HIV Facts
HIV Facts
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| Interesting HIV Facts: |
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| HIV is spread through bodily fluids such as blood, and breast milk, as well as through unprotected sex. It is spread through drug use when people share needles. |
| Children are most commonly infected through breast milk or through mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy and childbirth. |
| It is not possible to get HIV by touching someone's hand or touching a doorknob, or toilet seat, or through insect bites or in the air. |
| The symptoms of HIV include flu-like symptoms that often appear a month or two after being infected. These include a fever, rash, and headache. |
| The more severe symptoms of HIV don't appear usually until several years later. They can include persistent diarrhea, weight loss, and opportunistic infections and cancers that are related to infections. |
| Once a person has contracted HIV they can live for 10 years or more without the virus becoming AIDS. |
| Progression from HIV to AIDS is determined by blood tests and/or the presence of opportunistic infections. |
| An HIV infected person's CD4 count (cells that protect against infection) indicates AIDS when it drops to a level under 200 cells/mm3. A healthy person's count is usually between 500 and 1,600 cells/mm3. |
| Treatment of HIV includes ART (antiretroviral therapy) which involves the use of three or more ARV drugs. This treatment plan is not a cure but can prolong an infected person's life because it helps to control the viral replication and it strengthens their immune system. |
| There is a target set out by WHO (World Health Organization) to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 by giving access to treatment to all those with HIV and those at substantial risk. |
| Among those with HIV, tuberculosis is one of the most common causes of illness and death. Early detection and ART can help to reduce this risk. |
| The presence of HIV can be detected through a blood test. In some cases it will not show up for several months, which makes it very important that people always practice safe sex. |
| Condoms can reduce the transmission of HIV. Male condoms provide at least an 85% protection rate. |
| Before people knew enough about HIV and AIDS many were infected through tainted blood products. This is rare today in industrialized countries as blood products are tested before being used. |
| Healthcare workers are sometimes infected by needle stick injuries. Other possible infections occur because of unsterile conditions when having body piercings or tattoos. |
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