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There are approximately 37 million people living with HIV in the world. In Poland, two people find out every day that they have the virus. They are infected mainly by young people between 16 and 39 years of age, but there is an increasing number of HIV cases among people over 40.
The number of new HIV infections worldwide has fallen by 40% in 10 years, but not in Russia. There, in 2010-2016, the number of new infections in Russia increased by 30%. Officially, 1.5 million infected people live there (about this number is known, and they constitute only 20% of carriers). It is not better in Ukraine. This puts these countries in a row with countries such as Ethiopia
The problem of HIV and AIDS can affect anyone, because the virus spreads to people outside the high-risk circle. Is normal daily contact with a person infected withHIVa threat, can a woman infected with give birth to a he althy baby, how is the virus spread? - we have tried to answer these and other questions.
1. What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the human immunodeficiency virus. After penetrating the body, it attacks certain types of white blood cells, slowly but systematically weakening the human immune system until it is completely destroyed. Eventually, the body becomes vulnerable to even trivial infections, which it used to deal with without problems. The immune defenseless state of the body isAIDS(acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The disease is the result of a failure of the immune system caused by the long-term destructive effect of HIV.
4. How do you know if you are HIV positive?
A simple test for the presence of a virus in blood taken from a vein or from a finger is enough. If you suspect an infection, you can have a test (without a referral, free of charge, anonymously) at one of the 28 specialist diagnostic and consultation centers (PKD) located in major cities across the country. You can also get professional answers to all your questions there. In the interview before the test, the counselor will discuss with you if this is the right time to do the test and will explain if there is a real risk of infection. The test can also be done at the clinic of infectious diseases and some stationssanitary and epidemiological. Many private laboratories perform them against payment. But only in a few cases, blood sampling is preceded by a conversation with the patient. It is important not to do the research right away. Depending on the type of test, infection can be detected after 2 weeks or only 1.5-3 months after risky behavior. A negative result after this period means no HIV has been detected. You usually get your screening result the very next day. If it is positive or doubtful, it always requires a confirmatory test. Rapid tests are used only in exceptional situations, e.g. in the case of women giving birth who have not been tested for HIV during pregnancy.
HIV test - what does it look like?
2. Does this mean that the greater the number of partners, the greater the risk of infection with the virus?
HIV infection depends not so much on the number and he alth of partners, but on the degree of risk in our behavior. Usually, the risky person becomes infected first, but through his partners he transmits the virus to people outside the "suspicious" circle. And although the most vulnerable are people who frequently change partners, in fact the problem affects everyone, regardless of gender. A moment of forgetfulness, on a business trip or on vacation, is enough to complicate your life. It is estimated that 1 in 100-200 sexually contacts with someone infected with the virus is contagious. The problem is that one person can catch the virus after the hundredth and another during their first intercourse with an infected person. Experts argue that the easiest way to transmit the virus is through sexual contact with an infected partner, often unknowingly. Many women contracted the virus from the first and only man.
3. How is HIV spread?
There must be direct contact of contaminated blood (less than a drop is enough) or body fluid containing the virus (semen, fluid that secretes from the penis after erection, vaginal and cervical secretions, including menstrual blood) with the wound, fresh rubbing of the epidermis or mucosa, scratching. Today, most infections are transmitted through sexual contact: traditional, anal, oral and all practices that are accompanied by disruption of the mucosa or epidermis. Anal sex is the greatest risk for a passive partner. The rectal mucosa is thin and prone to injury, so it is often damaged during intercourse, and the virus can easily enter the body. Traditional relations are listed next. The risk of infection is increased by other sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis (this is associated with small sores on the genitals that arepathway of entry of the virus). It's very easy to get HIV by injecting yourself with drugs or other substances with the same needles, syringes, and various accessories as the infected person. It is possible to transmit the virus from mother to child, mostly during childbirth. Food also poses a risk of contamination. All these situations, although risky, do not always end in infection.
5. Are women more likely to be infected with HIV?
It turned out that in heterosexual contacts the risk of transmission of the virus during traditional intercourse from male to female is approximately 20 times greater than from female to male. However, this is not due to the increased susceptibility of the organism. One of the reasons is the difference in the anatomy of the genital organs. The area that is susceptible to infection (vaginal and cervical mucosa) is larger in women than in men (the penis is covered with skin which is a barrier to HIV, only a small rim of the mucosa around the urethra and the inner layer under the foreskin may be infected). In addition, semen remains in the organs of the woman after ejaculation, and this prolongs the contact of the virus with the sensitive mucosa. Attempts to rinse sperm after intercourse make the situation worse - by irrigating yourself, you can damage the mucosa, making it easier for viruses to penetrate the body. The mucosa of the reproductive organ is very delicate and is easily rubbed during intercourse. The risk of infection is also increased by inflammation of the intimate parts and insufficient vaginal lubrication. Due to the fact that in developed countries there are more infections among men, it is inevitably more likely that a woman will meet an infected man than the other way around.
6. How to protect yourself against HIV?
Until scientists succeed in developing a vaccine that cracks down on the virus, the only effective protection against HIV is prophylaxis. You just need to avoid risky situations and behaviors that can lead to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and use common sense. Better not to abuse alcohol, because then you will lose the ability to really judge the situation. When deciding to have sexual contact with a person you do not know well, or when you frequently change partners, you must follow the principle of limited trust. The best protection in sexual contact is a condom - a proven brand (manufactured by a company that complies with quality control procedures, with an approval and expiry date) and when properly used, it reduces the risk of HIV infection by over 90%. (100% protection has not yet been invented). Beauty and beauty treatments, tattoos, ear piercing, etc. should only be performed inplaces that inspire confidence, with the use of disposable or sterilized tools.
Where to go for helpNational AIDS Center
(see the list of consultation points here), tel. 22 331 77 7724/7 AIDS helpline: 22 692 82 26
7. What could suggest you are infected with HIV?
Some HIV-positive people do not have any symptoms, others - flu-like (fever, bone breaking). Lymph nodes can get bigger, can develop canker sores, herpes. After a week or two, everything goes without a trace. The asymptomatic period may last several years. However, the virus covertly destroys the immune system. In 96 percent infected sooner or later, the symptoms of AIDS are revealed: infections (e.g. recurrent bacterial pneumonia, tuberculosis, salmonellosis, cytomegaly, toxoplasmosis, skin ulceration) and neoplastic diseases. Sometimes AIDS attacks quickly - it only takes a few months from HIV infection to the onset of disease symptoms.
8. What are the risks of contact with HIV?
Daily contacts with an infected person do not pose a threat. We will not get infected by drinking from the same cup, by shaking hands, by a friendly kiss, even when someone has a cough or sneezes, because HIV is not transmitted by airborne droplets. You can touch common equipment, door handles, headphones, computer keyboard, borrow clothes, use a shared bathroom. It is also safe to swim in the pool. HIV is not transmitted by mosquitoes or other insects. There is also no evidence of infection by contact with the patient's saliva, tears, sweat, urine or feces. However, even a small amount of blood in these secretions can infect. If contaminated blood appears in saliva, e.g. from the gums after intensive tooth brushing, the virus can spread to another person, e.g. through kissing or oral sex.
9. Does the blood remaining on the pliers infect for a long time?
HIV is an unstable virus - it dies quickly outside the human body. Blood must be fresh, not yet clotted, for there to be a risk of infection. The same applies to other infected systemic secretions remaining, e.g. on clothes, towels. The virus is destroyed by common disinfectants, especially with chlorine, and a temperature of 56 ° C.
10. Can an infected mother give birth to a he althy baby?
If the expectant mother knows about the infection and is under the care of an obstetrician-gynecologist and a specialist treating people with HIV, she has almost 100 percent. the chance that she will give birth to a he althy child (when planning motherhood or pregnancy, it is worth doing an HIV test). Usually, from the second trimester and during labor, a woman needs to take antiretroviral medication. Pregnancy is resolved by caesarean sectionbefore labor begins (this reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to the baby). Both the newborn and the mother are given preparations that inhibit the multiplication of the virus
11. What to do if a condom breaks?
If you are exposed to infection, consult an HIV specialist as soon as possible - ideally within a few hours. During working hours, help is provided by specialist infectious disease clinics, and hospitals and infectious wards are on duty 24 hours a day. Based on the interview, the doctor will assess the degree of risk and make a decision on further treatment. He may recommend antiretroviral drugs (the same is given to people who are infected), which must be taken for 4 weeks. For therapy to be effective, therapy should begin within 48 hours of the event. It can also be used after a risky injury, e.g. accidental puncture with a needle abandoned by drug addicts (the risk of infection is reduced by washing the injured area with plenty of soap and water). The full course of prophylactic treatment costs approx. PLN 5,000. zloty. The therapy is free of charge and is covered from the budget of the Ministry of He alth if the HIV hazard has occurred as a result of rape and all accidents, such as being injured by a needle of unknown origin on the beach.
12. How are AIDS patients treated?
A patient who meets certain medical criteria is given drugs (currently more than 20 preparations in various combinations are used) that attack the virus at various stages of development - HAART antiretroviral therapy. Properly selected, it allows you to reduce the number of virus particles in the blood so that they are no longer detectable. The immune system is rebuilt and the patient returns to normal life. Therapy allows you to stay he althy for years if you follow your doctor's instructions. Tablets must be taken at a specific time and must not be discontinued without consulting a doctor. Often there are side effects (e.g. diarrhea, vomiting), which is extremely bothersome for the patient. The therapy should be continued for the rest of your life - discontinuation of it causes a rapid increase in the amount of the virus and a recurrence of ailments. There are no known methods of cure. AIDS is still a deadly disease.
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