How's HIV passed on?
HIV is a virus that damages a person's immune system, the body's defence against disease. A person infected with HIV is infected for life - there's no cure. Being infected with HIV is often referred to as being HIV-positive.
Over time, as the immune system weakens, a person with HIV may develop rare infections or cancers. When these are particularly serious, the person is said to have AIDS.
HIV can only be passed on through the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. The two main ways in which a person can become infected are:
- vaginal or anal sexual intercourse (without a condom) with an infected person
- using a needle or syringe that's already been used by someone who's infected
An infected pregnant woman can also pass the virus to her unborn baby, before or during the birth.
Other potential routes of transmission include:
- Giving and receiving first aid, although transmission will only occur if significant amounts of HIV-infected blood pass from one person to another.
- Contact with used needles and syringes.
- Giving and receiving oral sex, although there are very few proven instances of this. Generally, transmission will only occur if a person has cuts or sores in their mouth.
- Seeing a dentist, doctor or nurse. It's extremely rare for HIV to be passed from a healthcare professional to a patient, as all medical instruments are sterilised or used only once.
- Fighting and biting. There have been extremely few cases of infection in such cases.
- Kissing, although generally this won't pass on HIV as saliva doesn't contain a high enough concentration of HIV. The only risk would be if both people had noticeably bleeding cuts and sores in their mouths.
- Sport. The only risk in sport is if HIV-infected blood gets into a wound or a cut.
It's important to emphasise that even though the risk of transmission through any of the above is small, it still remains and care should always be taken.
HIV isn't passed on by:
- sharing crockery and cutlery
- touching, hugging or shaking hands
- using the same toilet
- insect or animal bites
Preventing HIV transmission
There are several ways in which you can prevent HIV being passed on:
- using a condom during sexual intercourse
- using a clean needle every time if you inject drugs
There are also a number of steps an HIV-positive woman can take to reduce the chance of passing on HIV to her child during pregnancy. These include:
- taking an anti-HIV drug towards the end of pregnancy and at the time of delivery
- considering having a caesarean section delivery
- giving the baby formula milk instead of breastfeeding
Who's at risk?
You're only at risk of HIV if you're involved in a high-risk activity. Particularly gay and African communities, there are a higher number of people who're HIV-positive.
Initial signs and symptoms
There are no immediate signs or symptoms after infection. Research has shown that after a few weeks some people experience flu-like symptoms, but these symptoms usually go undiagnosed. The only way to know if you are HIV-positive is to have a test.
Testing
The HIV test looks for HIV antibodies in the blood. It normally takes three months for antibodies to develop, so if you have a test soon after possible infection, the result may be inaccurate. You'll need to be tested again after three months to get a definite result.
The test is available from your GP or from any genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic. GUM clinics are usually found within a hospital and are completely confidential - your GP won't be informed without your consent. You can also go anonymously. A trained counsellor will explain the test procedure and discuss possible results. You normally have to wait one week for a result.
Treatment
There's no cure for HIV, but there are a number of drugs that can help prevent someone who's HIV-positive becoming ill.
Treatment consists of taking several drugs every day, which is known as combination therapy. These drugs aren't a cure for HIV infection but they can increase enormously the life expectancy of someone with HIV. If the drugs aren't taken correctly, the treatment will stop being so effective and the person may become ill.
Research continues around the world to develop a HIV vaccine. Great progress is being made, although it's likely to be a number of years before such a treatment is widely available.
HIV and AIDS News:
Simultaneously Confronting HIV/AIDS, Malaria, And The Need For Clean Water Improves Health At A Lower Cost - The great paradox of global health efforts is that regions of the world most plagued by poverty, poor infrastructure and rampant disease are often the most difficult to deliver care to...
When HIV Patients Waver On Meds - According to a new analysis of hundreds of recorded office visits, doctors and nurse practitioners typically issued orders and asked closed or leading questions when talking to their HIV-positive patients about adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Attempts at problem-solving with patients who had lapsed occurred in less than a quarter of visits. Take your medicine, Doctor's orders...
News From The Journal Of Clinical Investigation: Feb. 1, 2012 - ONCOLOGY: Answers to age-old questions surrounding fat cell cancer Myxoid round cell liposarcoma (MRCLS) is a cancerous tumor that typically arises in deep fat tissues of the limbs or abdomen. It was shown almost 20 years ago to be characterized by a chromosomal change that generates a fusion protein known as TLS:CHOP...
South Africa Recalls Millions Of Condoms - Health authorities in South Africa have recalled more than a million condoms that were handed out in the lead up to the African National Congress centenary celebrations...
Tracking The Birth Of An Evolutionary Arms Race Between HIV-Like Viruses And Primate Genomes - Using a combination of evolutionary biology and virology, scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have traced the birth of the ability of some HIV-related viruses to defeat a newly discovered cellular-defense system in primates. The research, led by Michael Emerman, Ph.D., a member of the Hutchinson Center's Human Biology and Basic Sciences Division, and Harmit Malik, Ph.D...
Antiretrovirals Raise Birth Defect Risk - HIV-positive mothers can protected their babies from becoming infected with the virus if they take antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy. However, even though these drugs prevent transmitting the disease to the child, they could potentially cause birth defects like cleft lip and palate...
In HIV-Positive Patients, Standard Treatments For Head And Neck Cancer Are Less Effective - Radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy is less effective for patients with HIV when compared to the recurrence and overall survival rates in patients who do not have HIV, according to a study presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, sponsored by AHNS, ASCO, ASTRO and SNM. Treating head and neck cancer in HIV-positive patients is a challenge for oncologists...
Study Compares HIV Saliva Self-Test To Blood Test - A saliva test used to diagnose the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is comparable in accuracy to the traditional blood test, according to a new study led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University...
Women Cope Better With HIV/AIDS When They Have The Love Of A Dog Or Cat - A spoonful of medicine goes down a lot easier if there is a dog or cat around. Having pets is helpful for women living with HIV/AIDS and managing their chronic illness, according to a new study from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. "We think this finding about pets can apply to women managing other chronic illnesses," said Allison R...
MSU Seeks To Revamp HIV-Prevention Programs In Caribbean - While global attention to HIV/AIDS remains strong, a lack of focus on prevention strategies is stonewalling health experts in many developing nations, specifically in the Caribbean...
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