16:STIs and AIDS [HIV and AIDS]

*HIV AND AIDS*

*QUIZ*

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Which determines the onset of AIDS?

A very low number of helper T cells in the blood

Which describes the stage of HIV infection that occurs when a person's immune system is severely weakened?

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

Which is the least likely way to become infected with HIV?

By having a blood transfusion

Which describe ways in which HIV can be spread?

Contact with body fluids, contact with infected blood, and from mother to baby

When can a mother carrying HIV infect her child?

During pregnancy, birth, and breast-feeding

Which of the following describes the symptoms of HIV infections in the asymptomatic stage?

Flu-like symptoms and then no symptoms

Safe Behaviors

HIV is not transmitted by casual contact. You cannot get HIV by going to classes or eating lunch with an infected person. You cannot get HIV by holding hands or hugging an infected person. Families who live with an infected person are not at risk of contracting HIV unless they engage in high-risk behaviors. Small amounts of HIV occur in saliva, tears, and perspiration. However, the amounts are so small that infection from contact with these fluids is unlikely.

Stages of HIV Infection

HIV slowly destroys the immune system. Doctors describe HIV infection as progressing through three stages. Asymptomatic Stage Soon after exposure to HIV, an infected person may experience flulike symptoms, which usually go away after a few weeks. Many months or years may follow during which the person shows no outward signs of disease. Because of the lack of symptoms, this period is called the asymptomatic stage. During this stage, the virus destroys helper T cells. People in the asymptomatic stage can infect others even though they feel fine. Symptomatic Stage When an HIV-infected person starts to experience symptoms, he or she has entered the symptomatic stage of infection. Symptoms may include weight loss, a persistent fever, diarrhea, or fungal infections. Such symptoms may not appear until 7 to 10 years after infection with HIV. AIDS The onset of AIDS is usually marked by a very low number of helper T cells in the blood. At this stage, HIV-infected people are usually experiencing even more severe symptoms than in the symptomatic stage. Because the body's ability to fight disease has been weakened by HIV, they are susceptible to infections that a healthy person's immune system could easily fight off.

Which behavior poses the most risk for getting HIV?

Having oral sex with an infected person

Which serious and incurable STI leads to AIDS?

Human immunodeficiency virus

The main goal of international organizations is HIV education. Making people in high-risk countries aware of how to protect themselves from HIV infection is a huge step toward prevention. Because treatment can be very expensive and inaccessible for the people at the highest risk, much effort is put toward preventing HIV infection in the first place.

In addition to prevention education, international organizations coordinate treatment efforts for people already living with HIV and AIDS. Efforts are being made to provide medicine to millions of infected people in countries most affected by HIV and AIDS.

High-Risk Groups

In all areas of the world, HIV is spreading among people who share needles to inject drugs and people who engage in high-risk sexual behaviors. In many countries, young women represent the majority of new HIV infections. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, 75% of young people infected with HIV are female. The higher infection rates in women are often due to a lack of information about how to protect themselves or, in some cases, a lack of power to protect themselves.

How HIV Attacks the Immune System

Inside the body, HIV infects helper T cells, which stimulate other cells of the immune system to produce antibodies against invading pathogens. Inside a helper T cell, HIV reproduces, killing the cell in the process. The new viruses are released from the cell and move on to destroy other helper T cells. By counting the number of helper T cells that remain active in the body, the progression of HIV infection can be monitored. The fewer helper T cells, the more advanced the disease.

What is the main effect of HIV?

It slowly destroys the immune system

Which results when HIV weakens the immune system?

Opportunistic infections

Who are most at risk for being infected with HIV?

People who engage in high-risk behavior and people who share needles to inject drugs

*Transmission of HIV*

People with HIV are infectious whether or not they have any symptoms of disease. Individuals infected with HIV can pass the virus on to someone else through the exchange of blood, semen, vaginal secretions, or breast milk.

Education and Prevention

Several international organizations are working to lessen the toll that HIV and AIDS are taking on populations all over the world. The World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS monitor the situation and recommend steps for stemming the epidemic in different countries.

Which is not an example of how HIV infection is often transmitted?

Shacking hands with an infected person

Where are more than half of the world's cases of HIV?

Sub-Saharan Africa

Which region of the world accounts for the majority of HIV infections?

Sub-Saharan Africa

Which areas of the world are people most at risk for HIV infections?

Sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia

Opportunistic Infections

The infections that attack a person with a weakened immune system are called opportunistic infections. AIDS is characterized by the appearance of one or more opportunistic infections. These opportunistic infections include tuberculosis, fungal infections, and a lung disease called pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (noo moh SIS tis kuh RY nee eye). Certain types of cancer are also more common in people with AIDS, including cervical cancer and Kaposi's sarcoma (kuh POH seez sahr KOH muh), a kind of skin cancer. People living with AIDS often experience severe weight loss. As the disease progresses, the virus may attack the brain and nervous system, causing blindness, depression, and mental deterioration. Death is usually caused by an opportunistic infection.

*HIV Infection*

The most serious incurable STI is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, commonly called HIV. As of 2004, 1 million Americans were reported to be living with HIV. And 13- to 24-year-olds account for approximately 13% of HIV cases reported in the United States. HIV infection can lead to AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which is an often fatal disease of the immune system. HIV attacks specific cells of the immune system, disabling the body's defenses against other pathogens. When the immune system becomes severely disabled, the infected person has AIDS.

The Safety of Donated Blood

The risk of getting HIV from blood transfusions is extremely small. Since 1985, all of the blood collected in the United States has been tested for the presence of HIV. Blood that tests positive for HIV antibodies is discarded. Potential donors are interviewed and are not allowed to give blood if they have engaged in behaviors that place them at risk for HIV infection.

Risky Behaviors

There are four main ways that HIV spreads from person to person. Sexual Contact HIV can be transmitted through any form of sexual contact that involves contact with an infected person's body fluids, including vaginal, oral, and anal sex. Infected fluids can enter a person's bloodstream through sores or tiny cuts in the lining of the mouth, vagina, rectum, or opening of the penis. Shared Needles HIV can be transmitted through shared needles or syringes that are contaminated with the blood of an infected person. Therefore, sharing needles for tattoos or body piercings and injecting illegal drugs put you at risk for HIV infection. Contact With Blood HIV can be transmitted if a person has an open cut or sore that comes into contact with the blood or blood parts of an infected person. Avoid all contact with others' blood. Mother to Baby HIV can pass from an infected mother to her child, either during pregnancy, birth, or breast-feeding. Certain drugs can decrease the chances of transmission during pregnancy, and the doctor might deliver the baby by cesarean section to reduce the risk of transmission during birth. In addition, mothers infected with HIV should not breast-feed their babies.

What is the main goal of international organizations in their attempts to stop the spread of HIV infection?

To deliver HIV education

*A Global Problem*

With approximately 40 million people infected around the world, HIV and AIDS represent a global health problem. Africa Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than half of all global infections. Some estimates indicate that, if infections continue to rise at the current rate, 80 million Africans may die from AIDS by 2025. Asia HIV infections are also increasing in certain parts of Asia. For example, researchers estimate that over 5 million people are living with HIV and AIDS in India.

Which system of the body does HIV infect?

X Reproductive system

Which group represents the greatest number of new HIV cases in sub-Saharan Africa?

X young men

Which group represents the majority of new HIV infections?

Young women