Top Facts About HIV/AIDS

Despite having the resources to fight AIDS and ultimately come out of the same, a lot of deaths are still associated with it. Millions of people from all around the world contract the disease and tend to die at the last stage of the Virus. Based on the findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 1.1. Million Americans above the age of 13 were living with HIV during the end of 2014. Considering the extent of those figures, the need to know more about the Virus stands to be important even today. So to give you the right dose of facts, here are essential aspects that you need to know about HIV/AIDS.

1. Prevention is more critical than cure

When it comes to HIV, you need to know that prevention is greater than cure. As it is transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids, the best weapon at hand is prevention. For this very purpose, you need to ensure that you have safe sex and also avoid drug paraphernalia like needles. Apart from that, getting tested regularly will also help you be safe and aware of the current state of affairs.

2. Anyone can get the Virus

Virus

Yes, that’s right. One of the most significant facts about HIV is that anyone can get it. Although in the past, people were made to believe that only gay men can get affected by the Virus, it is now learned that anyone can get infected by HIV. While gay, bisexual and other men who indulge in sex with another man stands to be at a higher chance of getting infected, men and women who have heterosexual sex also come in the line of vulnerability.

3. Specific methods of contact

The transmission of HIV is a topic that has generated a lot of myths with people classifying that you can get infected with insect bites, hugging, shaking hands, sharing toilets and so on. So to set the record straight, you need to know that is transmitted through unprotected sex, use of contaminated surgical equipment, transmission between a mother and her baby during pregnancy, sharing contaminated injecting material and transfusions of contaminated blood or products. These are the many ways of transmission stated by WHO.

4. Affects the Immune System

HIV significantly affects the immune system of an individual, thus breaking down the ability to face infections and other such diseases. When it reaches advanced stages, the Virus begins to get worse, and complete control over the system will be lost. Fading energy levels and other such matters will come to light. Hence, remember these facts and proceed to live a life that is free of HIV and its many symptoms.

 

Living with HIV and AIDS

Being affected by HIV is considered to be one of the most unfortunate happenings in a person’s life. But what others forget is the fact that anyone at any point of time can encounter such a situation which would turn out to be an ordeal. Stigmatizing such a health condition is a heinous act that is unwarranted for. Like any other disease, AIDS, too, has its way of inflicting the human body; this one hits to bring about changes that could reduce life expectancy significantly. To be among the unaffected group of people and merely watching the predicaments of another person isn’t the same as going through such a phase of life. Several myths surround the disease of AIDS, and it affects the ones who are affected. The virus that attacks a human body destroys the CD4 immune cells, which are the major combating powers against all kinds of diseases.

Most people think of AIDS as a disease that spreads through sharing a glass, hugging, or using the same towel. However, that doesn’t happen, and it would spread from blood transfusion rarely. Sharing needles, getting tattoos using unsterilized equipment, and having unprotected sex are the major forms of the spread of the disease. Once affected by HIV, life starts getting all painful and miserable, but there is always a ray of hope that remains to hold onto. Living with AIDS is, therefore, a challenge that needs time to accept and fight. Let us have a look at how the patients live with this disease.

Living With AIDS

Antiretroviral Treatment

No HIV patient is alien; they too are humans and have all the right to live life their way. If you have been infected, panic comes naturally but should be fought in the initial stage. By getting rid of all such stresses, you are bracing yourself for the forthcoming agonies. None of the stages of AIDS is indeed easy to pass, but with fortitude and high morale from your family, nothing is unconquerable. Although antiretroviral treatment may not be a cure for HIV, it surely can help in keeping the virus in your body under control.

Antiretroviral treatment could have certain side effects in the first few months, which may fade away in the process. If it persists rather than pass, make sure to switch to a different drug if this form of treatment isn’t working out for you. Also, take the medicines regularly at the prescribed times, and make sure not to skip doses since it could affect your immune system badly.

Healthy Diets

All people affected by HIV should try and eat a balanced diet that has lesser quantities of salt, sugar, and processed fat. Frequent infections can be fought effectively by taking these foods that will help in absorbing the treatment easily. It is always best to talk to your healthcare professional about your diet when your body experiences the side effects of the medicine or other dietary problems. Consult the dietician also if you are underweight or overweight since these factors could directly influence your body when being affected by HIV.