HIV: Transmission, and Treatment

HIV
Overview: Human Immunodeficiency Virus, known as HIV, is a kind of virus that damages the immune system. Untreated HIV affects and kills CD4 cells, a type of immune system called T cell. Over time, as HIV kills many CD4 cells, the body is more likely to develop the worst conditions and different types of cancers.


Where did HIV come from?
HIV infection in humans came from chimpanzees in Central Africa. The chimpanzee version of the virus (called SIV) was probably passed to humans when humans hunted chimpanzees for food and came in touch with their HIV-infected blood. This virus probably jumped from chimpanzees to humans in the late 1800s. Over time, the virus slowly spread in Africa and later to different parts of the world. We know that the virus existed in the United States since the late 1970s.

Transmission
HIV can be transmitted through body fluids which include blood sperm, vaginal and rectal fluid, and breast milk. The virus is not transmitted through usual contacts like air or water.


Treatment

Because HIV attaches itself to cell DNA, it is a lifelong condition, and presently no drug removes HIV from the body entirely, although many scientists are working to find it.


However, with medical care, including antiretroviral therapy, it is possible to treat HIV and live with the virus for many years. Without treatment, a person with HIV may develop a severe Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome condition, known as AIDS.

At that time, the immune system is too weak to respond effectively to other diseases, ailments, and conditions.

With treatment, the term of life with AIDS of the last phase is about three years. With antiretroviral therapy, HIV can be effectively controlled, and life expectancy is almost the same as that of a person who has never been infected with HIV.

It is estimated that 1.25 million Americans are currently living with HIV. Of those people, one in every eight persons does not know they are infected.

What is AIDS?

AIDS is a disease that can occur in some people with HIV. If a person has HIV, it does not mean that AIDS will develop. AIDS is a very advanced stage of HIV. HIV usually kills CD4 cells. A normal adult usually has a CD4 count of 500 to 1,500 per cubic millimeter. A person with HIV whose CD4 count becomes less than 210 per cubic millimeter should be diagnosed with AIDS, ideally. A person may also be diagnosed with AIDS if they are HIV-positive and develop a rare opportunistic infection or cancer in HIV-negative people.

Opportunistic infections such as Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia occur only in an uninfected person, such as someone with an advanced level of HIV (AIDS).

If left untreated, HIV can progress to AIDS within ten years. Currently, there is no total cure for AIDS, and without treatment, the life expectancy after diagnosis is almost three years at a Reliable Source. This can be short-lived if a person develops a severe illness. However, antiretroviral treatment can prevent AIDS from growing. As AIDS progresses, it means that the immune system is severely compromised, i.e., it weakens to the extent where it can no longer respond effectively against many diseases and infections.

As a result, a person living with AIDS may be exposed to a variety of diseases like Tuberculosis.

Oral thrush — A form of fungus in the mouth or throat.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) — A type of herpes virus.

Cryptococcal meningitis — A fungal condition of the brain.

Toxoplasmosis — A parasite-induced brain condition.

Cryptosporidiosis — A disease caused by bacteria in the gut.

Cancer — Including Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS).

The short life span linked to untreated AIDS is not a direct result of the disease itself. Instead, it results from diseases and disorders that result from the weakening of the immune system, which AIDS weakens.

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