HIV | glor9

What is HIV?

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. ‘Immunodeficiency’ refers to the weakening of the immune system by the virus.

The body's immune system defends and protects the body against germs and sickness.
HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system.
Many people who are infected with HIV look and feel healthy because HIV takes 3 to 5 years to damage the immune system.
When HIV has weakened the immune system, the body can't defend itself properly. This is when an HIV-positive person gets very sick and can develop AIDS.
People have HIV if the test result of their blood test is "HIV positive". This means that they have the virus in their blood, but they may or may not yet be sick with AIDS.
The HIV virus can only live in blood, sperm and vaginal fluids, and is too small to be seen.
The HIV virus is passed on from one person to another person through sex fluids or blood.
An unborn baby can also get HIV and AIDS through mother-to-child transmission at birth and through breast milk.

What is AIDS?

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is a collection of illnesses (‘syndrome’) caused by a virus people pick up (‘acquire’) that makes their immune system weak (‘immune deficiency’).

You can’t get an AIDS diagnosis unless you’re already HIV positive.

AIDS is the name given to a group of serious sicknesses that only happen when the immune system is very weak.
A person had AIDS if the result of their blood test is "HIV positive": and the immune system is badly weakened, or he or she is sick with AIDS-related diseases, like TB.
You cannot get AIDS if you are not infected with HIV.
AIDS usually develops 3 to 10 years after infection with the HIV virus. People with AIDS find it difficult to fight other sicknesses.
Anti-retroviral treatment (ART) can help you to live healthier and longer. It is freely available at government health services.
After developing AIDS, most people without ART will die within 1 to 2 years.

HOW DO YOU GET HIV AND AIDS

We have a very important system in our bodies called the immune system. The immune system protects the body against germs and diseases. It also heals the body after sickness or injury.

When the HIV virus gets into a person’s body, it slowly breaks down the immune system. This means that the body cannot fight sickness anymore. It also cannot heal itself. The HIV virus increases in number more and more, making your body weaker and weaker. When the HIV virus has weakened the person’s immune system, the person has AIDS. It can take many years before a person who is HIV positive gets sick with AIDS.

People who have AIDS get many different sicknesses. They lose weight, and get diarrhoea, sores in the mouth, coughs, pneumonia, brain and nerve diseases, swellings, fevers and sores. These sicknesses take a long time to get better, or they come back again and again. People who have AIDS can die from one of these sicknesses.

HIV is passed on through sex, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Sex

The most common way for the HIV virus to be passed on is when a person has unprotected sex (sex without a condom) with someone who already has the HIV virus.
Children can get the HIV virus from an HIV-positive adult who has sexually abused or raped them.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

A pregnant woman who has the HIV virus can pass it on to her baby when she is pregnant, gives birth, or breastfeeds. About 1 in every 3 babies born to HIV-positive mothers will get the virus.
A woman is more likely to pass the HIV virus if she is sick with AIDS when she becomes pregnant or if she gets the HIV virus while she is pregnant.

Blood

The HIV virus can pass from one person who has it to another person if they share blades, needles and syringes that are not sterilised.
The HIV virus can also be passed on if they both have a cut or an open wound and their blood gets mixed.
Sick people are given extra blood through a blood transfusion.

THE STAGES OF HIV

The three stages of HIV are:

You are HIV positive and you feel healthy.

At this stage, it means your immune system is strong and your CD4 count is high. You do not need anti-retroviral treatment (ART). If you are a parent, prepare your children by telling them about HIV.

You are HIV positive and start to get sick.

At this stage, your immune system is starting to get weak. Ask your health worker to do a CD4 blood test. This will tell you if you need to take ART. Most illnesses that you get when you are HIV positive can be treated. But you must be careful because some of the illnesses are very serious. It is important to visit a clinic or health worker to treat any illnesses you may have.

You are HIV positive and you are very sick with AIDS.

At this stage, you get very sick very often, or you do not get better. It means that your immune system is very weak. You should get treatment for the illnesses that you have. You should now start taking ART as well.

Often people who go on treatment are very sick and cannot take care of themselves. If you are taking care of a sick person, and they are given ART, make sure you understand all about it.

HOW TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF HIV

There are many ways to prevent the spread of HIV.

The most important ways are:

1 ABSTAIN FROM SEX

2 BE FAITHFUL

3 USE A CONDOM

1. ABSTAIN FROM SEX

HIV is mainly spread by sex. The safest way to stop the spread of HIV is to abstain from having sex.

Having sex is a very serious decision; especially if you are a young person. You body may feel like it is ready for sex. But you may not be ready to deal with the responsibility of having sex at a young age. Older people or people who have had sex before may also choose to abstain from sex. You can have a relationship without sex. It is not true that sex makes a relationship stronger. There are many ways you can show another person that you love them without having sex with them.

2. BE FAITHFUL

A relationship where both partners are HIV negative and faithful to each other is the safest. You can only know if you are HIV negative of you have a blood test.
If both tests are negative, you must still use condoms for 3 months. Then get re-tested. If you are both still HIV negative, you can stop using condoms. But you must only have sex with each other for the rest of your lives. Then you will be safe from HIV. If either of you has sex with someone else, even only once, you are no longer safe. You must then start using condoms again.
If one partner is negative, and the other is positive, you must always use a condoms when you have sex.

REMEMBER: Each time you start a new relationship, use a condoms if you choose to have sex. It is your responsibility to protect yourself and your partner from HIV. Remember, you cannot tell by looking at someone that he/she is HIV positive or not.

3. USE A CONDOM

Protected sex is sex with a condom. You can use male or female condoms.

The male condom:

Always use a condom when you have sex.
Condoms are available and free from most clinics.
You can also buy them from many shops.
Some women prefer to use female condoms because they can put them in long before they have sex.
Women have the right to protect themselves against HIV and AIDS.

WHY SHOULD I TEST?

South Africa has more people living with HIV than any other country in the world. We are calling upon South Africans, collectively and individually, to take action to stop new HIV infections.

The first step in preventing new infections is to determine who has HIV. Unfortunately, many South

Africans do not know their current HIV status. This is a serious problem, since HIV often doesn’t present any symptoms; you can spread HIV for many years if you do not know your HIV status.

HIV is a manageable disease and today’s treatment options mean that you can live positively with the illness.

Take responsibility – get tested.

Who Should Get Tested?

All South Africans who are sexually active should get tested on a regular basis.

It is especially important for you to get tested if you fall into the following risk categories:

You have had unsafe sex with multiple partners.
You do not know the HIV status of your partner.
You are not sure if your partner is faithful.
You have been the victim of sexual abuse.
You have contracted a sexually-transmitted infection (STI) within the last 10 years.
You or your partner have used intravenous drugs and shared needles within the last 10 years.

VIRAL LOAD EXPLAINED

Viral load is the amount of HIV in the blood.

A viral load test shows how much of the virus is in the body by measuring how many particles of HIV are in a blood sample. The results are given as the number of copies of HIV per millilitre of blood – for example 200 copies/ml.

What does it mean to be undetectable?

HIV medication (antiretroviral treatment, or ART) works by reducing the amount of the virus in the blood to undetectable levels. This means the levels of HIV are so low that the virus cannot be passed on. This is called having an undetectable viral load or being undetectable.

It can take up to six months for some people to become undetectable from when they start treatment.

Studies provide robust evidence for gay couples and heterosexual couples that the risk of HIV transmission with suppressive ART (undetectable) is effectively zero.

What is effective treatment?

We are using the term effective treatment to mean that someone is on treatment, taking it as prescribed and has an undetectable viral load. This is usually classed as a viral load below 20 copies/ml.

The Partners PrEP study found that there remains a transmission risk within the first six months of treatment as the HIV positive partner’s viral load takes time to come down.

Therefore effective treatment means someone has been taking it as prescribed for at least six months and has an undetectable viral load.

How variable is an undetectable viral load? Can this change over time?

HIV specialists have decades of experience managing antiretroviral therapy and are confident that you can remain uninfectious as long as you:

take your medication every day as prescribed, and
have your viral load checked regularly.

The presence of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can potentially affect viral load. It is however important to remember that HIV treatment can only be successful if you have access to it and are taking it as prescribed.

STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION

Anyone can be infected with the HIV virus. Maybe you are HIV positive, may be your best friend is, or maybe your parent is. HIV and AIDS affects all of us. But still, many people living with HIV and AIDS are discriminated against and suffer from stigma.

If you are HIV positive, you may suffer from negative attitudes from your family and friends. Someone might make a bad comment about you, or stop being friendly when they here you are HIV positive. They might even stop caring for you.

You may find you are discriminated against in your work if you say you are HIV positive. You may not be given the promotion you deserve. You may even be dismissed because of your HIV positive status.

Some schools discriminated against HIV-positive children or their parents. They also hold back a child's report or stop the child from writing exams if they can't pay the fees.

Some health workers also discriminate against HIV-positive people. They may tell others what you have told them in confidence. This makes people scared of taking an HIV test.

Insurance companies may refuse to give you an insurance policy when you apply for one.

As a person living with HIV and AIDS, you have the same human rights and freedom as any other person. You have the right to human dignity and liberty. The law says that all people are equal, including people living with HIV and AIDS. You have the right to fight discrimination.