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| Home » About HIVAIDS |
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| What is HIV/AIDS? |
| HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that causes
AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), a health condition
in which a person is affected by a series of diseases because
of poor immunity. HIV by itself is not an illness and does not
instantly lead to AIDS. An HIV-infected person can lead a healthy
life for several years before he/she develops AIDS. |
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| Transmission |
| A person can get infected with HIV through the following routes |
| Unprotected sex, Sharing of needles, Unsafe blood, Improperly
sterilized hospital tools and Mother to Child. |
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| Diagnosis |
| In the early stages of infection, HIV often causes no symptoms
and the infection can be diagnosed only by testing a person's
blood. Two tests are available to diagnose HIV infection - one
that looks for the presence of antibodies produced by the body
in response to HIV and the other that looks for the virus itself.
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| Symptoms |
| Many people do not develop any symptoms when they first become
infected with HIV. Some people, however, get a flu-like illness
within three to six weeks after exposure to the virus. This
illness, called Acute HIV Syndrome, may include fever, headache,
tiredness, nausea, diarrhea and enlarged lymph nodes (organs
of the immune system that can be felt in the neck, armpits and
groin). |
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| Treatment |
| Till today, there is no conclusive treatment to eliminate
HIV from the body; however, timely treatment of opportunistic
infections can keep one healthy for many years. The commonly
available treatment for AIDS is the treatment against opportunistic
infections. |
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| Life after HIV |
| The experience of infected people during the last two decades
has shown that HIV is not the "end of the world" and
that there is good quality life for several more years. Taking
care of one's health, keeping in mind one's vulnerability to
diseases, and a positive attitude have been found to be very
useful. |
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| Prevention |
| Because there is no effective vaccine and no cure for HIV,
the only way to protect oneself is prevention. People should
either avoid having sex with multiple partners or use latex condoms, during
oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Only condoms made of latex should
be used, and whenever necessary only water-based lubricants
should be used. People who are allergic to latex can use polyurethane
condoms. |
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| Safe Sex Guide |
| No risk or very low risk - No reported cases due to these
behaviors - Masturbation - mutual masturbation, Touching - massage,
Erotic massage - body rubbing, Kissing, Oral sex on a man with
a condom, Oral sex on a woman with a dental dam, Glyde dam,
plastic wrap, or cut-open condom, Not sharing drug injecting,
body piercing instruments, needles, syringes, Using properly
sterilized hospital tools. |
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| Blood Safety |
| The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which
causes AIDS, is easily transmitted through blood transfusions.
In fact, the chances that someone who has received a transfusion
with HIV blood will himself or herself become infected are estimated
to be over 90 percent. |
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
| HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
As the name suggests it only causes disease in humans, which
leads to the depletion of white blood cells leading to lowering
of immunity. Once the virus enters the body it lies dormant
for many years and hence is known as a 'slow virus'. Most other
viruses for example, those causing measles, mumps, chicken pox,
etc., manifest the disease in 14-21 days after it enters the
body. Hence the incubation period is short (2-3 weeks) whereas
in HIV infection it is very long and runs into years. |
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