WHAT IS HIV

The HIV human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection,
making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases. It is spread by contact with certain
bodily fluids of a person with HIV, most commonly during sex with a condom or sex without a condom
HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). The human body can’t get rid
of HIV and no effective HIV cure exists. So, once you have HIV, you have it for life. In addition, there are
effective methods to prevent getting HIV through sex or drug use, including pre-exposure prophylaxis
(PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species
of Lentivirus (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune system
allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. The average survival time after
infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years. In most cases, HIV is a sexually transmitted infection
and occurs by contact with or transfer of blood, pre-ejaculate, semen, and vaginal fluids. Non-sexual
transmission can occur from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy, during childbirth by
exposure to her blood or vaginal fluid, and through breast milk. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present
as both free virus particles and virus within infected the vital immune cells in the human immune
system, such as helper T cells (specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophages, and dendritic cells.HIV infection
leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells through a number of mechanisms, including pyroptosis of abortively
infected T cells, apoptosis of uninfected bystander cells, direct viral killing of infected cells, and killing of
infected CD4+ T cells by CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognize infected cells. When CD4+ T cell
numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunity is lost, and the body becomes
progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections, leading to the development of AIDS.

WHAT DAMAGE THE INFECTION CAN CAUSE

The different damage the HIV infection can cause are called :

-Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP).

This fungal infection can cause severe illness. PCP is still the most common cause of pneumonia in
people infected with HIV.

-Candidiasis (thrush).

Candidiasis is a common HIV-related infection. It causes inflammation and a thick, white coating on your
mouth, tongue, esophagus or vagina.

-Tuberculosis (TB).

TB is a common opportunistic infection associated with HIV. Worldwide, TB is a leading cause of death
among people with AIDS.

-Cytomegalovirus.
This common herpes virus is transmitted in body fluids such as saliva, blood, urine, semen and breast
milk. A healthy immune system inactivates the virus, and it remains dormant in your body. If your
immune system weakens, the virus resurfaces, can cause damage to your eyes, digestive tract, lungs or
other organs.

-Cryptococcal meningitis.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes and fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord
(meninges). Cryptococcal meningitis is a common central nervous system infection associated with HIV,
caused by a fungus found in soil.

-Toxoplasmosis. This potentially deadly infection is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite spread
primarily by cats. Infected cats pass the parasites in their stools, which may then spread to other animals
and humans. Toxoplasmosis can cause heart disease, and seizures occur when it spreads to the brain.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HIV INFECTIONS

The symptoms of HIV and AIDS vary, depending on the phase of infection. Primary infection (Acute HIV).
Some people infected by HIV develop a flu-like illness within 2 to 4 weeks. Most people experience a
short flu-like illness 2 to 6 weeks after HIV infection after the virus enters the body which lasts for a
week or 2. After these symptoms disappear, HIV may not cause any symptoms for many years, although
the virus continues to damage your immune system. This means many people with HIV do not know
they're infected as they're at particularly high risk This illness, known as primary (acute) HIV
infection,has

Possible signs and symptoms include:

-Fever

-Headache

-Muscle aches and joint pain

-Rash

-Sore throat and painful mouth sores

-Swollen lymph glands, mainly on the neck

-Diarrhea

-Weight loss

-Cough

-Night sweats
- Persistent, unexplained fatigue

-Swollen lymph glands

-Oral yeast infection (thrush)

-Shingles (herpes zoster)

-Pneumonia

-Progression to AIDS

-Sweats

-Chills

-Persistent white spots or unusual lesions on your tongue or in your mouth

-Weakness

-Weight loss

These symptoms can be so mild that you might not even notice them. However, the amount of virus in
your bloodstream is quite high at this time. As a result, the infection spreads more easily during primary
infection than during the next stage.

Clinical latent infection (Chronic HIV)

In this stage of infection, HIV is still present in the body and in white blood cells. However, many people
may not have any symptoms or infections during this time. This stage can last for many years. Some
people develop more severe diseases much sooner.

HOW IS LIFE LIVING WITH HIV

If you're living with HIV, taking effective HIV treatment and being undetectable significantly reduces
your risk of passing HIV on to others.

You'll also be encouraged to:

-Take regular exercise

-Eat a healthy diet

-Stop smoking

-Stop having sex

There is no remedy for HIV and AIDS because it is an incurable disease, the immune system will become
severely damaged, and life-threatening illnesses such as cancer and severe infections can occur.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HIV INFECTIONS

HIV is caused by a virus. To become infected with HIV, infected blood, semen or vaginal secretions must
enter your body. This can happen in several ways.

It can be transmitted by coming into direct contact with :

- By having sex

-Drug use

-The the body fluids of an infected person

-This includes semen

- Vaginal and anal fluids

-The blood

-Transmission from mother to baby during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding

-Semen (cum) and pre-seminal fluid

-Kissing

-Touching

-Sharing anything with a HIV positive person

And will be dependent on many things, such as whether you receive or give oral sex and the oral of the
person giving the oral sex. And the most common way of getting HIV is through having anal or vaginal
sex. HIV can be transmitted through sweat, urine or saliva. It's a fragile virus and does not survive
outside the body for long. The HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative
person through a mucous membrane (found in the rectum, vagina, mouth, or tip of the penis); open cuts
or mouth sores; or by direct injection. The virus can also enter your body through small tears that
sometimes develop in the rectum or vagina during sexual activity. Drug paraphernalia puts you at high
risk of HIV and other infectious diseases, such as hepatitis. Or from blood transfusions. The risk is high in
their upper-middle-income countries and low-income countries.