Publications
Partners
It's been with us for a couple of decades; you'd think we'd have a reasonably good grasp of how HIV/Aids works by now.
But confusion and misinformation still spread along with the virus, and as this sample of online comments shows, many of us sometimes lose the plot:
- "You are one of the lucky ones; the virus just can't stick to you."
- "A mixture of coconut, oil olive and apple cider was believed to increase CD4 count. Does it still work?"
- "HIV can be delayed and in 20% of cases undetected in 6 - 12 months through silver nano therapy."
- "Can I buy HIV-negative results?"
- "It still remains to be proved if those who survive longer is as a result of ARVs."
- "A guy in the U.S. put infected blood in a ketchup bottle in a restaurant to infect people."
- "Can you get Aids from bedbugs?"
- "Is it possible for a circumcised man to contract HIV from a woman partner if he washes his member after unprotected sex?"
What often gets obscured in the blizzard of information about HIV/Aids are the fundamentals, and we could all do with a refresher course every now and then.
So here, in accordance with current thinking of the world's most reputable and dedicated HIV/Aids experts, are the basics, once again:
HIV causes Aids
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that hijacks the CD4 cell, the most important defensive cell of the human immune system. It replicates itself (reproduces) inside the CD4 cell. This CD4 cells die in the process. The immune system is rendered weak and can hardly protect the body against the invasion of germs.
Aids (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is the last stage of HIV infection. This may only occur after many years of damage to the immune system by the virus. During this advanced stage, the HIV-infected person's immune system has weakened and can longer defend itself against other infections.
Aids is not caused by poverty or poor nutrition. These, among other factors, can increase the risk of contracting HIV, and may speed the progression of the disease, but they do not cause Aids.
Aids is not a specific disease. It's a collection of opportunistic diseases, infections and certain cancers.
HIV/Aids can only be transmitted via sex, contaminated blood, or mother-to-child
HIV/Aids can only be transmitted through:
- Unprotected (i.e. without a condom) vaginal, anal or oral sex with an infected person. There is a low risk of transmission via open-mouth kissing.
- Contaminated blood entering the bloodstream, which happens most often through needle-sharing with an infected person, transfusion with contaminated blood products, needle-stick injuries (as when medical personnel accidentally prick themselves with an infected syringe).
- The mother-to-child route. An HIV-positive mother can infect her baby during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.
HIV is not airborne or food-borne, and doesn't live long outside the body. You can’t get HIV/Aids from food (like ketchup) or drink contaminated by infected body fluids, or from bedbugs, mosquitoes or other insects. Myths proliferate about transmission more than any other aspect of HIV/Aids.
The only way to tell if someone has HIV/Aids is to get tested
It's impossible to tell by someone's appearance or symptoms if they have HIV/Aids. Some HIV-positive people don't have obvious symptoms for many years after infection, and symptoms of HIV are often similar to those of many other conditions.
Currently there is no cure for HIV/Aids
Although treatment of HIV/Aids has improved dramatically, allowing HIV-positive people to live much longer, healthier lives, there is as yet no cure for the disease, and any claims to the contrary should be regarded with suspicion.
The use of ARVs (antiretrovirals), which are drugs that slow down the multiplication of the virus in the body, is the mainstay of treatment. There are additional treatments that address symptoms and opportunistic infections that result from HIV/Aids.
Living a healthy lifestyle and paying attention to nutrition contributes to overall health and management of the disease, but there is no foodstuff, nutritional supplement or alternative therapy that can offer anything like the undeniable benefits of an appropriate drug regimen.
