Facts about AIDS that you should know – World Aids Day

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 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that causes damage to the immune system. The immune system is responsible for helping the body fight infections. If HIV goes untreated, it can kill CD4 cells, a kind of immune cells.

On December 1, people around the globe will recognize World AIDS Day,

Important HIV Facts and Figures

1. HIV can be transmitted through breast milk, vaginal and rectal fluids, blood and semen. It is a lifelong condition which cannot be cured. However, with proper treatment and management, a person can live with HIV for many years.

2. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease that can develop in people with HIV. AIDS is considered to be the most advanced stage of HIV. However, just because a person has HIV, it doesn’t mean that s/he will develop AIDS too. As mentioned above, HIV kills CD4 cells. In healthy adults, CD4 cells range from a count of 500 to 1500 per cubic millimeter. A person with HIV whose CD4 count falls below 200 per cubic millimeter will be diagnosed with AIDS.



3. You can also be diagnosed with AIDS if you are HIV positive and develop an infection or cancer that is otherwise rare in people with HIV.

4. An HIV which is untreated can develop into AIDS within a decade. AIDS cannot be cured and the average life expectancy after being diagnosed with AIDS in three years. Life expectancy can be shorter in case a person develops some infection or any other opportunistic illness.

5. However, AIDS treatment with antiretroviral drugs can prevent the development of AIDS.

HIV/AIDS: Know the risk factors

  1. Having unprotected sex or having multiple sex partners can put you at risk of HIV
  2. Unprotected vaginal or anal sex can also put you at risk of HIV/AIDS
  3. Reusing of injections or receiving infected blood transfusions or tissue transplantation can put you at risk HIV
  4. Sharing contaminated needles, syringes, injecting equipment’s and drug solutions when infecting drugs can increase risk of HIV
  5. Suffering from any other sexually transmitted infection like chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis and bacterial vaginosis can increase risk of HIV/AIDS

This World AIDS, let’s pledge to spread as much awareness about HIV as possible and make efforts to reduce the incidence of this deadly infection.

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