Understanding HIV and AIDS

• HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
• HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune system. If HIV is not treated, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
• There is currently no effective cure. Once people get HIV, they have it for life.
• With proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. People with HIV who get effective HIV treatment can live long, healthy lives and protect their partners.
• HIV can be transmitted through specific bodily fluids: blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
• HIV is mainly spread by:
  • Having anal or vaginal sex without a condom or medicine to prevent HIV.
  • Sharing needles or syringes, rinse water, or other equipment used to prepare drugs for injection with someone who has HIV.
  • Mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
• HIV is not spread by:
  • Air or water
  • Mosquito or other insect bites
  • Saliva, tears, or sweat
  • Shaking hands, hugging, sharing toilets, sharing dishes, or closed-mouth kissing

Stages Of HIV Infection

• Stage 1: Acute HIV Infection
  • Flu-like symptoms within 2-4 weeks after infection.
  • Large amount of virus in the blood and are very contagious.
• Stage 2: Chronic HIV Infection
  • Also called asymptomatic HIV infection or clinical latency.
  • HIV is still active but reproduces at very low levels.
  • May not have any symptoms or get sick during this phase.
  • Can last a decade or longer if you are not on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
  • Can transmit HIV to others.
  • Near the end of this phase, the viral load starts to increase and the CD4 cell count begins to decline.
• Stage 3: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
  • Most severe stage of HIV infection.
  • Greatly damaged immune system, more prone to opportunistic infections.
  • Diagnosed with AIDS if they have an opportunistic infection.
  • CD4 cell count drops below 200 cells/mm.
  • Can survive about 3 years.

HIV Testing And Diagnosis

• HIV testing involves screening tests e.g. ELISA, and confirmatory tests e.g. Western blot.
• Nucleic acid tests (NAT) can detect HIV earlier than other tests.
• Antigen/antibody tests are common, checking for both HIV antibodies and antigens.
• Rapid HIV tests can provide results in 30 minutes or less.
• HIV self-tests are available for at-home use.
• CD4 count measures the number of CD4 cells in the blood.
• Viral load tests measure the amount of HIV in the blood.
• Drug resistance testing determines if the HIV strain is resistant to certain medications.

HIV Treatment (ART)

• Antiretroviral therapy (ART) involves taking a combination of HIV medicines every day.
• ART cannot cure HIV, but it can control the virus.
• Reduces the amount of HIV in the body (viral load).
• ART helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives.
• Reduces the risk of HIV transmission.
• HIV medicines are grouped into seven classes:
  • Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)
  • Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)
  • Protease inhibitors (PIs)
  • Fusion inhibitors
  • CCR5 antagonists
  • integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs)
  • Attachment inhibitors

Preventing HIV

• Use Condoms correctly every time you have sex.
• Get tested and treated for STDs.
• Talk to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
• Do not inject drugs.
• Talk to your health care provider if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant.
• If you have HIV, get treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART).
• Male circumcision can reduce the risk of female-to-male HIV transmission.
• Abstinence is the only sure way to prevent sexual transmission of HIV.
  • Not having sex, or not sharing needles.
• Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) involves taking HIV medicine daily to lower the chance of getting infected.
  • For people who do not have HIV but are at very high risk of getting it.
• Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) means taking HIV medicines within 72 hours after a possible exposure to HIV to prevent infection.
  • Only used in emergency situations.