What Does HIV Stand For?
HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This is the virus that causes AIDS.
How Does The HIV Virus Effect The Human Body?
When the HIV virus enters the human body, the virus will rexlicate and kill off CD4 white blood cells. These are the blood cells that contribute to the health of the immune system.
Since scores of CD4 blood cells are being killed over an extended period of time, the immune system slowly becomes brutally weak. HIV is also known to cause consistent and severe chronic inflammation.
Is There Any Known Cure For The HIV Virus?
There is no known cure for HIV.
Can Any Medical Treatments Be Employed To Help Those With HIV?
There are medications that can be taken which can slow down the effect of HIV on the white blood cells. HIV antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) have the potential to delay the AIDS stage of the disease immensely.
What Is The Difference Between AIDS And HIV?
AIDS is a full blown disease that occurs at the very later stages of HIV infection. This is when white blood cell counts drop to below 200. At this stage, the ability to fight off infections and diseases impacting the immune system becomes virtually impossible. The end result of this can be death.
What Are The Most Common Ways That HIV Can Be Transmitted?
HIV is a blood born virus and not an air born one. That means the virus begins to die when it is exposed to air. However, it can thrive in heated temperatures inside the human body. The main means of transmission from body to body is via fluid transmission.
The fluid can be blood, semen or mother’s milk. The there most common forms of HIV transmission are unprotected sex (sex without a condom), the sharing of needles in IV drug use and the transmission from an infected mother to an infant.
Blood transfusions can also spread the virus, but screening methods have been created which detect the presence of HIV in blood supplies.
What Is Meant By Unprotected Sex?
This would be sex without a protective barrier such as a condom.
What Are Ways HIV Is NOT Transmitted?
Myths propagate that HIV can be transmitted by saliva, mosquito bites, coughing, sneezing, sweat, tears, mosquito bites, and donating blood. HIV cannot be transmitted in this manner.
Do Different Sexual Practices Come With HIV Risk Levels?
Yes, unprotected anal sex would have the highest risk level. Unprotected vaginal sex comes with risk that is higher than oral sex.
Is It More Difficult For A Man To Acquire HIV From A Woman Than Vice Versa?
Studies have shown women are at greater risk from getting HIV from a man than a man from a woman. That said, this is not to say there is no risk of a woman giving HIV to men.
Are There Forms Of Sex That Come With No Risk Of HIV Infection?
Monogamy (sex with only one partner) would come with no risk if your partner does not have HIV. (Note: a person MUST be HIV positive to be able to transmit the virus to someone that is HIV negative).
You partner should also be someone that never in his or her life shared needles or had unprotected sex. Any type of nonsexual touch offers zero risk of HIV transmission. That same can be said of solo or group masturbation.
Of course, the most guaranteed way to avoid contracting HIV would be to practice abstinence which is not having sex at all.
Why Does The HIV Virus Not Die When It Is Exposed To Air During The Sharing Of Needles?
The amount of time the virus is exposed to air is frequently to little for it to die off even if the virus was exposed in a sterile environment. The environment of the needle makes it possible for the virus to remain strong allowing it to survive.
As such, it does not weaken when the needle goes from one person to the other.
What Are The Common Symptoms Of HIV?
There are a number of common flu-like symptoms that appear two to four weeks after contracting HIV. Among these symptoms are night sweats, fever, swollen glands, headache, joint aches, muscle aches, sore throat, and more.
Obviously, these symptoms are common with scores of other illnesses as well.
When It Is Best To Be Tested For HIV?
An HIV test can be deemed very accurate 1 to 3 months after exposure. A special RNA test can be effective two weeks after exposure.
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