topmedicaljournals.com – HIV AIDS Facts
HIV has become all of our concern, and it is important to understand the facts of the disease to escalate our awareness, and maybe by this, it can prevent us from being infected. Here, you can find HIV AIDS facts, including, global statistic related with the disease and also about the disease itself. Estimated about 60 million people have been infected by HIV and 25 million have died because of it. And today, it ranks five as the primary cause of death of people between the ages of 25-44 years old in United States. In 2007, it was reported that 33.2 million people are AIDS positive, with 2.1 million deaths. The latest statistic was released by UNAIDS, WHO and UNICEF in November 2011. It shows that 34 million people living with HIV in 2010 and 50% of them are women. Still in 2010, 1.8 million people were death because of AIDS.
Figures above should make us conscious that AIDS is still haunting around us. The infection rates are continued to grow each year. Although this disease has been in our society for few decades but, unfortunately, many people still have less understanding about it, especially in the third country. That is information related with HIV and AIDS should be continued to distribute.
Below are HIV AIDS facts that every person should know.
HIV is a type of retrovirus that attacks human immunity system by destroying CD4 cells in the blood, which is in normal condition used to fight off infection.
HIV can be transmitted by following ways:
- Having sexual intercourse with an infected person
- Taking injection with a needle used by an infected person
- HIV can be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby
- Drinking human milk from an infected woman
- Blood transfusion with infected blood
Each person develops different symptoms weeks after being infected. However, there are common symptoms reported as following:
- Fever
- Aching muscles and joints,
- Sore throat
- Swollen glands in the neck.
For high risk person, it is suggested to have periodic HIV test to prevent infection another person and also to have early treatment. HIV test is not too sophisticated; however, it is better keeping it confidential for privacy. The test is simply taking a small amount of blood from the arm. It can also use another body liquid such as saliva or urine. The test is conducted by looking for HIV antibodies in the sample. When the antibodies present, it indicates HIV in the system. The antibodies are only produced by the immune system to against the virus. However, it takes time for our body to generate it, usually, it happens within three months of being exposed to the virus, but in some people, it occurs in the sixth month. Therefore, it is better having retest after six months when anyone receiving a negative result within three months test.