HIV and AIDS

Type: Virus

Symptoms: Fever, headache, tiredness, enlarged lymph nodes (glands of the immune system easily felt in the neck and groin). These symptoms usually disappear within a week to a month and are often mistaken for those of another viral infection. During this period, people are very infectious, and HIV is present in large quantities in genital fluids.

Incubation: Incubation varies it's about 1 to 6 months from the time of infection to the time of detectable antibodies in the blood. The time from HIV infection to the diagnosis of AIDS has been noted to be anywhere from 2 months to 10 years or longer. If you tested negative last month, that still means you might not turn up negative in four months, etc. Testing is important, get tested, but still use “safe sex”.

Treatment: Antiretroviral Treatment varies from person to person. There are new pills being invented all the time to reduce the amount of medications taken daily, and to help eliminate some of the side effects of them. For more information on current and or clinical trials see the NIH AIDS treatment guidelines page: http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/Guidelines/Default.aspx?MenuItem=Guidelines

Left Untreated: More persistent or severe symptoms may not appear for 10 years or more after HIV first enters the body in adults, or within 2 years in children born with HIV infection. This period of asymptomatic infection varies greatly in each person. Some people may begin to have symptoms within a few months, while others may be symptom-free for more than 10 years.

Even during the asymptomatic period, the virus is actively multiplying, infecting and killing cells of the immune system. The virus can also hide within infected cells and be inactive. The most obvious effect of HIV infection is a decline in the number of CD4 positive T (CD4+) cells found in the blood—the immune system’s key infection fighters. The virus slowly disables or destroys these cells without causing symptoms.

As the immune system becomes more debilitated, a variety of complications start to take over. For many people, the first signs of infection are large lymph nodes, or swollen glands, that may be enlarged for more than 3 months. Other symptoms often experienced months to years before the onset of AIDS include

* Lack of energy
* Weight loss
* Frequent fevers and sweats
* Persistent or frequent yeast infections (oral or vaginal)
* Persistent skin rashes or flaky skin
* Pelvic inflammatory disease in women that does not respond to treatment
* Short-term memory loss

Some people develop frequent and severe herpes infections that cause mouth, genital, or anal sores, or a painful nerve disease called shingles. Children may grow slowly or get sick frequently.

Eventually you will convert from HIV positive to AIDS.

AIDS is a deficiency of the body's immune system to fight a variety of infections and cancers. AIDS is the final (and fatal) stage that results from the infection of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV is the most dangerous of all the STDs because there is still no cure or vaccine, there are vaccine trials being done, but that doesn't mean it's a healthy disease to get. Once you have the virus, you have it forever.

Between 40,000 and 50,000 Americans become infected with HIV every year. Half of them are between the ages of 13 and 24.

Transmission: HIV is passed through blood and bodily fluids. Mainly semen, blood and vaginal secretions. (Also breast milk). Infection can happen in 5 ways:

Sexual intercourse with an infected person.
Anal intercourse with an infected person.
Sharing needles and other paraphernalia for injecting drugs with an infected person (this includes using steroids and "skin popping" drugs).
Infected blood or blood products given by blood transfusions or other medical treatments. (This is very rare in the U.S. and Canada as all blood is screened for the HIV infection.)

Giving birth (if YOU are infected with HIV). About 1 in 4 HIV-positive mothers will infect their babies either during birth, while pregnant, (the virus crosses the placenta to the fetus), or by breast feeding.It can take 10 years (or more) for the HIV virus to develop into full-blown AIDS. Once you are infected you will eventually develop AIDS, even though new drugs can slow down this process. Eventually the breakdown of the immune system will occur and the person becomes fatally vulnerable to diseases that healthy people rarely die from. Even the flu can kill a person with AIDS.

Getting Tested for AIDS

The AIDS virus can be detected by a blood test. The virus takes anywhere from three to six months to be detected in the body. The test is totally confidential. You are often assigned a number when tested and no name is used. You can get tested without parental consent. The blood test is often inexpensive at clinics or at the local Health Department. Your private health care provider can also test you. It’s important to get tested at a place that provides counseling, because counselors can help you understand what your test results mean, answer questions about how to protect yourself and others, and refer you to local HIV-related resources.

Four Ways to Avoid Getting HIV:

NEVER have sex without a latex condom and spermicide (spermicides do weaken and even kill the virus). Use them together! Every time! Update: There is now some debate whether spermicides should be used with condoms for HIV protection (still good for contraception, however). For more on this topic, google-it. Nonoxynol-9 and condoms.

If you have an open cut inside your mouth, do not have oral sex with anyone. Condoms should be used for oral sex (there are flavored ones). Use a dental dam if you are having oral sex. Use a condom with every act of anal sex.

If you are a drug-user who uses needles, NEVER share needles with anyone. If you decide to get a tattoo or body piecing, make sure it is done with sterile equipment and by a reputable person.

You Should Know:

You cannot get AIDS from kissing, hugging, or holding hands.

AIDS is not spread from sneezing, coughing, or toilet seats.

You can't catch AIDS from sitting near, being friends with or talking to someone who has it.

Mosquitoes, fleas and other bugs DO NOT transmit the AIDS virus.

You cannot get AIDS from donating blood. HIV is scary stuff, but this is not meant to scare you. It’s meant to inform you. There is still no cure and no vaccine to prevent AIDS. Thankfully, the virus that causes AIDS isn’t easy to pass from one person to another. If you know someone who has AIDS you should not be afraid of friendly contact with them. They need all the friends and support they can get.

Remember, one in 250 Americans is HIV positive; but only one in 500 knows it. If you think you are at risk. Get tested.

ALWAYS check the expiration date on the condoms wrapper before you use one!

National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project
amFar AIDS Research - (American Foundation for AIDS Research)
The nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research and education, support and advocacy.