FL Barber HIV-AIDS Ebook Continuing Education

How is HIV Transmitted? OX √ √ Semen √ Pre-Seminal Fluid √ Vaginal Fluid √ Rectal Fluids √ Blood √ Breast Milk √ Tears √ Sweat √ Feces or Urine √ Hugging √ Dry Kissing √ Daily Contact HIV Can Be Transmitted Through: HIV Can NOT Be Transmitted Through: Myth #5 – You can tell someone has HIV by looking at them. It is true that as the HIV virus progresses and begins affecting the immune system, the disease can present with physical symptoms. Also, when a person is taking HIV medicines, there may be changes in body shape and appearance, including fat accumulation (increased deposits of fat in the abdomen, neck, shoulders, breasts, or face or fatty bumps on the body) and lipoatrophy (loss of fat, particularly in the face, legs, or arms). However, all of these symptoms can also be linked to many other conditions as well, so it is never possible to tell if someone has HIV just by looking at them. The HIV virus can actually live in the body asymptomatically 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 85%.

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 virus in their bloodstream, 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/ 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. Myth # 6 – Everyone who is HIV-positive 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 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.

STAGES OF HIV INFECTION

HIV is a virus spread through certain body fluids. It attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (a type of white blood cell), 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 infections 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. Beginning in the 1980s with the drug AZT, ART therapy has developed to the point that it 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 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.

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Book Code: BBFL0224

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