“HIV” stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. We all have a defence mechanism in our body, which fights off infections and diseases i.e. the immune system. The HIV virus slowly damages this vital defence against disease and eventually destroys it. It may take several years to damage the immune system, during which a person may look and feel well, in fact they may not even know that they are infected with the HIV virus. Having HIV doesn’t mean that you have AIDS or that you will become seriously ill soon. “AIDS” stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is not a single disease. It is a collection of the most common illnesses, which affect people infected with HIV. Many of the organisms that cause these illnesses are quiet common and harmless to a person with a healthy immune system. However, in someone whose immune system is badly damaged, some of them can cause severe illnesses and even death. Majority of the people infected with HIV, do eventually develop AIDS. How long this takes varies from person to person, usually it can vary from 3 to 12 years or even more in some cases.

From one person to another

1. Through unprotected penetrative sex, anal or vaginal with an HIV+ve person.
2. By getting HIV+ve blood in your blood stream. This can happen by: a) Blood transfusion given without testing the blood for HIV. b) Infected needles and syringes from an HIV+ve are shared.
3. From an HIV+ve mother to her baby before and during birth or by breast-feeding at work or socially.

1. There is risk of HIV infection from everyday contact.
2. HIV can be caught by touching, shaking hands, hugging, kissing someone when you meet socially.
3. HIV can be caught by sharing, a swimming pool, toilet facilities, food, cups, cutlery, crockery, towels and books.
4. It is advisable not to share, a house, flat or workplace.
5. HIV can be passed on by coughing, sneezing and through tears.
6. You can get the virus form dogs, cats, and other animals.
7. Bites from mosquitoes and other insects do not spread HIV.
8. It is very likely that HIV could be spread by sharing razors and toothbrushes, but it is best not because they may have blood on them and it is also unhygienic.

1. Approximately 6,000 people are infected with HIV every day. The epidemic has been with us now for more than a decade since 1986. Therefore HIV and AIDS are today’s and tomorrow’s problems.
2. Regardless of race, religion, social and sexual orientation, anybody who indulges in practices which falls under modes of transmission of HIV can get it. World wide it is seen that the majority of HIV infections have been acquired sexually.
3. HIV passed by kissing is extremely unlikely and not a single case has been reported.
4. HIV transmitted during oral sex is a low risk activity, but still if infected semen or preseminal fluid or vaginal fluid are taken into the mouth by the sexual partner and there are cuts or small cracks on the mouth or lips, it could provide an entry point for the virus
5. The rate of transmission of HIV is higher from man to woman than from women to man. A woman is exposed to a relatively large volume of semen (which carry HIV virus) when her partner ejaculates inside her without a condom. This means that women are more at risk from unprotected sex. Also, any tiny cuts or abrasions, often in the presence of other sexually transmitted infections, can provide an entry point for the virus.
6. HIV virus mutates readily and develops different strains, hence it is difficult to develop an effective vaccine to prevent HIV infection.
7. There is no cure in sight hence “Prevention Is The Best Cure”. This means practising safer sex that is always using a condom (unless both partners have been tested and remain faithful), not sharing needles or syringes if using drugs, accepting HIV-ve tested blood for blood transfusion.
8. It is safe to be a blood donor as one cannot be infected by HIV if one donates blood where sterile equipments for taking blood is used. Do not give blood if you or your partner have contracted HIV and have not had an HIV test.
9. Treatment from the dentist should not be risky if all instruments are sterilised between each patient and other good standards of infection control are followed.
10. HIV virus cannot survive outside for long when exposed to air and is destroyed outside the body by heat, drying, soap and water, detergent and disinfectants.

People infected with HIV may take 3 to 12 years or even more to develop full-blown AIDS. The clinical signs and symptoms for making a provisional diagnosis of AIDS are the major signs. They are as follows:

• Weight loss more than 10% of the body weight.
• Fever longer than 1 month.
• Chronic diarrhoea for more than 1 month

The minor signs are as follows:

• Persistent cough for more than1month.
• General itchy dermatitis (skin infection).
• Recurrent herpes zoster.
• Oro-pharyngeal candidiasis (fungal infection of mouth/throat).
• Chronic progressive and disseminated herpes simplex infection.
• Persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (swelling of lymph nodes)

The presence of atleast 2 major signs and 1 minor sign can be indicative of AIDS.

1. Medical and Nursing Care: HIV infected persons have repeated episodes of illness and impairment, requiring medical and nursing care including hospitalization.
2. Home Care: Since AIDS is a chronic disease, lasting months or years, much of the care of the infected person occurs at home. Families must be helped to provide safe and compassionate home based care to people with AIDS and asked to follow simple precaution i.e. barrier nursing.
3. Counselling and Support: Counselling can help to live and cope with HIV/AIDS patients, taking into account their immediate social and medical environment and his/her social relationships, attitudes and beliefs about HIV/AIDS.

Until a cure for HIV and AIDS is found, the only present available method is prevention. Information and education is the most effective weapons against HIV and AIDS. The various ways of prevention are:

1. Having sexual intercourse with only one faithful partner.
2. Avoiding indiscriminate sex.
3. Using condoms during sexual intercourse whenever and wherever possible, but there is no guarantee that the use of condom will give full protection.
4. Avoiding sharing of needles, syringes, razors and toothbrushes and using disposable syringe and needles for intravenous use.
5. Educating HIV+ve mothers regarding risk of transmitting HIV infection in case of pregnancy and breastfeeding to their child.