virus in their blood stream they can no longer be detected by a laboratory test . However, even if undetectable, there is still a possibility (though greatly diminished) of transmitting the disease. The only way to know for sure whether a person has HIV is for them to get tested. Knowing your status is important because it helps you make healthy decisions to prevent contracting or transmitting HIV. To find places near you that offer confidential HIV testing, visit https://gettested.cdc.gov/, text your ZIP code to KNOW IT (566948), or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232- 4636). You can also use a home testing kit, available for purchase in most pharmacies and online. disease if taken the right way, every day. This treatment can slow or prevent progression from one stage to the next. It can also dramatically reduce the chance of transmitting HIV to someone else.
The HIV virus can actually live in the body asymptomatic for up to 10 years during the latency period . Yet, during this time, it is still possible to transmit the virus to others. This is why it is so important to use condoms correctly and every time. Doing so can reduce the risk of contracting or passing HIV by up to 80%. In addition, thanks to new drug therapies, many people who are aware of their HIV positive status are living symptom free and have no outward sign of carrying the virus. Medications and treatments can keep them at a healthy body weight and prevent them from progressing to symptomatic stages of HIV. As previously noted, many are able to maintain the status of undetectable, meaning that there are so few copies of the
Myth #6 - If someone is HIV positive, they will eventually develop AIDS. When people get HIV and don’t receive treatment, they will typically progress through three stages of disease, the last and most severe stage being AIDS. Yet, if properly treated, an HIV positive person may never acquire AIDS. Medicine to treat HIV, known as antiretroviral therapy (ART), helps at all stages of the
STAGES OF HIV INFECTION
their lifespan. It’s important to remember that people can still transmit HIV to others during this phase, although people who are on ART and stay virally suppressed (having a very low level of virus in their blood) are much less likely to transmit HIV than those who are not virally suppressed. At the end of this phase, a person’s viral load starts to go up and the CD4 cell count begins to go down. As this happens, the person may begin to have symptoms as the virus levels increase in the body and the person moves into Stage 3. Stage 3: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) – AIDS is the most severe phase of HIV infection People with AIDS have such badly damaged immune systems that they get an increasing number of severe illnesses, called opportunistic illnesses. Without treatment, people with AIDS typically survive about 3 years. Common symptoms of AIDS include chills, fever, sweats, swollen lymph glands, weakness, skin lesions, and weight loss. People are diagnosed with AIDS when their CD4 cell count drops below 200 cells/mm or if they develop certain opportunistic illnesses. People with AIDS can have a high viral load and be very infectious. An estimated 658,507 people in the United States with an AIDS diagnosis have died since its discovery, with tens of thousands of deaths each year.
HIV is a virus spread through certain body fluids. It attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (white blood cells), often called T cells. These special cells help the immune system fight off infections. Over time, if left untreated, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can’t fight off infections and disease, allowing opportunistic infection or cancers to take advantage of a very weak immune system . While no safe and effective cure currently exists, with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. Developed in the 1990’s, ART therapy can dramatically prolong the lives of many people infected with HIV and lower their chance of infecting others. Today, someone diagnosed with HIV and treated can have a nearly normal life expectancy. Without ART treatments, however, HIV will continue to duplicate itself within the body, moving through the three stages of HIV infection. Stage 1: Acute HIV infection Within 2 to 4 weeks after infection with HIV, people may experience a flu-like illness, which may last for a few weeks. This is the body’s natural response to infection. During this time, the body produces an influx of white blood cells in an attempt to eradicate the virus. As the body is unable to eliminate the virus, it readjusts and proceeds into the second stage of the disease. Stage 2: Clinical latency (HIV inactivity or dormancy) This period is sometimes called asymptomatic HIV infection or chronic HIV infection. During this phase, HIV is still active but reproduces at very low levels. People may not have any symptoms or get sick during this time. For people who aren’t taking medicine to treat HIV, this period can last a decade or longer, but some progress through this phase much faster. People who are taking medicine to treat HIV (ART) the right way, every day may be in this stage for several decades or throughout
There are about 1.2 million reported cases of HIV in the United States (U.S.) alone. 1 in 6 people who have HIV in the United States are unaware they are infected.
WHO IS AT RISK?
● Injecting drugs or sharing needles. This can include steroids, hormones, insulin, or even getting tattoos. ● Acquiring any sexually transmitted disease, hepatitis, or tuberculosis. HIV often travels with other infectious diseases, so if you have contracted another virus, there is a heightened chance you could have also contracted HIV. ● Having sex with someone who has any of the above risk factors. Don’t forget, when you put yourself at risk, you put all of your future partners at risk as well.
Anyone that engages in behaviors that place them in contact with blood, semen, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk may be at risk for getting HIV. Even if you are in a long-term, monogamous relationship with one person, it is important to confirm your HIV status to be sure that you and your partner remain healthy and HIV negative. According to the CDC, everyone aged 13 to 64 should include HIV testing as part of their health care routine, even if they do not feel they are at risk . The following are risk factors that can affect anyone, at any age or status in their life: ● Having sex with someone without being 100% sure of their HIV status. Remember, 1 in 6 people are unaware of their infection.
Book Code: EFL1024
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