Wednesday, January 4, 2012

HIV/AIDS Skyrockets in Americaa

HIV/AIDS Skyrockets in America

HIV/AIDS may no longer crown headlines, but its death toll rises daily. This silent predator is a notorious serial killer and must be kept in the consciousness.

Last year, another 46,000 people contracted HIV/AIDS in the United States of America. A staggering number compared to the Caribbean’s 17,000 for the same period.

A White House report stated that an estimated 900,000 Americans (children and adults) were living with the disease, of which 300,000 were unaware of their infection. By the end of 2007, more than half a million people had died from HIV/AIDS. It is the sixth leading cause of death in America.

Latest figures from the Caribbean Epidemiology Center (CAREC) revealed that more than 330,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. After sub-Saharan Africa, it has the second highest incidence of HIV occurrence. Last year, more than 11,000 people had died from AIDS. Between 2005 and 2007 new cases dropped by an estimated 8,000. The declines, which resulted from implementation of prevention programs and medication, were in Barbados, Bahamas and Bermuda.

Visual Aids for Public Speaking

How to Use Visuals in Your Informative and Persuasive Speeches

Jul 27, 2007 Naomi Rockler-Gladen

A pie chart, which might be a good visual aid. - Sandpiper, Wiki Commons, Pub. domain

In public speaking, speakers should use visual aids that illustrate their points effectively. Here are some tips to follow.

In our image-rich world, people have become visual learners, so it's important to use effective visual aids in a speech or presentation. Whether you're giving a speech in your public speaking class (and therefore are worried about a grade) or for another occasion, you need to make sure you choose visual aids that truly enhance your presentation. Here are some tips to keep in mind when selecting a visual aid of any kind, including PowerPoint.

Visual aids should be easy to see. This may seem obvious, but it's so obvious that many speakers don't consider this when selecting a visual aid. Think about it from the perspective of the audience. Have you used colors and text in a way that will be easy to read? Is the visual aid large enough? Will everyone in the room be able to see the visual aid?
Visual aids should be easy to understand. People should be able to look quickly at your visual aid and get the point. They can't pay close attention to you and close attention to the visual aid, so make things easy for them. Each visual aid should only make one point. If you're using a graph or table of some sort, keep it as simple as you can. And if you're using a visual aid with text, use as little text as possible or you will distract the audience.
Visual aids should look professional. A sloppy visual aid will kill your credibility. Remember, professional doesn't necessarily mean fancy, but it does mean neat and organized. Don't use "cutesy" visual aids, even for a class presentation. And always make sure everything is spelled correctly!
Visual aids should demonstrate something. A good visual aid doesn't just list information: it makes a point. Let's say you're giving a speech about the environmental damage done by cruise ships. You could list the different types of damage caused by cruise ships on a slide. But that doesn't demonstrate anything. A better visual aid would be a photograph of a shoreline that has been damaged because of pollution by cruise ships. Or you could show a graph that shows the increase of a chemical in the water over a period of time when cruise travel has increased in that area.
Visual aids should be explained clearly. Make sure the audience understands what your visual aid is supposed to illustrate. Don't assume they'll figure it out. In your speech about cruise ship pollution, don't show the audience a bunch of dirty water and assume they'll know what it is. Instead, explain that this is a photograph of the ocean taken twenty minutes after a cruise ship came by.
Visual aids should not be distracting. Your visual aid should blend into your speech. As a rule of thumb, you should not pass a visual aid around the room for people to look at while you speak. They'll be looking at the visual aid instead of listening to you, and the audience will be distracted by having to pass something to other people.
Choose visual aids that have relevance to your audience. If you're giving a speech about hate crimes on campus, don't show them a photo of the aftermath of a hate crime on another campus. Use a photo from your campus-- or at least from a campus in your area.
Visual aids should be appropriate. Use common sense. If you're giving a speech about the importance of wearing a condom, there are ways to illustrate this that won't gross anybody out, and there are ways to illustrate this that will. Err on the side of being conservative here, especially if you don't know everyone in your audience.

HIV/AIDS and First Nations People

According to a report from UNAIDS, First Nations People in Canada are more than three times to be infected with HIV/AIDS than non-Aboriginals. Many attribute this to the socioeconomic factors that First Nations People who live on reserves are faced with.

Health Canada says that most new infections in the Aboriginal population come from intravenous drug use, and that the disease afflicts mostly Aboriginal women, and most newly infected Aboriginals are under the age of 30

Health Canada has set up an initiative called the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS, which provides funding to Aboriginal communities and AIDS organizations. Despite this funding, HIV/AIDS is still on the rise amongst the Canadian Aboriginal community.

What is HIV/AIDS?

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV/AIDS weakens the immune system, and has no cure. Those who are infected with HIV will eventually contract AIDS and die, not from HIV/AIDS itself, but from a disease acquired because of a lowered immune system.

HIV is transmitted through sexual intercourse, intravenous drug use, and the sharing of bodily fluids. When the disease first became known in the 1980’s, many believed that HIV/AIDS could be transmitted through simple touch or by sharing utensils or products with someone infected. This is nothing but unsubstantiated rumour, and has led to the subjugation of many infected with the disease.

HIV/AIDS “cocktails” are a mixture of drugs taken by those infected with the disease. Though not readily available in developing countries, AIDS cocktails are available to infected Canadians.

At the end of 2005, UNAIDS estimated that 25,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS in Canada, and the primary source of infection was sexual intercourse. Others at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS in Canada are intravenous drug users, and the First Nations community.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

HIV/AIDS is on the rise in Canada

HIV/AIDS is on the rise in Canada, particularly in the Aboriginal community. What is HIV/AIDS and what is it doing to Natives on Reserves?

HIV/AIDS, a disease ushered into the North American mainstream during the 1980’s through the homosexual population, is now seen by many as a rampant epidemic that afflicts those in developing countries.

In Canada, HIV/AIDS is on the rise amongst young women, drug users, homosexual men and the Aboriginal community. An often invisible disease, HIV/AIDS is often overlooked in the Canadian health care system as one that afflicts intravenous drug users, sex workers, and the gay community. Right now, HIV/AIDS is not considered an immediate health problem to the Canadian population. Despite the rise in infection cases across demographics, one in four Canadians infected with HIV/AIDS is unaware of their status

A year later, in 1982, AIDS began to be seen

A year later, in 1982, AIDS began to be seen in haemophiliacs and Haitians and the disease was renamed the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

At this time, little was know about the transmission of AIDS, but with the emergence of the disease in hemophiliacs, it became apparent that AIDS could be transmitted through blood products. With the appearance of AIDS in 1983 in women, it now became apparent that AIDS could be transmitted through both homosexual and heterosexual intercourse.

In the same year, scientists at the Institute Pasteur in Paris isolated a virus that they believed caused AIDS. However, little was made of this discovery in the scientific community.

Read on

In 1984, a year later, it was announced that Dr. Robert Gallo of the National Cancer Institute had isolated the virus causing AIDS. However, in 1985 it was confirmed that the virus isolated by Dr. Gallo was the same one previously isolated by the Institute Pasteur. Later that year, the U.S Food and Drug Administration approved the first AIDS test.

Because of the initial association of AIDS with the gay community, AIDS sufferers had to deal with and continue to deal with stigma and discrimination in addition to the health aspects of the disease.

Even today with the progress in information and resources, AIDS sufferers in many parts of the world still bear the social burden of being HIV positive, therefore hampering their ability to manage the disease and lead productive lives. (please see for an article on human rights and AIDS ).

The first sign of HIV/AIDS

The first sign of HIV/AIDS in 1981 would tell little of the widespread future devastation. Rather it appeared as an anomaly in what was largely a marginalized population. HIV/AIDS was first seen as Kaposi's Sarcoma in young gay men in New York, an oddity, as traditionally Kaposi's Sarcoma had mainly been diagnosed in elderly men of Italian or Jewish descent.

At about the same time, the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta noticed that gay men in California and New York were showing an alarming rise in a rare form of pneumonia known as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

This initial link to the gay community would have lasting negative repercussions for the way the world would view HIV/AIDS and led to the terms "Gay Compromise Syndrome" and "Gay-Related Immune Deficiency." In linking the gay community to HIV/AIDS, the medical community chose to ignore that both Kaposi's Sarcoma and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia were being seen increasingly in intravenous drug users, both heterosexual and homosexual.

HIV Education

HIV education has become essential as every year the number of newly infected people has been increasing and still the process is going. It is estimated that 33 million of people are living with AIDS and the numbers are increasing per year. HIV and AIDS education will provide the guideline to people as to how to avoid the infection of HIV as well as sexually transmitted diseases. It will provide the basic information regarding HIV and AIDS as to what is HIV, symptoms of HIV, how does the HIV spread out so and so forth. HIV education not only furnishes the information regarding HIV and AIDS but makes people aware about the issues. For example it reduces the stigma and discrimination about those who are infected with the HIV. There is still great deal of fear and misunderstandings regarding the HIV around the world. It has created the negative impact on the people who are living with HIV and is discouraging these people from having treatment and testing.

HIV education can be effective and useful if it is given to the targeted groups, groups especially those who are at the risk of the infection. However, it depends on the nature of the epidemic

in that particular area. The other problem regarding these groups that they always change. For example, In America, in early years MSM (men who have sex with men) were at risk after that in later years drugs users were at the risk. If we talk about today's condition then heterosexual African Americans and the Hispanic/Latino population are also recognized as groups that are especially susceptible to HIV infection in America. AIDS has affected many parts of the society so it is essential to provide the information regarding AIDS to the every element of the society. Because if the HIV education confines to only the targeted groups then some other groups can get neglected and they will lead to develop the HIV infection for example old people. It does not mean that people, who are already infected with HIV, do not need the HIV education. They should also be provided the education regarding HIV and AIDS. It will create awareness among these people and transmission of HIV can be prevented. Moreover, it will provide them information regarding medications and support that is available for them. It leads them to live a safe life.

HIV education should contain the accurate and enough information that will clear the doubts of the people regarding the HIV and AIDS.

HIV education can take place in various places like classrooms to schools, friends to families etc. It would help to share the information among the people. The accurate and sufficient information should be delivered at such places. The information pertaining to AIDS should be collected from the various sources such as reports by different institutions or organizations. There are many organizations that are working for this motive at international level such as The World Health Organization.

HIV education in schools

School is the place that is the most common place where the education of HIV/AIDS can be delivered. It is because of their universality and capacity. It is an important setting where young people can be educated for HIV education. Young people are at the high risk of getting infected with HIV so they should be provided the information regarding AIDS. The social and biological aspects should be explained to the young people at school. Before they are going to be sexually active, the AIDS education should be given to them. The teachers should get the training for handling such issues or for providing the information regarding the HIV and AIDS. So the pupils can pass that information to their families as well as to their friends.

HIV education is essential for the every strata of the society. It would assist to prevent the transmission of HIV.

Early Symptoms of HIV

Early Symptoms of HIV

These symptoms resemblance to flu like illness. It may possible that they do not appear in some cases at all. These symptoms develop in months or years. When these symptoms develop the symptoms like extreme fatigue, short term memory loss, weight loss etc. can be seen in infected person.

The early symptoms include

Fever
Tiredness
Headache
Enlarged lymph nodes

Some common symptoms of HIV

Excessive fatigue and Weight loss
Mental symptoms like confusion
Frequent fevers and Night sweats
Genital sores and Rash of flaky skin
Blurred vision

How HIV becomes AIDS

There are four stages of HIV infection. These stages take several years to be developed. The process can be classified into four stages that are primary, asymptomatic, symptomatic, and AIDS. It is necessary to know about that in what stage a person is as it would be helpful for a physician to decide the treatment plan for the disease.

Stages of HIV infection

Primary stage

It is the first stage of HIV infection. When a person gets infected with HIV infection the stage starts soon after that. The stage continues for few weeks and an infected person can experience the symptoms like flu like illness. Generally many people do not undergo with treatment because the symptoms resemblance to sickness or fever. If a person goes through treatment, it is often misdiagnosed with a viral infection. The HIV test results appear to be negative in this period. So it is advisable for those who think that they may be having HIV infection should repeated the test program after six months.

Asymptomatic HIV

In this stage a person becomes symptoms free. HIV finds in low extent in the blood but it can be detectable. Moreover, the HIV test results appear to be positive in this period if it is performed. Though the symptoms are not visible, but HIV continuously reproduced in the blood. The period can be shorter or longer.

Symptomatic HIV

In this stage the immune system is damaged by HIV. As a result of this the symptoms begin to appear. At the beginning symptoms are mild but later on they become severe. Opportunistic infection attack on immune system in this period as immune system is no longer resisting them.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

This one is last stage and a person gets diagnosed with AIDS. Opportunistic infections can be seen clearly in this stage. A person cannot get back to the primary stage after getting developed AIDS.

There is a certain correlation between HIV infection and AIDS. The given stuff would help you to understand this correlation.

HIV Recourses

HIV stands for human Immunodeficiency Virus that leads to develop AIDS. HIV assaults on CD4 cells. CD4 cells resist an infection of any disease and protect the body from the viruses. The immune system of human body is composed of these cells. These cells are known as soldier cells as they protect the body from the diseases. HIV resources are given here. Let us see the HIV recourses given below

Symptoms of HIV

There are some early symptoms of HIV such as flu like illness, tiredness, headache and enlarged lymph nodes. However, in some cases these symptoms may not be visible. These symptoms take months or years to be appeared in the human body. As these symptoms develop, the human immune system gets collapsed. Moreover the early symptoms generally disappear within a week or a month. This period is very infectious and HIV virus is present in large extent in genital fluids.

The early symptoms of HIV includes :

Frequent fevers and sweats
Pelvic inflammatory disease in women that does not react to treatment
Short-term memory loss
Constant skin rashes or flaky skin
Lack of energy
Weight loss
Constant Oral or vaginal infection

Symptoms that appear after ten years

Blurred vision
Excessive fatigue and Weight loss
Mental symptoms like confusion
Frequent fevers and Night sweats
Genital sores and Rash of flaky skin

Treatment for HIV and Aids

HIV antiretroviral drug treatment

This is the key type of treatment for HIV or AIDS. It does not cure the disease but it keeps people away from becoming sick for many years. The treatment is made up of drugs that have to be taken every day for rest of a person's life. The intention behind adoption of the treatment is to resist the virus as well as stop the damage of the immune system.

The drugs are referred to as

HIV antiviral drugs
ARVs
Antiretroviral
Anti-HIV or anti-AIDS drugs

The combination therapy

Combination therapy means taking two or more antiretroviral drugs at a time. Having a combination of three or more antiretroviral drugs at a time is sometime is called as HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy).

The groups of antiretroviral drugs

Antiviral drugs have five groups and each of these groups assaults HIV in a diverse way.

Support for HIV

People who are living with or are infected with HIV need emotion support. It helps them to fight with the disease on emotional terms. They have the lot of problems such as fear of HIV progress, fear of being isolated by family friends, and society. In such case they need string support of their family, friends and society so that they can muster the courage to fight with the deadly disease. The feeling of being isolated by the elements like friends, family and society, creates and emotional trap for infected people. Depression can be found as they have to carry out the burden of these elements. An infected person is not only the person who has to go through such emotional trauma but the relatives of the infected person; friends have also been the part of the trauma. However, support for HIV can be emotion support, HIV infected person can be prevented from at least emotional stress.

How to provide support to HIV infected people?

Always be with them

After getting diagnosed with HIV, one can lead to develop raft of emotions containing depression, anxiety, anger, shock, and fear of death. However an infected person may control such emotions if he/she finds that their family he/she is with them. It means the emotional support should be provided to a person. The family member should not create any issue regarding the disease. Every time a person should feel that every element is with him/her. It gives inner strength to the person to fight with the disease. Optimism can be created in their minds. He/she can start a new life with new hopes. If they do not get proper support the feeling of being guilty would be developed in them that can be dangerous for them as well as for the family. They may addict and may spread infection unknowingly to others. Communicate with them; try to understand their problems, and the most important thing is do not neglect them.

Counseling

Counseling can be the best option for infected people with HIV. World Health organization has recommended the post counseling for clarifying the doubts of an infected person. It enables the patients to take the next step. It would not be better to discuss the clinical procedure just after their diagnosis with the disease. It should be normally pushed to later time. First let them be prepared for the results, let them accept the truth. Moreover prepare them for accepting the truth or help them for that. Once it is done then the further process would be easier for the counselor as well as for the patient. It is essential to deliver them the basic information of the disease and how they should cope up with the disease further. It may make them stronger for the further step in life. Clear their each and every doubt regarding the disease. Talk about the consequences in positive manner.

Support for HIV infected persons would give them the inner strength to fight with the disease.

Is there any treatment for AIDS?

Which are the HIV tests

that can be carried out for the detection of HIV?

There are some standard blood tests like ELISA, Western blot test, and EIA. Besides these tests that are other tests like Rapid tests like OraQuick , Orasure, Clearview Complete HIV 1/2 and Clearview HIV 1/2 Stat-Pak etc.

Is there any treatment for AIDS?

No there is no treatment for AIDS. Once you get infected with the HIV it develops and convert into AIDS. You can just perform the tests for knowing about the status of an HIV. However there are some treatments and medicines available that resists the HIV and try to keep you healthy. They decrease the growth of HIV or delay but eventually when you give up the treatment you are succumbed to HIV/AIDS.

Does hugging causes for HIV infection?

No hugging does not cause for HIV infection. Moreover shaking hands, sneezes, donating blood, eating food prepared by an infected person, sweat, tears, everyday contact with a person who is infected with HIV do not cause for HIV infection.

This aricle on HIV questions would solve your doubts regarding the HIV. The answers of these questions would be beneficial for as you get additional information regarding the disease.

Monday, January 2, 2012

readers' mind regarding HIV and AIDS

There are several questions in readers' mind regarding HIV and AIDS. Many people do not know that these both terms are complimentary to each other. AIDS is an advanced stage of HIV. when the symptoms of HIV develop they lead HIV infection to AIDS. Most of the people do not have fundamental information regarding HIV and AIDS. Moreover, the given HIV questions with answers would help the readers to know about the HIV.

Let us have a look on HIV questions with their answers

What is HIV? How does AIDS develop?

HIV (Human Deficiency Virus) causes to develop AIDS. AIDS stands for Human Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is an advanced stage of HIV infection. When the symptoms of HIV grow or develop they turn the infection into the disease that is called as AIDS. HIV attacks on CD4 cells that are known as soldier cells. The immune system is composed of CD4 cells. HIV exists in CD4 cells and reproduces itself. It gradually weakens the immune system. Once it overcomes with immune system a person becomes the victim of AIDS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have defined the name to the disease as AIDS. When a person has developed a certain opportunistic infections and the CD4 cells count in blood has become less than 200, then a person can be diagnosed with AIDS.

What are the symptoms of HIV?

The early symptoms include:

Headache
Enlarged lymph nodes
Fever
Tiredness
Headache
Tiredness

Some common symptoms of HIV

Genital sores and Rash of flaky skin
Blurred vision
Excessive fatigue and Weight loss
Mental symptoms like confusion
Frequent fevers and Night sweats

How does HIV spread out?

HIV can be spread out by

Unprotected sex with infected person
Using the syringes or needles that are used by infected person
Breastfeeding
Transmission of contaminated blood

HIV Prevalence

HIV prevalence in South Africa

The statistics that are given here have been taken from two prevalence studies. The first section estimates that how many people are living with HIV in South Africa. The second one focuses on the AIDS deaths. When you view these two sections together, they will give you an idea about the scale of HIV epidemic of South Africa.

The first section has been taken from the reports that are published by Department of Health National HIV and Syphilis National HIV and Syphilis Sero-prevalence Survey in South Africa 2007. The second section has been taken from the reports of the South African National HIV Prevalence, HIV Incidence, Behavior and Communication Survey, 2008. A Sample of people was selected to represent the general population. The survey depicts the clear picture of the HIV epidemic in South Africa. The given report evaluates HIV prevalence in different groups of people who are derived from this the population sample.

The South African Department of Health Study evaluates that there were twenty-eight percent of pregnant women living with HIV in 2007. The estimation is based on the sample of 33, 488 women who attended 1,415 antenatal clinics across all nine provinces. KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Free State were recorded as the highest rate of HIV. The lowest prevalence rate was recorded in The Northern Cape and Western Cape.

South Africa had one of the countries where HIV epidemic had expanded in large extent till the year 1998. However, now it seems to be stabilized and even may be reducing slightly. The rate among teenage girls fell from 16.1% in 2004 to 12.9% in 2007. The Health Department states the reason behind the declining rate among teenage is that the young women following safer sex practices.

The information regarding HIV has given below

The information regarding HIV has given below

Many experiments have been carried out regarding why the immune system is not able to destroy this virus. An HIV hide in immune system and it has the ability to be there for a long period of time. Another thing is that it replicates itself and gradually destroys the immune system. It damages T-cells or CD4 cells. As a result of this a person succumbs to AIDS.

The early symptoms of HIV There are some primary or early symptoms that can be found in a person after getting infected with HIV. They may take month or year to be appeared. Sometimes it might be possible that they may not emerge at all. The early symptoms are:

Fever
Tiredness
Headache
Enlarged lymph nodes
short term memory loss
weight loss
Fever
Tiredness

Common symptoms of HIV

These symptoms may take eight to ten years to be developed

Genital sores and Rash of flaky skin
Blurred vision
Frequent fevers and Night sweats
Excessive fatigue and Weight loss
Mental symptoms like confusion

How does HIV transmit?

HIV can be transmitted through blood and blood products. Moreover it also spread out through bodily fluids that contain blood cells.

Sexual intercourse with infected person/ unprotected sex

The unprotected sex involves vaginal or anal sex as well as oral sex with a man or woman without using condom.

Using needles or syringes Using needles or syringes that are used by an infected can be the reason of being infected with the disease.

Breast feeding

HIV can be transmitted through the breastfeeding if a mother is infected with HIV to her child.

How Does HIV damage the immune system?

The immune system comprises of CD4 cells. These cells are known as T4 or CD4 or helper T. The major function of these cells is to resist the infections and diseases. By doing so they keep the body healthy. HIV assaults on these cells and gradually damages them. It can assault on cells of brain, nervous system, digestive system, and other parts of the body. These cells destroy the invaders like, parasites, cancers, bacteria, fungi and viruses that are responsible for spreading infection in body. Eventually the virus overcomes with immune system and destroys it badly.

Information about HIV would help you to learn the details about the disease.

HIV Information

What is HIV?

The word HIV represents Human immuno deficiency virus. HIV virus leads to AIDS. HIV attacks on key cells that are called as CD4 cells or T cells. The function of these cells is to protect the body from the invaders like virus, fungus, cancer, and other infections. These cells resist the attacks by such diseases and infections. This virus damages the immune system so the immune system is not capable to fight with diseases caused by micro organism. When this virus develops in the body it leads to AIDS. AIDS is a stage where CD4 cells are destroyed in large extent. As a result of this the human body succumbs to any infraction. So let us go through the HIV information.

HIV related information has given below

HIV early symptoms

Fever
Tiredness
Headache
Enlarged lymph nodes
fever higher than 100 F (38 C) for many weeks
Soaking night sweats
Chronic diarrhea
Blurred and distorted vision
Cough and shortness of breath
Headaches
Skin rashes or bumps
Constant white spots or unusual lesions on your tongue
Continual unexplained fatigue

These early HIV symptoms generally disappear within a week to a month. Many times these symptoms are mistaken as the infection of other diseases. In this stage HIV exist in large extent in the body of an infected person.

Other indications often seen months to years before the beginning of AIDS involves

Weight loss
Short-term memory loss
Constant Oral or vaginal infection
Frequent fevers and sweats
Constant skin rashes or flaky skin
Lack of energy
Pelvic inflammatory disease, in women, which does not respond to treatment

How does HIV transmit?

Sexual Intercourse
From Infected mother to a unborn child
HIV can be spread because of the direct contact with infected blood
Anal sex
Oral sex

HIV tests

ELISA test
The Western Blot Test
Rapid Tests or point of care tests
OraQuick
Orasure
Uni-Gold
Clearview Complete HIV
1/2 and Clearview HIV 1/2 Stat-Pak

HIV home tests

Now days a market is flooded with lots of products that help you to recognize whether you are infected by HIV or not. It ups to you that what kind of product should be chosen. However you can choose the HIV kits that are approved by FDA (U.S. food and drug administration). The reason is that these HIV home tests are accurate and exact as the antibody tests that are examined at doctors and health departments. Because these kits uses same ELISA/Western Blot/IFA tests. Nevertheless you can find differences among these tests. Home Access Express HIV-1 Test is the test that is approved by FDA. This test is more accurate than the other tests that are available in the market.

The information regarding HIV will provide you all essential data for understanding the concept. We hope that the furnished information would be helpful and useful for you for further study of HIV.

What is HIV?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. This virus takes hold on the human immune system cells (CD4) and reproduces itself. It damages human immune system and weakens it slowly. On the other hand AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and it is the state that is identified when there are a set of related symptoms that are caused by advanced HIV infection. AIDS makes the body susceptible to life threatening sickness. It is called as opportunistic infections. So it is important to see that what is HIV?

Let us see that what is HIV?

Before going to discuss that what HIV is, let us break down the words. H stands for human, I stand for Immune, and V stands for Virus. HIV is like other viruses those that are responsible for or cause the flu. However these other viruses are destroyed by immune system. Moreover the body can not get rid of HIV.

Many scientists have been experimenting that why the immune system can not destroy this virus. HIV has the capacity to hide in immune system over a long period of time and it assaults the chief part of immune system- your CD4 cells or T cells.

The function of these cells is to fight against infections and diseases. However HIV is exception for that as it hides and attacks slowly on these cells and at the end damages them badly. It destroys them slowly and your body can not resist it. Eventually a person succumbs to the AIDS.

How does HIV spread out?

HIV can spread out through the blood and blood products as well as other body fluids that include white blood cells.

Unprotected Sex

This involves vaginal or anal intercourse, and oral sex on a man or woman without a condom or other blockade. Involving into intercourse when a woman is having her period or genital sores can raise the risk of HIV transmission.

Using needles or syringes that are used by a HIV infected person

This can be a reason for spreading out HIV. If the needles that are used by an infected person reused by another person HIV can be transmitted.

Breast feeding If a mother gets infected with HIV, then through her breast feeding HIV can be spread out to the child.

Transplantation of organs from infected donors to another person

How Does HIV damage the Body?

The immune system is composed of specialized cells that are known to be T4 or CD4, or helper T. These cells fights off with invading germs and keeps the body healthy. HIV attacks on these cells and weakens them. However it can also assault nervous system, cells of brain, lymphatic system, digestive system, and other parts of the body. These CD4 cells orders the cells that are known to be soldier cells to destroy the invaders like bacteria, fungi, parasites, cancers, and viruses that can spread the infection in body. HIV virus replicates itself and virtually damages immune system.

The furnished matter regarding what is HIV would be helpful to you for exact information about HIV.

From infected mother to a unborn child

From infected mother to a unborn child

If the mother has got infected by HIV it is advised that she should take the anti HIV drug AZT or Zidovudine during pregnancy. A woman can transmit HIV through their fetuses during the pregnancy or birth. If the baby is delivered by Cesarean section the further risk can be reduced.

HIV can be spread because of the direct contact with infected bloodHIV spreads through the needles or syringes when they are used by a person who is infected by HIV. If these needles are used by another persons HIV transmits in their blood. It can be transmitted through the blood transfusion if the proper care is not taken in the heat treatment of the blood before transferring from one person to another.

HIV can be transmitted to babies through the breast milk of infected mother

However HIV can not be spread out by following things

Touching or hugging
Sharing household items such as towels, beddings, utensils, contact with sweat or tears
Sharing facilities such saunas, hot tubs, toilets, swimming pool,
Cough or sneeze with HIV infected persons

HIV can only be spread out because of intimate contact with body fluids or infected blood. However it is suggested that do not share razors and tooth brush.

The given information as to how does HIV spread out and the causes would help you to understand the information regarding HIV disease.

How Does HIV Spread Out?

HIV is a retrovirus; it means the enzyme which is used in reverse transcriptase to make DNA to form its own genetic code. Similarly RNA can incorporate itself into the host cells. In order to generate an infection disease, HIV needs to cross the body's blood blockade in such a high concentration, that it leads to HIV disease. HIV consists of four stages and it should be notified that the last one is AIDS. It has been noticed that the effect of HIV is so severe that it damages the human immune system. However it is essential to know that how does HIV spread out in human body after getting infected from it.

How does the HIV infection

spread out in our body?

The process of the infection starts from the immune system cells that are called as dendritic cells. These cells could attach to and carry the virus from the infected site to the lymph nodes. As a result of this other immune system cells become infected. When HIV comes across CD4 cells a gp 120 protein that produces from HIV surface identifies the CD4 protein and sticks tightly to it. There is another viral protein called as p24 which forms a casing that surrounds HIV’s genetic material. This genetic material spreads infection in cells and produces new viruses and causes for disease.

How does HIV get transmitted?

Sexual Intercourse: This is the most general way of spreading the HIV infection. In the process of sexual intercourse HIV can enter a body through the lining of vagina, penis, rectum or mouth. Even though there are no proofs of HIV causes because of saliva, it is advised to avoid open mouthed kiss. If there are any cuts or sores in mouth, they could lead you to get infected by HIV.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

World HIV Day

World HIV AIDS Day is observed on 1st December every year. It aims to familiarize the entire world population about this deadly pandemic, so that our future generations remain safe from it. Campaigns, seminars, speeches, rallies and lectures are organized, so that people start thinking seriously about this issue.

History:

James.W.Bunn and Thomas Netter, the two public information officers of the World Health Organization’s global programs on AIDS, pioneered the concept of World Aids Day. They took the idea to the director of this global body, Dr. Jonathan Mann, who liked the concept of World AIDS Day, and approved it. This day came into being on 1st December 1988, during the presidential term of Ronald Reagan. The joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), came into existence in 1996, to take over the entire coordination of World HIV AIDS Day.

The first two propaganda of the World AIDS Day focused mainly on women and children. It was an effort to reduce the further possibilities of multiplication of this disease through human reproduction process. As a result, the common people became more familiar to the concept of AIDS and its consequences.

But, the idea of focusing mainly on children and women was criticized by one school of thought, as they felt people from all age groups should be taught about this disease. However in 2004, The World AIDS Day became an independent body.

Every year, the UNAIDS choose an annual theme, as the main focus for the World AIDS Day.

The dateline goes like:

1988- Communication
1989- Youth
1990- Women
1991- Challenges
1992- Community commitment
1993- Acts 1994- AIDS and family
1995- Shared rights and responsibilities
1996- One world. One hope
1997- Children
1998- Force for change
1999- Listen, learn, live
2000- AIDS: Men make a difference
2001- I care. Do you?
2002- Stigma and discrimination
2003- Stigma and discrimination
2004- Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS
2005- Stop AIDS. Keep the promise (accountability)
2007- Stop AIDS keep the promise (leadership)
2008- Stop AIDS and keep the promise (Lead-Empower-Deliver)
2009- Universal access and Human Rights

Purpose:

The UNAIDS estimate that there are 33.4 million people in the world suffering from HIV, of which 2.1 million are children. In 2009, 2 million people across the world were recorded dead due to AIDS. Most of the patients fall prey to HIV before the age of 35, and die by the time they are 60 or even much before. Therefore, this day prompts to teach people about the myths, associated with the disease. It informs the ignorant and the misinformed about the facts of AIDS and tries to dispel the stigma associated to the disease. This day encourages the government, faith organizations, community organizations and NGOs from the countries all over the world, to spread awareness about AIDS at a local level. These local bodies are often funded on World AIDS Day, by international bodies, to execute their agendas successfully.

Logo:

The red ribbon, entwined into one single bow, signifies the World AIDS Day.