According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus. It’s the virus that can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS.
WebMD said HIV attacks and destroys CD4 cells which are white blood cells whose main function is fighting diseases. When CD4 cells get low, people are more susceptible to illness.
AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. CDC said at this point the immune system is so severely damaged, it has difficulty fighting diseases and certain cancers.
The Mayo Clinic wrote that scientists believe a virus similar to the human immunodeficiency virus first occurred in some populations of chimps and monkeys in Africa, where they're hunted for food. Contact with an infected monkey's blood during butchering or cooking may have allowed the virus to cross into humans and become HIV.
AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS charity, said that HIV is found in the blood, sexual fluids and breast milk of infected people. Transmission occurs when a sufficient amount of these fluids get into another's bloodstream.
The Mayo Clinic stated that the virus can enter the body through mouth sores or small tears that sometimes develop in the rectum or vagina during sexual activity. Pregnant women with the virus can transmit HIV to babies during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding.
The CDC said that sharing needles or other equipment used with intravenous drugs can spread HIV. WebMD added that the virus may be transmitted by dirty needles used in tattooing or body piercing.
The Mayo Clinic says the virus may also be transmitted through blood transfusions. However American hospitals and blood banks now screen for HIV antibodies, so this risk is very small.
The CDC stressed that HIV cannot reproduce outside the human body. It isn’t spread by air or water, insects, including mosquitoes, saliva, tears, or sweat> It is not passed on through casual contact like shaking hands, sharing dishes or closed-mouth kissing.
AVERT said that while some people have no symptoms, others experience a flu-like illness that last for a brief period soon after becoming infected with HIV. The Mayo Clinic added that symptoms include fever, muscle soreness, rash, headache, sore throat, mouth or genital ulcers, swollen lymph glands, mainly on the neck, joint pain, night sweats and diarrhea.
Currently, there is no HIV cure. However the Mayo Clinic said that there are medications that can help. The CDC describes these medications as limiting or slowing the destruction of the immune system, improving an infected person’s health, and may reduce their ability to transmit HIV.
The surest way to prevent HIV is to practice abstinence or be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner. Don’t share needles when taking drugs. Always properly use latex condoms with all types of sex.
Sources:
Basic Information About HIV and AIDS. CDC.gov by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web 9 Jan 2012.
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm
HIV/AIDS. MayoClinic.com by Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Web 9 Jan 2012.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiv-aids/DS00005
What is AIDS? What is HIV? What causes AIDS? MedicalNewsToday.com by MediLexicon International Ltd. Web 9 Jan 2012.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/17131.php
What is HIV? Avert.org by AVERT. Web 9 Jan 2012.
http://www.avert.org/hiv.htm
HIV and AIDS: Overview & Facts. WebMD.com by WebMD, LLC. Web 9 Jan 2012.
http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/guide/hiv-aids-overview-facts
Reviewed January 18, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith