AIDS & HIV

How widespread is AIDS in the world? AIDS (a result of HIV infection) has been reported in nearly every county of the world

What happens when someone gets the virus that causes AIDS? HIV attacks the body's defenses. People with HIV may be free of opportunistic infections (illnesses that occur only when someone's immune system isn't working normally). However, people with HIV may develop severe or prolonged fevers, swollen lymph glands, diarrhea and other symptoms. After some time, many develop AIDS (a result of HIV infection), making them susceptible to diseases that most healthy people resist.

Does everybody with HIV get AIDS? Since 1992, scientists have estimated that about half the people who have HIV will develop AIDS within 10 years after becoming infected if they do not receive treatment. However, protease inhibitors used in combination with other antiviral drugs can suppress the ability of HIV to replicate. These treatments can extend and improve the quality of life for many people with HIV.

How long does it take for someone who is infected with HIV to develop AIDS? Since 1992, scientists have estimated that about half the people who have HIV (the virus that causes AIDS within 10 years after becoming infected if they do not receive treatment. The time between becoming infected with HIV and developing symptoms of AIDS is known as the incubation period. During the incubation period, although a person does not have symptoms, he or she is able to infect others with HIV. Combination drug therapy that include drugs called protease inhibitors has been shown to slow the pace of disease progression in some people, extending and improving their quality of life.

How can I tell if I have the virus that causes AIDS? People can find out if they have HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) by getting counseled and tested. Using a sample of blood, urine or fluid from the mouth, a blood test called an ELISA can show whether people have antibodies to HIV. If the test shows that people have HIV antibodies, it is assumed that they have HIV infection.

How long does the virus survive outside the body? Although HIV can live outside the body for a few hours in certain body fluids, it cannot function when dry. The virus cannot infect someone unless it enters the body.

What is Hepatitis C? Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus. The virus spreads from person to person through blood-to-blood contact; when blood of an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person; or from an infected mother to her baby during birth. People at risk for HCV may also be at risk for contracting HIV because both viruses are transmitted in similar ways. About 80 percent of people with HCV do not have symptoms.

Is there a cure for AIDS? Currently there is no cure for AIDS. Although combination therapy can extend and improve the quality of life for people who have HIV, no treatment as of yet, has shown the ability to destroy the virus completely.

How is AIDS spread? AIDS is caused by a virus that spreads through sex-vaginal, oral or anal and blood-to-blood contact with people who have HIV. HIV can spread from a mother with HIV to her baby during pregnancy or through breast-feeding. The body fluids that transmit HIV through are:

Blood
Semen
Vaginal fluids
Breast milk

HIV cannot spread from person to person by casual everyday contact.

**Isn't AIDS a gay disease? No. AIDS is caused by a virus. Anyone can get HIV through blood-to-blood or sexual contact with a person with HIV. Like anyone else, men are at risk if they have contact with an HIV-positive person's blood, semen, vaginal fluid or breast milk.

What are some common sexually transmitted diseases? Some STDs are syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital warts, herpes, trichomoniasis and hepatitis B infections. Signs and symptoms of a particular STD may be different for women and men. With some STDs, people may show no symptoms. People can prevent STDs including HIV infection, by not having sex or by using latex condoms the right way every time they have sex.

Why are STDs associated with getting AIDS? AIDS is a result of HIV infection. Sexually transmitted diseases that cause genital sores may make it easier for HIV to enter the body and cause infection. Other STDs produce inflammation, which also may increase the chances of HIV infection. Using a latex condom consistently and correctly during sex greatly reduces the risk of HIV transmission as well as some other STDs.

**How does teen pregnancy relate to HIV infection? Many teenagers have sex without using condoms, as shown by the high rates of sexually transmitted diseases among teens and almost 1 million teen pregnancies each year. A young woman who becomes infected with HIV and then gets pregnant can spread the virus to her baby during pregnancy or birth, or through breast-feeding. A young woman in this situation faces not only her own illness but also parenthood and the possibility of taking care of a baby who has HIV.

**Can I get AIDS from someone's saliva? No. Kissing someone on the cheek is very safe. AIDS is caused by a virus. Even if a person with HIV kisses someone else, that person's skin (with no breaks or abrasions) is a good protector against the virus.

**Can I get AIDS from open-mouth kissing? AIDS is caused by a virus. There are no known cases of saliva by itself causing AIDS. However, because there could be a risk of blood contact during prolonged open-mouth kissing, the CDC recommends against doing this with a partner who has HIV.

**Can I get AIDS from performing oral sex? AIDS is caused by a virus. Some research suggests that it is possible to get AIDS through oral sex with a partner who has HIV. HIV is in the blood and semen of infected men and in the blood and vaginal fluid of infected woman. When people have oral sex, they can avoid becoming infected with HIV by placing a barrier between their mouths and their partner's penis, vagina or anus (there may be small cuts around the anus). Direct contact with blood, semen or vaginal fluid poses a risk for infection.

**Can lesbians get AIDS? Yes. AIDS is caused by a virus. A few cases resulting from sex between women have been reported. Like anyone else, women who have sex with women may become infected through injection drug use or sex with a partner who has HIV.

**Can I get AIDS from a mosquito? Some experts say that the few reported cases of HIV transmission through human bites were most likely caused by blood-to-blood contact.

Should I be tested to find out if I have HIV? People who think they are at risk of HIV infection are encouraged to seek individual counseling and testing. People can be at risk if they engage in risky behavior, such as sharing needles or syringes or having sex with someone who has the virus that causes AIDS. Standard screening tests look for HIV antibodies, not the virus itself. If antibodies are present, it generally means that the person being tested has HIV. People should not donate blood to find out if they have HIV.

What does confidential and anonymous testing mean? Some doctors, state and local health departments and other health care professionals and organizations offer testing for HIV. Confidential testing means that, although test results will be recorded, no one can give them out without written permission of the people tested, except as required by state law. Anonymous testing means that names are not recorded, and only the people getting tested can find out their own test results. Whichever method of testing is used, people can get counseling both before being tested and after receiving the results.

How do babies and young children get AIDS? Babies and children under 13 years of age can get the virus in the following ways:

From their HIV-positive mothers, who can pass on the virus before or during birth or through breast-feeding.
Through blood products or transfusions that contain the virus.
Through sexual contact by someone who has HIV.

If a mother has HIV will her baby automatically become infected? NO. Experts estimate that about 25 percent of babies born to mothers with HIV who do not receive treatment become infected. Treatment with zidovudine given to both mother and baby has been show to reduce the rate to about 8 percent, and the use of combination drug therapy in the mother can reduce the rate even lower.

Why is AIDS getting so much attention? Why is there so much concern about AIDS? Some reasons for the concern about AIDS are as follows: AIDS was unknown until 1981, and it is usually fatal; HIV is spread from person to person, and HIV infection is always harmful; and most people with HIV or AIDS are relatively young. Worldwide it is estimated that 70 million people could die of AIDS-related illnesses by 2020 if effective prevention education and treatment programs are not implemented.

What are the signs and symptoms of AIDS? Only a doctor can tell of someone has AIDS. At first many people with HIV begin having flu like symptoms, followed by no signs or symptoms at all. Later, some people may have severe or prolonged:

Fever
Fatigue
Diarrhea
Skin rashes
Night Sweats
Loss of appetite
Swollen lymph glands
Significant weight loss
White spots in the mouth or vaginal discharge (signs of a yeast infection)
Memory or movement problems

I have no symptoms. Does that mean I don't have AIDS? AIDS is a result of infection caused by a virus. Having no symptoms does not necessarily mean that people do not have HIV. Many people who have the virus look well and feel healthy for a long time. However, if people have no symptoms and have not shared needles and syringes or had sex with an HIV positive person, they probably do not have the virus.

Has the definition of AIDS changes at all over time? Yes. In 1993, the CDC added pulmonary tuberculosis, recurrent pneumonia, invasive cervical cancer and T cell counts below 200 to the list of clinical conditions used as part of the definition of AIDS. The diagnosis of AIDS is a CD4 count below 200 and an AIDS related illness.

Can only people with AIDS infect other people? No. All people with HIV even if they are on combination drug therapy, should be considered able to infect others. Even an HIV-positive person who looks and feels well can spread the virus to another person through sexual or blood-to-blood contact. A person may have HIV for years before developing signs or symptoms of AIDS.

Do people survive AIDS? AIDS is a result of HIV infection. By the time people with HIV are diagnosed with AIDS, their immune systems are already weakened. As a result, their bodies are vulnerable to infections and other diseases. However, with good medical care and treatment, people with AIDS can expect to survive for several years. Without combination drug therapy, only a few people who have HIV show no evidence of disease progression many years after becoming infected. People with HIV, even if they benefit from combination therapy, should be considered able to infect others and should be considered able to infect others and should be encouraged to adopt and maintain prevention behavior.

Can people become immune to AIDS? Developing immunity to HIV would mean that a person infected with HIV was able to get rid of the infection or control it. Although HIV damages the immune systems of most people who are infected, scientists are studying some people who show no signs of illness many years after becoming infected. They are also studying some people who have been exposed to HIV but have not become infected.

Who gets AIDS? Most people who get HIV through exposure to infected blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk develop AIDS eventually. As of June 2001, the breakdown of AIDS cases among adults and teenagers in the United States was as follows:

Men who have sex with men-46 %
People who inject drugs-25%
Combined exposure –6%
Men who have sex with women and women who have sex with men-11%
People who received transfusions, blood components or tissue-1%
People who have hemophilla/coagliation disorders-1%
Risk not reported or identified-10%