HIV symptoms:
The earliest symptoms of HIV infection occur while your body begins to form antibodies to the virus (known as seroconversion) between six weeks and three months after infection with the HIV virus. Those who do show early HIV symptoms will develop flu-like symptoms. Only by being tested for HIV can you know for sure if you have been infected. Despite the absence of HIV symptoms, you are still highly contagious during this time making it very much a possibility to infect others, including your baby.
As the infection progresses, people with HIV grow increasingly susceptible to illnesses and infection that don't normally affect the healthy population.
Without treatment, people infected with HIV can expect to develop AIDS eight to ten years after HIV infection. Taking HIV medications, however, can slow down this progression. With treatment, it can take ten to 15 years or more before you develop AIDS. In the later stages of HIV, before it progresses to full blown AIDS, signs of HIV infection can involve more severe symptoms: (Chronic yeast infections, Fever, Tendency to bruising, Extreme exhaustion, Body rashes, Skin changes, Weight loss, Diarrhea). Additionally, vision loss, nerve damage and brain impairment can also occur.
While there are treatments to help prolong the life of those infected with the AIDS virus, there is currently no AIDS cure. The best way to protect yourself is by taking preventative measures.
HIV cells spread on camera:
HIV replication:
How is HIV transmitted:
The most common ways that people become infected with HIV are:
-by having sexual intercourse with an infected partner
-by blood
-from infected mother
HIV is found in the sexual fluids of an infected person. For a man, the fluids which come out of the penis before and during sex. Infected fluid can pass into the woman's blood stream through a tiny cut or sore inside her body. For a woman, fluids produced by the vagina before and during sex. HIV could get into the man's blood through a sore patch on his penis or by getting into the tube that runs down the penis.
If there is any contact with blood during sex, this increases the risk of infection. For example, sex during woman's period.
Oral sex with an infected partner does carry some risk of infection. The virus could then get into the blood if you have bleeding gums or tiny sores or ulcers somewhere in the mouth. But infection from oral sex seems to be very rare.
If a couple has anal intercourse, the risk of infection is greater than with vaginal intercourse. The lining of the anus is more delicate than the lining of the vagina, so it's more likely to be damaged.
The virus can be passed by sharing needles, syringes, spoons, filters and water. Disinfecting equipment between use can reduce the chance of transmission, but doesn't eliminate it. You are fool if you share injecting equipment with someone who has the virus. In January 2007, HIV infection was confirmed in more than 10 thousand of our countrymen. Over half the people who become infected through injecting drugs.
These days, in most countries all the blood used for transfusions is now tested for HIV. In those countries where the blood has been tested, HIV infection through blood transfusions is now extremely rare.
There have been a few documented instances of patients becoming infected by a health-care worker. But you need to remember that we live in Poland so everything is possible.
An infected pregnant woman can pass the virus on to her unborn baby either before or during birth. HIV can also be passed on during breastfeeding.
If a woman knows that she is infected with HIV, there are drugs that she can take to greatly reduce the chances of her child becoming infected.
Anything which allows another person's body fluids to get inside your body is risky. If the equipment is not sterile, having a tattoo done could carry a very small risk. If you are thinking of having a tattoo or piercing, ask staff at the shop what procedures they take to avoid infection.
At the moment, scientific opinion is pretty clear that you cannot become infected with HIV through kissing. Unless both partners have large open sores in their mouths, or severely bleeding gums, there is no transmission risk.
HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host. It can live for only 20 seconds in the air. You also can't be infected in swimming pools, showers or by sharing washing machines or toilet seats.
Even if the virus enters a mosquito or another sucking or biting insect, the insect does not become infected and therefore cannot transmit HIV to the next human.
If an unbroken latex condom is used, there is no risk of HIV transmission. There are myths saying that some very small viruses can pass through latex but this is not true.
Risk of catching HIV:
-Passive role in anal intercourse with infected person 1/100
-Passive role in vaginal intercourse WIP 1/1000
-Active role in anal intercourse WIP 1/2500
-Active role in vaginal intercourse WIP 1/2000
-Active role in oral intercourse WIP 1/2500
I should admit that these figures are approximate, because everything depends on many factors. The risk is low but still exist. Furthermore you should know that women are more vulnerable to being infected with the virus, than a man! Most important, the carrier is most infectious in the initial phase, even when tests can not detect it!
Immunity to infection:
Risk of infection in every human being is different. Most susceptible to the virus are addicts. It also depend on blood group. It's lowest for people with B and Rh(-), while the largest for those wit 0.
Some of us are completely or partially immune to HIV and it's not a joke. You can test yourselves on testdna.pl
Questions:
Have you changed your mind after reading this post? (I mean those about work and dating from previous post)
Should HIV positive workers have to tell their employers of their status?
Sources:
epigee.org
prowokacje.com
video1
video2
aids.org
wiki.answers.com
4.bp.blogspot.com
In my opinion : YES and NO .
ReplyDeleteThe decision to tell is very personal. All depends of work where it could possibly be a concern.
The possibility of transmission is real and one they have a right to know about so as to be able to guard against it. This is particularly true in case of Medical Staff like doctors, nurses, dentists, midwives, paramedics, who SHOULD HAVE A MORAL AND A LEGAL OBLIGATION to disclose if they are HIV-positive.
Even in other jobs not medical, accidents may expose employees to risk..but in other hand many people who are HIV-positive choose not to reveal their condition for fear of violent reactions to them from their families and the rest of society. If disclosure to an employer is compulsory, then the news will inevitably leak out to the wider community. In effect, they will lose any right of privacy completely.
I say NO. The risk is so low, that having that information won't change anything except the peoples approach to the infected one.
ReplyDeleteOf course everyone who are HIV positive and are going to start a romantic relationship have the moral obligation to say about their disease.
Anyway, I think that testing yourself for HIV should be more promoted. It doesn't cost anything, it doesnt hurt much (only one sting with a needle) and is completely anonymous. I haven't done it myself because I donated blood and they made the test anyway, but if I haven't I would surely do it.
Maybe you don't know but HIV test are not obligatory for pregnant women - they have to agree for it, and most of them don't do it (they probably think that this problem doesn't affect them). Why? It should be obligatory, because, like Krzysztof wrote, there are drugs that greatly reduce the chances of infecting the child.
Anyway, I'm very impressed by the social awareness raising campaign you showed on the last picture. Someone had a really brilliant idea!
ReplyDeleteI think They schould tell their employers about their status. This is a serious disease and some people should be informed about it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this post I haven't change my mind i still think It is only their fault that they are sick.
Come on... Daniel, you really think that it is only their fault ? Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by HIV and AIDS than any other region of the world. An estimated 22.4 million people are living with HIV in the region - around two thirds of the global total. In 2008 around 1.4 million people died from AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and 1.9 million people became infected with HIV. Since the beginning of the epidemic more than 14 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Also small kids are sick - you think that they guilty of it ?
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to say that it's their fault that they are sick. But what about those who say f.e. that using condome doesn't protect from HIV infection? People in Africa are not so well educated as we. Not only in Africa. In America and Europe we have a huge problem with pregnant teenagers, who didn't know that they should protect themselves. So whose fault is it really- their or parents and teachers? Ask the same question about HIV.
ReplyDeleteThey should say about HIV in cases where there is danger of spreading the virus, but they probably don't take that kid of job.
ReplyDeleteI think the main reason for spreading HIV is fact that people act before thinking.
I am for telling about the disease but privately because it's in any employer interest to know about this kind of matter and a employee don't wants to be left alone while working with teammates or after the work.
ReplyDeleteThe point is to think before doing anything. It's hard but doable.
It's simple: if you tell employer that you're infected he would do everything to hire someone else, so it's not good idea (you probably disagree but we live in very specific country.. imagine what would happened if you tell your future boss you're gay and like to be taken hard;)
ReplyDeleteI didn’t realize that chances of getting infected are so low. So why they stated that catching HIV is as easy as picking up a note. It’s because there are so many virus carriers? Btw I wonder if someone managed to buy something with that note :)
ReplyDeleteAnswering your questions – HIV positive workers shouldn’t tell their employers about their status, but they must use condoms when they are having an intercourse with their coworkers at the workplace.
Andrzej:
ReplyDeleteMaybe it would be in plus when your boss is also gay :P
In my opinion I want to know about any dangerous for me in work but for hiv+ people I would be hard and made for them many difficulty. I'm agree with Andrzej.
Rafał:
ReplyDeleteBecause it's just statistic. Chance of care accident is also low but each day people die on the road. Besides the chance depends on many factors. If you are weakened by the disease or have some wounds the risk significant increase.
I already knew about most ways of getting HIV that are mentioned here, but it's been nice to read such a concise recap of all possibilities, true or false ;)
ReplyDeleteIMHO the youtube clips were kinda unneccessary :)
The statistics are also pretty surprising to me, maybe a bit exaggerated? It depends from country to country after all.