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HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks and breaks down the body's immune system - the "internal defense force" that fights off infections and disease. When the immune system becomes weak, we lose our protection against illness and can develop serious, often life-threatening, infections and cancers. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the name for the condition that people with HIV have if they develop one of the serious infections connected with HIV, or if blood tests show that their immune system has been very badly damaged by the virus. It usually takes many years before HIV breaks down a person's immune system and causes AIDS. Most people have few, if any, symptoms for several years after they are infected. But once HIV gets into the body, it can do serious damage to the immune system. People who appear perfectly healthy may have the virus, without knowing it, and pass it on to others. People who have HIV can give it to others when certain of their body fluids (blood, semen ["cum" or "pre-cum"], vaginal fluids, or breast milk [for infants only]) pass into another person's body. There are three main ways that our body fluids can get into another person's body:
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by having unprotected sex (sex without a condom), that involves anal, vaginal or oral penetration; |
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by sharing "works" (needles and syringes, cookers, cottons and water) when injecting drugs or other substances; or for tattoos and piercings; |
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from a mother to her child before birth, during birth, or while breast-feeding. (If you are pregnant and infected with HIV, there are medicines you can take to reduce your abby's risk of contracting HIV.) |
Kissing, mutual masturbation, and getting another person's semen/cum or vaginal fluids on your skin do not spread HIV.
The HIV virus cannot enter through the skin unless there is a fresh break in the skin. There is no scientific evidence that HIV is passed through saliva, tears, or sweat.
There is absolutely no danger from casual contact with people with HIV. HIV cannot live outside of the human body, so you cannot be infected from toilet seats, phones, or water fountains. The virus cannot be transmitted in the air through sneezing or coughing. You cannot get it from mosquitoes or other insect or animal bites. Living with an HIV-infected person does not put you at risk, unless you have unprotected sex or share needles with him or her.
Blood transfusions and medical procedures in the U.S. are safe. Giving blood is completely risk-free. And although there have been some cases of HIV through blood transfusions in the past, tests have been in place for several years to make sure that the blood you get in the hospital has no HIV.
Anyone can get HIV - young and old, men and women, straight, gay and bisexual, rich and poor, and all racial and ethnic groups - but not everyone faces the same risk. Your risk comes from what you do, and who you do it with - that is, how likely it is that the person you have sex or share needles with is infected. But even if you are part of a community with a high infection rate, you can avoid getting HIV. Staying uninfected takes thinking, planning and follow-through. Often it means talking about things that may make you uncomfortable. It can help to "practice" talking with people you can trust or who are going through the same thing.
In the age of HIV/AIDS, most kinds of sex involve some level of risk. Instead of labeling every form of sexual expression as "safe" and "unsafe," it's more realistic to think of sex as a range of risks, from less risky to more risky. Sex is also something you have with another person, so you might want to think about how you make decisions with a partner. Think about what you find pleasurable about sex, where, and with whom. Consider what risks are involved, and whether those will worry you later. Then try to think about how you might lower the risks while holding on to the pleasure. Some people have decided not to have sex with people they don't know well, or made certain kinds of sex off limits. Some have reduced the number of their sexual partners. Only you can decide what risks are worth taking and what risks are not.
Sharing any injection equipment, especially needles, is one of the most efficient ways HIV can be transmitted from one person to another. If you do not get a brand-new, sealed set from a needle exchange or pharmacy, clean it before you use it. Clean all injection equipment with bleach (see steps below under FAQ). This process is less effective, but will help to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV. Sterilize needles, cookers, and other injection equipment between EACH use. Boiling for 20 minutes will sterilize equipment and kill HIV and other disease-producing pathogens.
("rubbers") prevent HIV infection. Using a condom may not always be easy, but it can save your life or someone else's. When used right, condoms seldom break, tear, or slip. You can also use a dry condom, or a flavored one, for oral sex, or cut a condom to the center and open it up to use for oral-anal or oral-vaginal sex. Never re-use a condom.
stop HIV when used for oral sex on a woman or for oral-anal sex. Dental dams are latex squares available in medical supply stores and from some adult shops. Some people find it easier to use a large sheet of plastic wrap. Be sure the dam or plastic wrap covers the entire vulva (clitoris and vaginal opening) and that you hold it at both edges. Be careful not to turn the dam or plastic wrap inside-out while you use it.
is a plastic sheath that women can insert in their vaginas and use for protection against HIV. The female condom can be inserted up to 8 hours before sex, has rings at both ends to hold it in place, and can be lubricated with oil-based lubricants that stay wet longer. This kind of condom takes practice to use, and is more expensive than a latex condom. Some men have also used the female condom for anal sex, though it has not been tested or approved for this use.
There are five basic steps to the life cycle of HIV. These are the steps scientists use to develop drugs -- fighting HIV every step of the way, as it were.
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HIV attaches itself to the body's CD4 cells (also called T-cells). The virus does this by using receptors on the surface of the cell. Next, HIV fuses (or melts) into the surface of the cell. When all the separate steps of fusion take place, like arms reaching out and completing a handshake, HIV is pulled inside the cell. (By the way, the virus also infects other cells of the body, such as the lymph nodes or the brain. Sometimes it just sits there instead of going through the steps below. But the CD4s, which are immune system cells, are its favorite target.) There are several key receptors that affect cell attachment and fusion. Science knows of two types of receptors, the CD4 receptor and the chemokine co-receptor.
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Once inside the cell, HIV uses its transcriptase enzyme to change itself in preparation for becoming part of the body's genetic code. When that happens, the body will be forced to produce HIV like it does anything else -- tears, new liver cells, etc. Because HIV works backwards compared to most viruses (making it a "retrovirus"), this is called a "reverse transcriptase" enzyme. (Enzymes are proteins that cause substances to change.) The RT enzyme changes HIV's genetic material from RNA to DNA. (To put it simply, RNA and DNA are part of our genetic structure, which form the blueprints for all of the body's functions. HIV has its own genetics.)
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The HIV DNA then enters the nucleus, the command center of the cell. Once inside the nucleus, HIV uses another enzyme, integrase, to re-program the cell, integrating the virus with the cell's DNA.
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Every time the T-cells become activated due to an immune response -- for example, you catch a flu virus and T-cells come to fight the flu out of your system -- spare parts of the HIV DNA separate and form what is called a messenger RNA. The messenger RNA leaves the center of the cell and forms a long chain of instructions to make new HIV particles, like a parent would leave a list of instructions for a babysitter. Then an enzyme called protease comes to play. This is why we have protease inhibitors, which inhibit this part of the HIV life cycle. The protease enzyme cuts the long list of instructions into separate parts that assemble and come together to form a new HIV particle.
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The new HIV particle moves out of the cell through a process called budding, because its action is like a blooming flower. The HIV particle pushes through the cell wall, taking parts of the cell's covering to form the new coat of HIV. The HIV particles are constantly maturing and growing, or blooming, from the time it becomes the messenger piece of information to the time it buds from the cell.
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Houston ranks 8th nationally in the number of total reported AIDS cases African American and Hispanic women together represent less than 25% of all U.S. women, yet they account for more than 78% of AIDS cases reported to date among women. Today, 40 million people worldwide are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS An estimated 10 people worldwide contract HIV every minute. AIDS is the leading cause of death among African-American women ages 25 to 34 and African-American men ages 35 to 44 CDC estimates that over a million Americans are currently living with HIV. CDC estimates 25% of Americans living with HIV/AIDS are unaware of their HIV infection status. 40,000 Americans are newly infected with HIV each year. 6 out of every 10 diagnosed HIV infections in the Houston/Harris County are African American. An estimated 1 in 90 Houstonians is living with HIV/AIDS.
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Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). As HIV slowly ravages the body's immune system, HIV disease progresses. AIDS is the final stage of HIV disease.
AIDS is a technical word-defined by the federal government and is diagnosed by having a T-cell (the most basic element of the immune system) count of less then 200 and/or the presence of certain opportunistic infections.
HIV is the virus, AIDS is the disease, and "HIV disease" is the most appropriate way to describe the continuum of HIV and AIDS.
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There is not a cure for HIV disease. A variety of drugs are used to slow down the damage that HIV does to the immune system. When they are effective, these drugs reduce the amount of HIV in a person's body. However, the drugs do not totally rid the body of the virus. There is not a cure.
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HIV anti-viral drugs slow down the replication of the virus and the destruction of the immune system. Their long-term effectiveness is unknown, and they require a complicated pill-taking regimen, which often produces significant and occasionally life-threatening side effects. The drugs are also costly, about as much as buying a new car every year.
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HIV transmission can occur when blood, semen (cum), pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum), vaginal fluid, or breast milk from an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person. The virus must be present; meaning an individual must be infected with HIV in order to infect others.
HIV can enter the body through a vein (e.g., injection drug use), the lining of the anus or rectum, the lining of the vagina and/or cervix, the opening to the penis, the mouth, other mucous membranes (e.g., eyes or inside of the nose), or cuts and sores. Intact, healthy skin is an excellent barrier against HIV and other viruses and bacteria.
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Mosquitoes or other sucking and biting insects do not transmit HIV. For a mosquito to infect someone, it would have to bite a person who was infected. Then, it would have to either immediately travel to someone else and infect that person from tiny drops of infected blood left on the sucker, or it would have to process the virus in its saliva and inject it into the next person. Mosquitoes do not do either of these things.
They do not travel from person to person. They do not carry enough blood on their suckers to infect anyone else they bite. And, they do not process the virus in their saliva. Once inside a mosquito, the virus lives for only a short time. Thus, the saliva mosquitoes inject into people cannot have HIV. If HIV were spread via animals and insects, there would be a high infection rate in people of all ages.
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HIV is a fragile and hard virus to get. It cannot live for very long outside the body. You do not get HIV from: shaking hands, sneezing or coughing, touching, hugging, dry kissing, public restrooms, saunas or showers, pools, sharing towels, sharing eating utensils or drinks, or being friends with a person who has HIV. Many scientific studies have been done to look at all the possible ways that HIV is transmitted. These studies have not shown HIV to be transmitted through air, water, animals, insects, or casual contact.
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Yes. Since 1985, all blood has been tested for HIV, hepatitis and other infectious agents. If you had a blood transfusion prior to 1985, you may want to consider being tested for HIV.
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Until February of 1999, no one knew for sure where the HIV virus came from. There were several theories but nothing proven. In February, an international team of scientists reported that they had traced the roots of HIV-1 to a subspecies of chimpanzees in Africa. The researchers stated that chimpanzees are hunted and sold in the "bushmeat" trade, which during the slaughtering process may have placed people at risk for cross-species transmission through open cuts or sores. No one really knows exactly where the virus comes from.
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There are two identified strains of HIV. HIV-1 and HIV 2. Compared with persons infected with HIV-1, those with HIV-2 are less infectious early in the course of infection. As the disease advances, HIV-2 infectiousness seems to increase. HIV-2 is found mostly in West Africa. HIV testing in the United States usually only screens for HIV-1. Blood banks and plasma centers screen for both. Because epidemiologic data indicate that the prevalence of HIV-2 in the United States is very low, CDC does not recommend routine HIV-2 testing at U.S.
HIV is a virus and is able to mutate (change form), resulting in HIV that cannot be controlled with certain medications. Unfortunately, many people who have never been on treatment have HIV that's resistant to one or many HIV drugs. If you're HIV-negative and engage in risk behaviors with someone whose virus is resistant to one or more HIV medications, you could be infected with your partner's drug-resistant HIV. It's also possible for someone with HIV to be infected again, possibly with a form of HIV that's resistant to many drugs. If you're infected with drug-resistant HIV you have fewer treatment options even before you start therapy. This could affect the likelihood of treatment being successful.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that correct and consistent use of a latex barrier for protection during sex greatly reduces the risk of transmitting HIV. Knowing how to use a latex barrier correctly is important. Failure is largely due to incorrect or inconsistent use. Make sure that the barrier is latex or polyurethane; natural or lambskin have pores that HIV is able to pass through.
Never use oil-based lubricants like Vaseline®, lotion, massage oil, salad oil or chocolate, which can cause tears and leaks in the latex, ultimately causing it to break. Instead, use a water-based lubricant such as K-Y Jelly®. Also, observe the expiration date on the package and tear it open carefully. Never use a product that has been previously used or exposed to heat or sun.
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Yes, there are documented cases of HIV infection from oral sex with both men and women. Body fluids exchanged through sexual activity can enter cuts in the mouth and get into the bloodstream. Also, certain cells in the mucus lining of the mouth may carry HIV into the lymph nodes or bloodstream. Reduce the risk of HIV during oral sex by using a latex or polyurethane barrier such as a condom or dental dam.
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Research has shown that HIV transmission is 2-5 times more likely to occur when another sexually transmitted infection (STI) is present.
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Abstaining from sexual activity or certain sexual behaviors can certainly eliminate risk. So can eliminating alcohol or other drug use that may impair judgment when in sexual situations. However, abstinence also has its own "failure rates." It is equally important for people to know how to reduce risk as it is for them to know how to eliminate it.
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When needles and syringes are used for injecting drug use, blood gets into the injection equipment. If the initial user is infected with HIV and shares the equipment with someone else, the infected blood in the injection equipment will be injected directly into the body of the next person. In addition to HIV, other germs can be transmitted through injecting drug use. Transmission of Hepatitis C, a Hepatitis strain for which there is no vaccine, reliable treatment or care, is another example of a disease that can be passed when needles and syringes are shared for injecting drug use.
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Groups such as the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association, and the American Pharmaceutical Association all recommend providing access to clean syringes to reduce disease risk among those who are unable to abstain from injecting drugs.
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Clean syringes can be purchased in quantities of ten or fewer from pharmacies throughout the nation. It is legal to possess up to ten clean syringes. If clean syringes are not available, here are important steps to ensure they are disinfected.
a. Fill Syringe to the top with clean water
b. Shake and tap syringe
c. Empty out syringe.
d. Dump used water...do no reuse
a. Fill syringe with bleach.
b. Shake and tap syringe, and count to 30.
c. Empty out syringe
d. DO THIS STEP 3 TIMES
e. Dump used bleach...do not reuse
a. Fill syringe to the top with clean water. Make sure this is NOT the same water used above in step #1
b. Shake and tap syringe
c. Empty out syringe
d. DO THIS STEP 3 TIMES
e. Dump used water...do not reuse
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In the U.S., there has only been one documented case of HIV transmission from a health care provider to a patient. This case was reported in 1989 and involved a Florida dentist and the controversy about its reliability continues.
Health care workers are mandated by federal law to follow certain infection control guidelines to prevent infections from being passed from health care worker to patient and from patient to health care worker.
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HIV is like many other social and public health issues involving behavior, such as seatbelt use and speeding; people need to be continually reminded. Also, HIV prevention education reaches young people, many for the first time, with comprehensive sexual health information.
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If you think you may have been exposed to the HIV virus through unprotected sex or the sharing of unclean needles, go to your doctor or an HIV testing site and ask for an HIV test. The most commonly used test to find out if a person is infected with HIV looks for the antibodies to the virus. Antibodies are produced by the immune system to fight the virus. The antibodies can take three to six months to show up in a person's blood. The time immediately after infection is known as the window period. During this time, an HIV test may come back negative because your body hasn't started to produce antibodies against HIV. You can transmit the virus during this window period.
It is important to consistently reduce your risk, however, it is especially important to refrain from any unprotected sex and/or the sharing of unclean needles during the window period in order to get the most accurate test result.
Know your status.
Get Tested.
It's a fact: If you've hooked up,
You're at risk for HIV.
Get Tested.
No one has to know but you.
To find a testing location near you:
Call 211 or 713.957.4357
or visit http://www.hivtest.org/
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Contact Jennifer Provencher, LMSW, MPH
Community Outreach and Education Coordinator
AIDS Foundation Houston, Inc.
3202 Weslayan
Houston, Texas 77027
713.623.6796, ext. 302
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