(Even though medical science has overcome significant hurdles, HIV-AIDS still remains one of the biggest public health challenge, with millions of new cases being diagnosed every year. December 1 is the World AIDS Day which unites people in the fight against this deadly disease.)
AIDS is a major threat to society – the disease has the ability to wipe out the majority of human population. Globally more than 36 million people are living with HIV including 2.6 million children. In fact more than 2 million were infected last year itself.
The member countries of the United Nations agreed in September 2015, in a new set of global goals, to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
Here are some facts about the deadly HIV-AIDS:
1) HIV is the name of the virus and which causes AIDS (Auto immune deficiency syndrome). There are two types of viruses – HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is the culprit in most cases, primarily a zoonotic virus present in chimpanzees, apes and monkeys; when and how it crossed over to humans in the last century is unclear. After human-to-human transmission it has reached an epidemic proportion.
2) HIV-1 has no cure, but efficient options for treatment are now available. With proper medication, the onset of AIDS can be delayed.
3) Once a person is infected with HIV, the virus attacks the CD4 fighter cells in the body and decreases immunity.
4) In the early stages of HIV, there are no symptoms. This is precisely why it is important to get tested if you are high-risk.
5) Who is high-risk? Anyone with multiple sexual partners, or anyone who goes to sex workers. Homosexuals compromise of 60 per cent of fresh cases, so men with same-sex partners must watch-out. Anyone who has used intravenous drugs, or has had a blood transfusion with infected blood, or even doctors and paramedics who handle HIV/AIDS cases all the time are also vulnerable. In the absence of any interventions, an HIV positive mother can transmit it to her child during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
6) The initial symptoms can be flu-like, fever, runny nose, headache, fatigue etc. This stage of HIV is called acute retroviral syndrome or ARS. Since these symptoms are hard to distinguish from regular flu, in this period, the person might unknowingly transmit it to others, especially their spouse.
7) As the disease advances, the immunity lowers, and slowly the symptoms of AIDS set in. Patients report loss of appetite, lose weight, vomit frequently, get diarrhoea; infections like pneumonia, tuberculosis, bacterial and fungal infections and even skin and soft tissue cancers can set in.
8) A study by the World Health Organisation estimated that one in every five HIV positive people are unaware of their status. Therefore, if you are in that vulnerable group, get yourself tested for HIV.
ELISA test, which is a kind of a blood test, is readily available in all hospitals. There are even some home testing kits for HIV. But remember that your positive status might not reflect for a good three months after unprotected sex. This three month window period is dangerous as HIV test will be negative but you can still spread the disease.
9) Once HIV test is positive one must go to a government hospital where dedicated ART (Anti Retroviral Therapy) clinics are run by specially trained staff. Here they give you free treatment for HIV. Once full blown AIDS is diagnosed, the patient needs to be admitted and treated as per the World Health Organisation’s guidelines.
10) Condoms are one of the best methods of prevention. Multiple sex partners is always risky. If you are going for a blood transfusion, make sure the hospital tests the blood before administering it to you. The medical fraternity should take care of positive patients according to the World Health Organisation guidelines.
And don’t forget that HIV does not spread by shaking hands or hugging. Like Charlie Sheen recently came out of the HIV closet, your partner needs to know it too. So don’t hide it and help curb the spread of this deadly disease. The World Health Organisation has pledged to make the world free of HIV by 2030.
(This story was first published on World AIDS Day in 2015)
