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| HIV/AIDS |
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| One of the most severe transmitted diseases is HIV,
which stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is the virus which
ultimately causes AIDS. If someone is HIV positive, they have been infected
with the virus that causes AIDS. Most people who are HIV positive go on to
develop AIDS, but it may take many years before they have full-blown AIDS.
During this time they may feel well, but still can infect other people, by
giving blood or having sex with someone. AIDS stands for Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome which is a collection of symptoms associated with HIV
infection. |
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| Symptoms |
| HIV causes the destruction of the immune system. It
destroys the body's white blood cells which are called the T-cells. The T-cells
is essential to the effectiveness of the body's immune system. So, consequently
the body's natural defense system is impaired. The early symptom of HIV
includes weight loss, fever, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, minor illnesses and
infections. Some other signs may be pneumonia and Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare skin
cancer. |
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| Treatment |
| At
this time there is no known cure for HIV/AIDS. Right now most doctors agree
that if you are infected with HIV, you will die of AIDS. There are various
drugs that may slow the virus. So far no one has recovered from having
AIDS. |
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| Transmission |
The way that aids is transmitted is through sex. The
virus can be current in the body's semen and blood. It also can be available in
vaginal secretion, saliva, and tears.
HIV cannot be passed on through casual contact, hugging,
handshaking, touching the sweat of an infected person, or mosquito bites. You
also cannot get it by swimming in a pool with someone affected by AIDS.
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| Testing |
| The way to find out if you are HIV positive is through a
blood test. The test shows the presence of antibodies of the HIV. If you are
positive, it means that you have antibodies that could possibly develop into
AIDS sometime in the future. If the test is negative, it means that you do not
have the antibodies at this time. If you think for any reason that you have
been exposed to the AIDS virus recently, then take the blood test when you can,
so they can use that test to compare to another test later. |
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