With the widespread information about HIV/AIDS, one would think people should be aware of it by now, but the recent news of the rise of HIV/AIDS In different locations is highly alarming. Let's talk about HIV and AIDS today and figure out the things we probably don't know about its prevention and control.
HIV is a serious virus that affects the immune system, it increases the risk involved and seriously impacts other infections and diseases, when HIV is not adequately treated, it progresses to the 3rd stage that we know as AIDS. Some health agencies including the World Health Organization WHO, have observed and reported that so many people living with HIV still live long and healthy lives just like those who have tested negative for the virus, but this is only possible when the individual takes antiretroviral drugs as prescribed by the doctor.
HIV targets the white blood cell of the body, making the immune system weak, and it also becomes very possible for other diseases to find their way into the affected body, other sicknesses like some cancers, some infections, and tuberculosis. It is spread from the body fluid of an infected person, this includes breast milk, semen, and vaginal fluids, it does not spread through hugs, kisses, and through sharing of food, it is also possible to have it spread from mother to child.
WHO now defines Advanced HIV Disease (AHD) as a CD4 cell count of less than 200 cells/mm3 or WHO stage 3 or 4 in adults and adolescents. All children with HIV younger than 5 years of age are considered to have advanced HIV disease.
The symptoms of HIV varies based on the stages of infection, the disease can spread more easily during the first few months of infections, although many are not aware of what is going on with them until it gets to a later stage in life. During the first few weeks of infection, people may not even experience any symptoms, but there could experience other influenza-like illnesses like sore throat, headache, rash, and fever. Gradually, the infections get to weakens the immune systems, creating other intense signs like; weight loss, fever, cough, swollen lymph nodes, and diarrhea.
In a case where treatment is ignored, then HIV infection can also develop serious illnesses like; serious bacterial infections, cancers like Kaposi's sacroma, and lymphomas, cryptococcal meningitis, and tuberculosis (TB), if there is an existing infection in the body, with the presence of developing HIV case, it would get worse and provide issues of complications; like hepatitis C,mpox, and hepatitis B.
I use to think that, HIV could be spread through blood/organ donation until I read this article, which claims that HIV is not spread to a person who donates organs or blood, those who donate are not in direct contact with the person receiving them and in the same vein, a person donating blood I not in physical contact with the person who is receiving it, the use of condom appropriately every time there is a sexual contact will help reduce the risk. When there is unprotected anal or viganal sex, there is a very strong chance of getting it, having multiple partners would also increase the chances of getting it, with sharing of syringes and needles, and the presence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
The only way to ascertain the presence of HIV Is to get tested, it is through the awareness of your status that you will work towards treatment and prevent its transmission, if you shy away from getting tested then it may just develop into something more severe.
Remember that somewhere along the beginning of this post, I mentioned AIDS to be the third stage of HIV Infection, and what this means practically is that there is a stage 1 and 2.
Stage 1 is the acute infection stage, where people have a large amount of HIV in their blood and it gets very contagious, at this stage many people have flu-like symptoms of flu, so if you have flu and think you may have been exposed to HIV, then make sure to get a test.
Stage 2 is the chronic HIV Infection stage, the stage is also known as the asymptomatic HIV Infection or clinical latency. HIV is still very active at this stage and it continues to get reproduced in the body.
During this stage, there may not be symptoms or even signs of sickness, but there will be a great possibility of transmitting HIV. The people who take HIV treatment based on prescription may never get to stage 3, but without treatment, the stage may last for about 10 years or even more, then it may begin to progress at a very high rate from that time, the amount of HIV found in the blood goes up, and the affected person could move to stage 3.
Stage 3, is the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), it is the most severe stage of HIV infection, the people who have AIDS have a great viral load and it could transmit HIV easily to others. People who have AIDS have a badly damaged immune system, they could get an increasing number of opportunistic infections finding their way into their body massively, or they may have a serious illness. When there is no HIV treatment, people who have AIDS would barely survive within 3 years.
My conclusion and advice to you today, is to stay safe, practice health and sex safety, and get tested regularly. I hear lots of young men who claim they are scared of getting tested, I believe after reading this, you can see for yourself how very risky it is.
References.
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html
https://aidsrestherapy.biomedcentral.com/articles
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000594.htm
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids