HIV INFECTION AND AIDS

HIV (Human Immune deficiency Virus) is a virus that cause AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

It weakens the immune system by infecting the white blood cells (Lymphocytes) continuously and destroys the blood ability of the body to fight infection and certain diseases or Sickness.

The CD4 cells are the main targets for HIV. The virus (HIV) enters into the CD4 cells and destroys or kills it therefore as the number of CD4 cells decreases the amount of HIV increases. If treatment is not conducted on the patient for many years the CD4 cells will drop to a point then the symptoms of HIV will start appearing.

But by treating the AIDS the amount of CD4 cells in the body increases while the amount the virus (HIV) reduces which allows the CD4 cells of the body to increase and become stable.

According to the world health organization (WHO) worldwide

In the year 2013 as many as 2.1million people were infected newly with HIV, 35million people were living with HIV and 1.5million people death of AID related disease.

WAYS IN WHICH HIV CAN BE SPREAD

HIV can be spread in the following ways:

1.           SHARING SHARP OBJECT SUCH AS BLADE, NEEDLE WITH AN INFECTED PERSON: The Object can be contaminated with infected blood from the infected person.

2.           BY HAVING UNPROTECTED SEX WITH INFECTED PARTNER: The virus can possibly into the body through the mouth, penis, lining of the vagina, vulva while having sex and if the following STD ( Sexually Transmitted Disease) like syphilis, genital herpes, gonorrhea can possibly make someone to be at high risk of  acquiring HIV

3.        During pregnancy: HIV can be transmitted from mother to child if not treated or during birth it can also be transmitted from the mother to child through breast milk of infected mother.

4.           Through contact with blood (Transfusion):  The blood donated by an infected patient if not screened to know if is contaminated with the virus can be transmitted to another patient through the mode of transfusion. Therefore that automatically makes the person a carrier.

They only way to find out if a person is infected is by carrying out a process called HIV test.

HIV Test: This a test conducted on individual or patient to check if he/she   is infected with the virus.