Empowering Lives: HIV/AIDS Education and Resources

 

                                                        WHAT IS HIV 

 

The HIV human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases.

It is spread by contact with certain bodily fluids of a person with HIV, most commonly during sex with a condom or sex without a condom HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

The human body can’t get rid of HIV and no effective HIV cure exists. So, once you have HIV, you have it for life.

In addition, there are effective methods to prevent getting HIV through sex or drug use, including pre- exposure prophylaxis (Prep) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of Lent virus (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans.

Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. The average survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years.

In most cases, HIV is a sexually transmitted infection and occurs by contact with or transfer of blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, and vaginal fluids.

Non-sexual transmission can occur from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy, during childbirth by exposure to her blood or vaginal fluid, and through breast milk.

Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected the vital immune cells in the human immune system, such as helper T cells (specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophages, and dendritic cells.

HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells through a number of mechanisms, including pyroptosis of abortively infected T cells, apoptosis of uninfected bystander cells, direct viral killing of infected cells, and killing of infected CD4+ T cells by CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognize infected cells. When CD4+ T cell numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunity is lost, and the body becomes progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections, leading to the development of AIDS.

 

WHAT DAMAGE THE INFECTION CAN CAUSE

 

The different damage the HIV infection can cause are called:

 

Pneumocystis Pneumonia (PCP).

This fungal infection can cause severe illness.

PCP is still the most common cause of pneumonia in people infected with HIV.

Candidiasis (Thrush).

Candidiasis is a common HIV-related infection. It causes inflammation and a thick, white coating on your mouth, tongue, esophagus or vagina.

 

Tuberculosis (TB).

TB is a common opportunistic infection associated with HIV. Worldwide, TB is a leading cause of death among people with AIDS.

 

Cytomegalovirus.

This common herpes virus is transmitted in body fluids such as saliva, blood, urine, semen and breast milk. A healthy immune system inactivates the virus, and it remains dormant in your body.

If your immune system weakens, the virus resurfaces, can cause damage to your eyes, digestive tract,

Lungs or other organs.

Cryptococcal Meningitis.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes and fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord (meninges).

Cryptococcal meningitis is a common central nervous system infection associated with HIV, caused by a fungus found in soil.

 

-Toxoplasmosis. This potentially deadly infection is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite spread primarily by cats.

Infected cats pass the parasites in their stools, which may then spread to other animals and humans. Toxoplasmosis can cause heart disease, and seizures occur when it spreads to the brain.

 

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HIV INFECTIONS

 

The symptoms of HIV and AIDS vary, depending on the phase of infection. Primary infection (Acute HIV)

Some people infected by HIV develop a flu-like illness within 2 to 4 weeks

Most people experience a short flu-like illness 2 to 6 weeks after HIV infection after the virus enters the body which lasts for a week or 2.

After these symptoms disappear, HIV may not cause any symptoms for many years, although the virus continues to damage your immune system.

This means many people with HIV do not know they're infected as they're at particularly high risk this illness, known as primary (acute) HIV infection, has

Possible signs and symptoms include:

 

-Fever

-Headache

-Muscle aches and joint pain

-Rash

-Sore throat and painful mouth sores

-Swollen lymph glands, mainly on the neck

-Diarrhea

-Weight loss

-Cough

-Night sweats

- Persistent, unexplained fatigue

-Swollen lymph glands

-Oral yeast infection (thrush)

-Shingles (herpes zoster)

-Pneumonia

-Progression to AIDS

-Sweats

-Chills

-Persistent white spots or unusual lesions on your tongue or in your mouth

-Weakness

-Weight loss

 

These symptoms can be so mild that you might not even notice them. However, the amount of virus in your bloodstream is quite high at this time. As a result, the infection spreads more easily during primary infection than during the next stage.

Clinical latent infection (Chronic HIV)

In this stage of infection, HIV is still present in the body and in white blood cells. However, many people may not have any symptoms or infections during this time.

This stage can last for many years.

Some people develop more severe disease much sooner.