HIV and AIDS Information

AIDS (which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a very frightening subject for many people. Part of the fear comes from not understanding or misunderstanding a lot of the information about this condition. That's not surprising because so much of the information is confusing. I'll try to cut through some of the confusion and provide facts in simple, straightforward language.

What is the difference between HIV & AIDS?

How does a person get infected?

Testing for HIV infection

Preventing an HIV infection

Treating HIV and AIDS

Caring For An Infected Person

What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the organism that leads to the condition we call AIDS. It does this by attacking and damaging the body's immune and nervous systems. The nervous system controls our movements (including the beating of our hearts and the pumping of our lungs) and the immune system fights off infections and diseases. Once someone become infected with HIV, the virus slowly destroys the immune system so the body cannot fight off even mild problems and the person is likely to get many different diseases. When the virus progresses to the point where the infected person is very sick, we call this AIDS.

There is no cure for HIV yet, but scientists hope to find one or to develop a vaccine that will protect people from HIV in the same way that measles vaccine prevents a person from getting measles. In the meantime, our only defense in prevention.

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How does a person get infected?

HIV is passed from person to person through body fluids. A person catches the virus in the following ways:

• By sexual contact with an infected person
  
• By sharing needles or syringes with someone who is infected
  
• From tattooing, skin piercing or acupuncture with unsterilized needles
  
• A mother can pass the infection to her baby during the pregnancy, at the time of birth or through breast feeding
  
• Health-care workers have become infected after being stuck with a needle containing HIV infected blood or after having an open cut come in contact with infected blood. Less commonly, HIV has been transmitted when infected blood comes in contact with mucus membranes of the eyes or nose.
  
  

Since November of 1985, all blood products in Canada have been tested for HIV, so infection from blood transfusions has become rare.

A person cannot get infected by:

• Casual contact with an infected person (such as shaking hands)
  
• Hugging or kissing
  
• Being coughed or sneezed on
  
• Donating blood
  
• Swimming in a pool
  
• Sitting on a toilet seat
  
• Sharing bed linens, eating utensils or food
  
• From insect or animal bites
  
  

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Testing for HIV infection

Once a person has been exposed to HIV, the body begins to produce antibodies to try to fight off the virus. A blood test will tell if someone has these antibodies. If so, it means that the person has come in contact with the virus and has been infected. However, it can take up to six months after the infection for the antibodies to show up in the blood, so a negative test result doesn't necessarily mean that a person is in the clear. Remember, the test only tells whether someone has been infected with the virus; it does not mean that the person has AIDS.

The HIV test should always include counselling to help people understand the results, how to protect their own health, and how to keep from spreading the infection.

People who are HIV-positive (that is, people who have been infected with the virus) may look and feel well for years. Even during this time though, they can pass the virus to others.

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Preventing an HIV infection

The best way to make sure you don't get the virus is to avoid those things that put you at risk of coming in contact with it. Here are some tips.

• Sex: The only sure way to prevent HIV infection from sex is not to have any. The next best thing is to have sex only with a long-time (several years) partner who is not infected and who is not having sex with anyone else.
  
  In all other circumstances, you can reduce your risk of getting HIV by using a latex condom. When one of the partners is allergic to latex, two condoms can be used – one latex and one made of natural membrane. If the male is allergic to latex, he should put the natural condom on next to his skin an the latex condom on top of it. When the female is allergic to latex, the man should put the latex condom on first and cover it with one made of natural membrane. Using a natural membrane condom alone may not protect you, because the tiny HIV virus can pass through the pores in the natural membrane.
  
  If you use a lubricant with a latex condom, make sure it is a water-based product, because oil-based lubricants (such as petroleum jelly) weaken the latex and may cause the condom to break.
  
  
• Needles: Obviously, injecting illegal drugs into your body is not a healthy thing to do, but sharing needles increases your risk of getting a disease. The best way to avoid becoming infected with any virus, including HIV, is just not to share needles or syringes. Many communities have needles exchange programs that trade new needles for old ones. If such a program is not available in your area, you can reduce your risk by rinsing your needles twice in water, then twice in bleach for at least 30 seconds, then twice in water again.
  
  
• Childbirth: A woman who is infected with HIV can lessen the chances of passing it to her baby by taking a drug called zidovidune (AZT) during pregnancy, labour and delivery and by giving AZT to her baby for the first six weeks after its birth.
  
  

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Treating HIV and AIDS

At the heart of HIV treatment is a method called HAART, which stands for highly active antiretroviral therapy. It is an intensive treatment that requires a lot of co-operation and active participation by the patient. To work successfully, the very potent, very active anti-HIV drugs must be taken according to very specific schedules and often must be co-ordinated with what food is eaten and when it is eaten. If the drugs aren't taken in exactly the right way, the virus may become resistant to the drugs and, in fact, to other drugs that might be tried in the future.

There are several different types of drugs used to treat HIV infection and they all work by interfering with the virus's ability to reproduce itself. This may slow the spread of HIV in the body and lengthen the time before other diseases appear, but it will not prevent the spread of HIV to other people. Because HIV can become resistant to the drugs, may doctors use a combination of several drugs to decrease the amount of the virus in the blood.

A new drug designed to enhance the immune system's ability to fight HIV infection, the Salk HIV vaccine, is currently being studied. It is a therapeutic vaccine, which means it helps the body fight the infection, but it does not prevent infection the way the measles vaccine does. Researchers are also studying several other treatment options that they hope will eventually lead to a cure.

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Caring For An Infected Person

If you are caring for someone with HIV or AIDS, it is important for you to take care of your own health for two very important reasons:

• Germs that may cause only minor sickness in you can have very serious consequences if transmitted to someone with a weakened immune system.
  
  
• Staying healthy will give you the strength to care for someone who is likely to get sicker as time goes by. Make sure you eat a healthy diet, exercise and get enough rest. If you live with the person you are caring for, try to take time for yourself. This will help reduce stress and burnout.
  
  

Here are some other tips that will help.

• Cook or peel all fruits and vegetables including organic ones because the germs on their skins can cause illness.
  
• A person with HIV should not eat uncooked meat or fish, raw eggs, unpasteurized milk or organic lettuce.
  
• Wearing rubber gloves, wet mop the floors with a mixture of 1 part bleach to 9 parts waters at least once a week and flush the dirty water down the toilet.
  
• Never share a razor or toothbrush with someone who has HIV.
  
• Wet garbage such as diapers, bandages and menstrual pads should be put into plastic bags to prevent leakage.
  
• When handling needles, hold the sharp end away from your body. Put used needles in a sturdy plastic container that has a lid (not glass because it may break), and give it to your health care professional for safe disposal. Some municipalities have programs for the proper disposal of needles; ask your local health department if such a program is available in your area.
  
• If you do stick yourself with a needle, don't panic. Put the needle in the needle container. Wash the place where you were stuck for at least 15 minutes using warm, soapy water. Then call your doctor or clinic, explain what happened and ask what to do next.
  
  

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