HIV Virus Attacks Your Immune System
HIV is not found in insect feces. HIV is one of a group of atypical viruses called retroviruses that maintain their genetic information in the form of ribonucleic acid ( RNA ). Through the use of an enzyme known as reverse transcriptase, HIV and other retroviruses are capable of producing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from RNA, whereas most cells carry out the opposite process, transcribing the genetic material of DNA into RNA. HIV is not transmitted through sweat, tears or saliva; or through sharing food, utensils, towels, bedding, a swimming pool, telephone or toilet seat with someone who has the virus. HIV is not transmitted through bedbugs or mosquitoes.
HIV is especially lethal because it attacks the very immune system cells (variously called T4, CD4, or T-helper lymphocytes) that would ordinarily fight off such a viral infection. Receptors on these cells appear to enable the viral RNA to enter the cell. HIV is sexually transmitted, and HIV is not the only infection that is passed through intimate sexual contact. Other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, and chlamydia, can also be contracted through anal, vaginal, and oral intercourse. HIV is not solely a problem in Africa. It is a problem worldwide.
HIV is so deadly because the virus attaches itself to a crucial part of the immune system itself: to the so-called CD4+T lymphocytes, which are white blood corpuscles that help the immune system to fight infections. Slowly but surely, the number of healthy CD4+T lymphocytes in the blood fall, while HIV relentlessly weakens the body's ability to defend itself from infection. HIV is most frequently transmitted sexually. That is because fluids mix and the virus can be exchanged, especially where there are tears in vaginal or anal tissue, wounds or other sexually-transmitted infections (STIs). HIV is very fragile, and many common substances, including hot water, soap, bleach and alcohol, will kill it.
HIV is a virus that attacks your immune system. The immune system has "T cells" that help protect your body from disease. HIV is most often found using a pair of screening tests that look for antibodies to HIV in the blood. When the body is infected with HIV, it starts to make antibodies (immune system proteins) against the virus. HIV is transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids, primarily through sexual intercourse. South Africa has been one of the countries in which the AIDS pandemic has had an especially devastating effect.
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). The words "perinatal HIV" mean that HIV has been passed to the new baby from the mother. HIV is a Lentivirus, a subgroup of retroviruses. This family of viruses is known for latency, persistent viremia, infection of the nervous system, and weak host immune responses. HIV is transmitted through contact with infected body fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk. It is spread by sexual contact with an infected person, and by sharing needles and/or syringes (primarily for drug injection) with someone who is infected.
HIV is found in saliva, but in quantities too small to infect someone. If you drink a bucket of saliva from an HIV positive person, you won't become infected. HIV is not spread through casual contact hugging or shaking hands. Contact with saliva, tears, and sweat does not result in the transmission of HIV. HIV is a sexually transmitted virus that attacks the immune system and causes AIDS.
HIV is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS. HIV primarily attacks the immune system. HIV is a moving genetic target that changes too quickly for Salks technique to work. Creating an effective HIV vaccine will require a new and unique approach. HIV is far too plastic and can also block the pathways that enable vaccines to work, as I first proposed back in 1997. At that time, it was not a very popular point of view because of the broad promotion of vaccination as a viable strategy for dealing with AIDS.
HIV is the fastest growing epidemic in Asia. Strong political leadership and public response have aided in what appears to be a slowing down of the epidemic among populations at risk since 1997. HIV is a retrovirus, a type of virus studied meticulously during two decades of federal health programs that centered around the search for a cancer virus. The idea of contagious cancer was a popular notion in the 1960s and 70s. HIV is not a political end game...people are dying and huge numbers of children are being left as orphans. HIV is a substantial public health issue which is greatly compromising societies around the globe.
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In 1981, scientists in the United States and France first recognized the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which was later discovered to be caused by a virus called the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV breaks down the body's immunity to infections leading to AIDS. The virus can lie hidden in the body for up to 10 years without producing any obvious symptoms or before developing into the AIDS disease, and in the meantime the person can unknowingly infect others. Currently, an estimated 40 million people worldwide are HIV carriers, and three million a year are dying of AIDS.
HIV lives in white blood cells and is present in the sexual fluids of humans. It's difficult to catch and is spread mostly through sexual intercourse, by needle or syringe sharing among intravenous drug users, in blood transfusions, and during pregnancy and birth (if the mother is infected). Using another person's razor blade or having your body pierced or tattooed are also risky, but the HIV virus cannot be transmitted by shaking hands, kissing, cuddling, fondling, sneezing, cooking food, or sharing eating or drinking utensils. One cannot be infected by saliva, sweat, tears, urine, or feces; toilet seats, telephones, swimming pools, or mosquito bites do not cause AIDS. Ostracizing a known AIDS victim is not only immoral but also absurd.
Most blood banks now screen their products for HIV, and you can protect yourself against dirty needles by only allowing an injection if you see the syringe taken out of a fresh unopened pack. The simplest safeguard during sex is the proper use of a latex condom. Unroll the condom onto the erect penis; while withdrawing after ejaculation, hold onto the condom as you come out. Never try to recycle a condom, and pack a supply with you, as it can be a nuisance trying to buy them on short notice.
HIV is spread more often through anal than vaginal sex, because the lining of the rectum is much weaker than that of the vagina, and ordinary condoms sometimes tear when used in anal sex. If you have anal sex, only use extra-strong condoms and special water-based lubricants, since oil, Vaseline, and cream weaken the rubber. During oral sex you must make sure you don't get any semen or menstrual blood in your mouth. A woman runs 10 times the risk of contracting AIDS from a man than the other way around, and the threat is always greater when another sexually transmitted disease (STD) is present.
The very existence of AIDS calls for a basic change in human behavior. No vaccine or drug exists that can prevent or cure AIDS, and because the virus mutates frequently, no remedy may ever be totally effective. Other STDs such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B, and herpes are far more common than AIDS and can lead to serious complications such as infertility, but at least they can usually be cured.
You should always practice safe sex to prevent AIDS and other STDs. You never know who is infected or even if you yourself have become infected. It's important to bring the subject up before you start to make love. Make a joke out of it by pulling out a condom and asking your new partner, "Say, do you know what this is?" Or perhaps, "Your condom or mine?" Far from being unromantic or embarrassing, you'll both feel more relaxed with the subject off your minds, and it's much better than worrying afterwards if you might have been infected. The golden rule is safe sex or no sex.
An HIV infection can be detected through a blood test, because the antibodies created by the body to fight off the virus can be seen under a microscope. It takes at least three weeks for the antibodies to be produced and in some cases as long as six months before they can be picked up during a screening test. If you think you may have run a risk, you should discuss the appropriateness of a test with your doctor. It's always better to know if you are infected so as to be able to avoid infecting others, to obtain early treatment of symptoms, and to make realistic plans. If you know someone with AIDS, you should give them all the support you can (there's no danger in such contact unless blood is present).
David Stanley is the original author of Lonely Planet guidebooks to Eastern Europe, Cuba, and Canada's Maritime Provinces. His personal collection of Cuba travel photos is on Cuba Pictures.
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