Home

About us

Aims

Faq's

Photo album

Youth board

Tasks

Participants

Credits

How long does it take for HIV to cause AIDS?
Since 1992, scientists have estimated that about half the people with HIV develop AIDS within 10 years after becoming infected. This time varies greatly from person to person and can depend on many factors, including a person's health status and their health-related behaviours.

Today there is medical treatment that can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system. There are other forms of treatment that can prevent or cure. some of the illnesses associated with AIDS, though these do not cure AIDSitself. As with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and preventative health care.

What is the natural history of HIV disease?
The period between infection with HIV and development of AIDS is usually variable and
long. During the "incubation" or asymptomatic period, a person is infected with the
virus but is not ill. Signs and symptoms that HIV-infected persons may show first
include:generalized lymphadenopathy, tiredness, weight loss, loss of appetite, fever,
diarrhoea, night sweats, and yeast infections.

What is HIV?-Can HIV/AIDS be prevented?

*HIV (human immuno-deficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS. This virus is passed from one person to another through blood-to-blood and sexual contact. In addition,infected pregnant women can pass HIV to their unborn babies during pregnancy or delivery, as well as through breast-feeding. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection. Mostof these people will develop AIDS as a result of their HIV infection.

How do people get infected with HIV?What you do can put you at risk for HIV infection.

HIV can be transmitted by contact with the blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and mother's milk of an HIV-infected person.Transmission most commonly occurs by: Blood-to-Blood contact, such as sharing HIV contaminated drug injection equipment, razors, or piercing and tattoo equipment; or by "blood brothering" ; Unprotected sexual contacts such as anal, vaginal or oral intercourse with an infected individual; Infected mother to baby, during pregnancy, delivery, or in breastfeeding

Once infected with HIV, the infected person can transmit HIV to others. The time between exposure to HIV and the onset of opportunistic diseases can range from as little as six months to 15 years or more. Without treatment, a high percentage of HIV infected people will go on to develop AIDS.

HIV is not transmitted by;

:Sharing eating utensils;

*Sharing toilets or bathrooms;

*Mosquitoes or other biting insects;

*Drinking fountains;

*Swimming pools

*Routine activities at work or school

* Donating blood or organs. Blood and organ banks and other human tissue or fluid donation centers use sterile disposable equipment and needles. Since 1985, all blood, plasma and other human tissue or organs have been screened for HIV before they are used. The chance of contracting HIV by receiving human blood products or tissue is very rare. There is no risk of contracting HIV when you donate blood.

Can HIV/AIDS be prevented? Can you can reduce your risk of becoming HIV infected?

*Do not share needles or syringes with another person;

*Obtain clean needles and syringes from a pharmacy or Needle Exchange Program; Seek treatment for drug addiction;

*Do not have unsafe or unprotected sexual intercourse with individuals if you are not certain of their HIV negative status, or abstain from all sexual contact.

*Avoid sexual activities or practices that may injure body tissues and result in direct blood contact.

*Do not use illegal injection drugs or share injection equipment.

*Avoid unprotected sexual contact with people who use illegal drugs

*Avoid unprotected or unsafe activities with multiple partners or sex industry workers;.

*Avoid having sex under the influence of alcohol or drugs that may alter your ability to make safer sexual decisions.

*Do not share acupuncture, piercing or tattoo equipment. If you want to have an acupuncture, piercing or tattoo procedure done seek out a reputable licensed professional who uses proper sterilization techniques and equipment;

*Do not participate in rituals or activities that allow the physical mingling of two individuals blood such as "blood brothering";

*Avoid all illicit drugs such as heroin,marijuana,ecstasy, speed/met-amphetamine, cocaine and steroids. These substances can damage your immune system making you more susceptible to viral infections like HIV.

-How can I tell if I'm infected with HIV? -What are the symptoms?

The only way to determine for sure whether you are infected is to be tested for HIV infection. You cannot rely on symptoms to know whether or not you are infected with HIV. Many people who are infected with HIV do not have any symptoms at all for many years. The following may be warning signs of infection with HIV:

-rapid weight loss

-dry cough

-recurring fever or profuse night sweats

-profound and unexplained fatigue

-swollen lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck

-diarrhoea that lasts for more than a week

-white spots or unusual blemishes on the tongue, in the mouth, or in the throat -pneumonia

-red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth,nose, or eyelids

-memory loss,

depression, and other neurological disorders

However, no one should assume they are infected if they have any of these symptoms.Each of these symptoms can be related to other illnesses. Again, the only way to determine whether you are infected is to be tested for HIV infection. Similarly, you cannot rely on symptoms to establish that a person has AIDS. Thesymptoms of AIDS are similar to the symptoms of many other illnesses. AIDS is amedical diagnosis made by a doctor based on specific criteria established by the CDC.

<back><next>