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| What is HIV and What is AIDS? HIV is short for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which infects cells of the human immune system. These cells then die and the immune system is weakened. Eventually the person develops illnesses which ordinarily would be prevented by a healthy immune system. A person who develops these illnesses is said to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). Approximately 16,000 people become infected with HIV every day and there are currently 35 million people infected with the HIV virus.  HistoryThe HIV pandemic is thought to have it's origins in Africa in the 1950's, where it was thought that an immune deficiency virus common amongst African apes had become established amongst humans. The earliest evidence of HIV infection amongst humans was in a blood sample collected in Zaire in 1959, which was frozen and on testing in 1986. found to be from an infected person. It was not until 1981 that reports of AIDS symptoms amongst gay men in America became more frequent that research was initiated which led to the virus being discovered in 1983. As a result of this an antibody test was developed in 1985 to allow diagnosis of infection. By 1987, early trials of treatments revealed that AZT (zidovudine) was shown to slow the progress of the disease. By 1990, more than 10 million people were infected with the virus and the rate of spread accelerated to infect more than 24 million people by 1996. By that time newer treatments called protease inhibitors, in combination with other drugs had been shown to reduce HIV and stimulate the body's response to the virus. There is currently no medical cure for HIV or AIDS, therefore the only way to prevent the spread of HIV is to protect yourself from becoming infected. How is HIV Spread? The virus is spread by contact with the blood, semen or vaginal fluids of someone who is already infected. HIV is a fragile virus and cannot survive outside the body for many minutes. The primary risks for transmission are unprotected sex with someone who is infected, blood transfusion with blood from an infected person, or sharing needles with an infected person. You cannot become infected with HIV by normal day-to-day contact with infected people. Since many people may not know whether they have HIV since they have not been tested then it is a wiser strategy to assume people are infected and always use condoms for sex and never share needles if you injecting drugs. CLICK HERE for information about safer sex and techniques to prevent HIV infection. CLICK HERE for information about safer drug injection and techniques to prevent HIV infection What do I do if I think I may be infected? The only way to know for sure whether you have become infected with HIV is to be tested. A blood test is used to look for antibodies to the virus. These tests have become increasingly reliable and are very accurate. However, if you think you have become infected recently then an antibody test may not be accurate since it can take up to 3 months for your body to produce enough antibodies to give an accurate result. If you are worried that you may have become infected see your local GP or Sexual Health Service and get tested.It is free and confidential. Some people avoid being tested since they don't feel that they would be able to cope with a positive result. However, the benefit to being tested is that if you are infected then you can significantly increase both the quality and duration of your life by some modification of your lifestyle and access to the latest treatments.These are free and confidential. Additionally, if you are infected, knowing your HIV status can allow you to protect your friends and loved ones from becoming infected. More Information? For more information about HIV and AIDS CLICK HERE |