Hiv/Aids Information
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an infectious disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It was first recognized in the United States in 1981. AIDS is the advanced form of infection with the HIV virus, which may not cause recognizable disease for a long period after the initial exposure (latency). No vaccine is currently available to prevent HIV infection. At present, all forms of AIDS therapy are focused on improving the quality and length of life for AIDS patients by slowing or halting the replication of the virus and treating or preventing infections and cancers that take advantage of a person’s weakened immune system.
Description
AIDS is considered one of the most devastating public health problems in recent history. In June 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 120,223 (includes only those cases in areas that have confidential HIV reporting) in the United States are HIV-positive, and 311,701 are living with AIDS (includes only those cases where vital status is known). Of these patients, 44% are gay or bisexual men, 20% are heterosexual intravenous drug users, and 17% are women. In addition, approximately 1,000-2,000 children are born each year with HIV infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that
33 million adults and 1.3 million children worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS as of 1999 with 5.4 million being newly infected that year. Most of these cases are in the developing countries of Asia and Africa.
Risk Factors
AIDS can be transmitted in several ways. The risk factors for HIV transmission vary according to category:
- Sexual contact.
Persons at greatest risk are those who do not practice safe sex, those who are not monogamous, those who participate in anal intercourse, and those who have sex with a partner with symptoms of advanced HIV infection and/or other sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs). In the United States and Europe, most cases of sexually transmitted HIV infection have resulted from homosexual contact, whereas in Africa, the disease is spread primarily through sexual intercourse among heterosexuals. - Transmission in pregnancy.
High-risk mothers include women married to bisexual men or men who have an abnormal blood condition called hemophilia and
require blood transfusions, intravenous drug users, and women living in neighborhoods with a high rate of HIV infection among heterosexuals. The chances of transmitting the disease to the child are higher in women in advanced stages of the disease. Breast feeding increases the risk of transmission by 10-20%. The use of zidovudine (AZT) during pregnancy, however, can decrease the risk of transmission to the baby. - Exposure to contaminated blood or blood products.
With the introduction of blood product screening in the mid-1980s, the incidence of HIV transmission in blood transfusions has dropped to one in every 100,000 transfused. With respect to HIV transmission among drug abusers, risk increases with the duration of using injections, the frequency of needle sharing, the number of persons who share a needle, and the number of AIDS cases in the local population. - Needle sticks among health care professionals.
Present studies indicate that the risk of HIV transmission by a needle stick is about one in 250. This rate can be decreased if the injured worker is given AZT, an anti-retroviral medication, in combination with other medication.
HIV is not transmitted by handshakes or other casual non-sexual contact, coughing or sneezing, or by bloodsucking insects such as mosquitoes.
Sub Pages List
No Hiv, No Aids on January 26th 2007
greg responded on 20 Dec 2007 at 12:24 am #
wat state has the most aids cases in the us?
hgirl responded on 23 Jan 2008 at 3:44 am #
great work. If you want to know more about it, you can go to my blog to check.
Safdnisofnh responded on 21 Dec 2012 at 4:46 pm #
I would recommend that you dgesriard most of, if not all of the previous replies.The answer is complex as there are a lot of variables that can make HIV transmission more or less likely (i.e. your personal health status, how well-controlled your HIV is, CD4 cell counts, viral load, whether or not you are taking antiretroviral medications, how long you have been positive, [if you are female] where you are in your menstrual cycle when having vaginal sex, and many many more.)I don’t think that your question implies that you will not tell your partner, but obviously you must do so, so that this individual can make an informed decision related to any sexual activities. In SOME states, it is illegal to not disclose your HIV status to sexual partners, but that depends on where you live. Morally and ethically, though, you should always tell partners even if the type of sex you are having is low risk. BOTTOM LINE: you should use condoms for oral, vaginal, and anal sex to prevent HIV transmission. There is always a CHANCE of transmitting HIV during sex, in theory even if using condoms. What will change is the relative risk depending on the type of sex, condoms, etc. If you use condoms the risk will be much much lower. I would like to point out that the risk of transmitting HIV is never 100% like some previous posters have written, but you always need to take measures to protect yourself and others.As far as your particular question:If you perform oral sex on the man, the risk is relatively low UNLESS he has an open sore on his penis OR you have an open sore in your mouth. Do not brush your teeth or floss prior to performing oral sex as this could create minor cuts in your mouth or breaks in your gum line. Your question doesn’t state whether you yourself are male or female, but as far as intercourse goes:If you are female, HIV can also be spread through vaginal fluids, as well as semen and blood. Again, you should use a condom AND disclose your HIV status. Any sores, cuts, etc. on your or your partners genitals could increase the risk. If you are a female having anal sex or a male having receptive anal sex (bottom), this is higher risk. Bleeding is not an accurate indicator for estimating risk of HIV transmission during sex because vaginal or anal penetration will cause stretching of the walls, and with friction, there will most likely be some kind of bleeding or fluid transmission although you won’t necessarily be able to see it.I hope this is helpful information. It concerns me that this kind of information was not given to you when you received your diagnosis. If you don’t already have a doctor, check out for some HIV specialists in your area. If there aren’t any listed, most infectious disease specialists are also well-versed in HIV care. You should be seeing some for healthcare and addressing your concerns on a routine basis.Take care.