virus

Simply put, both HIV and AIDS are caused by the same human immunodeficiency virus but represent two different stages of the disease. Thought it might sound confusing at first, doctors, scientists, and the media use the term HIV to both describe the virus and the infection it causes. The distinction becomes clear once you understand the context the term is used in.

Its not clear yet but the consensus seems to be that the virus appeared sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century in Western and Central Africa. The virus initially appeared in a non-human primate and was then transmitted to people after someone killed and ate the infected creature.

In the United States, AIDS was first recognized as a distinct condition in 1981 due to an increase in the incidence of rare opportunistic infections and cancers in homosexual men. Theres actually a rather freakish backstory about these early days of HIV/AIDS research. Weve covered before the story of a Canadian flight attendant named Gaetan Dugas who for decades has been wrongly labeled as the patient zero the source of HIV infections in the United States. It was only recently that his name was cleared.

During the latent period, an HIV infected person can feel no symptoms for years. Symptoms will arise once HIV infection turns into AIDS.

Another widely used HIV test looks for specific proteins produced by the virus called antigens. This test can accurately detect HIV mere days after infection.

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