World AIDS Day - 1st December

World AIDS Day serves many purposes, among others is raising AWARENESS.

HIV/AIDS is a global issue! here are some statistic we need to know:

• 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS globally
• 2.7 million people are diagnosed with HIV infections every year (new cases!)
• 2 million people die every year around the world from HIV/AIDS

What is HIV?

Diagram shows a HIV virus

1. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The virus infects and gradually destroys immune system cells, reducing the body's protection against infection and cancers. A person infected with HIV is infected for life - there's no cure.
   
2. Over time, as the immune system weakens, a person with HIV may develop rare infections or cancers. When these are particularly serious, the person is said to have acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
   

Causes and risk factors

1. HIV can only be passed on if infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids or breast milk get inside another person's body.
   
2. The two main ways in which a person can become infected are:

• Vaginal or anal sexual intercourse (without a condom) with an infected person.
• Using a needle or syringe that's already been used by someone who's infected.
  
  * An infected pregnant woman can also pass the virus to her unborn baby, before or during the birth, or through breastfeeding. Improved treatment and care for women with HIV means far fewer children are now born with HIV.
  
  *Other potential routes of transmission include: read more at HIV/AIDS - BBC Health

Symptoms

• There are no immediate signs or symptoms after infection. Research has shown that after a few weeks some people experience flu-like symptoms, but these usually go undiagnosed. The only way to know if you have HIV is to be tested.
  
• The test looks for HIV antibodies in the blood. It takes three months for antibodies to develop, so if you test soon after possible infection the result may be inaccurate. A second test at 12 weeks after possible risk to the virus will give you a conclusive result.

Treatment and recovery

• There's no cure for HIV, but there are drugs called antiretrovirals that can help prevent someone infected with HIV from becoming ill.
  
• These drugs can significantly increase the life expectancy of someone with HIV, but the drugs must be taken every day for life, otherwise the treatment will stop being effective and the person affected may become ill.

Symptoms of AIDS

Click the appropriate links below to learn more about HIV & AIDS:

1) AIDS epidemic today - watch the video - click here

2) 100 stories on HIV & AIDS

3) Walk in AIDS patients' shoes - click here .

..Editor's note: On his current tour, R&B singer Maxwell is highlighting the impact of antiretroviral medication in fighting HIV-AIDS.

4) HIV vaccine brings new hope (a breakthrough)- watch the video - click here.

5) Get involved: Fight HIV & AIDS

6) Click on the related links at the right panel of this blog.