Download HIV/Aids

HIV/Aids
Overview
“The most serious disease epidemic of our
time.”
 Caused by infection with the human

immunodeficiency virus
Recently tied to wild chimpanzees through
contact with their blood around 1931
 Targets and destroys cells which
coordinate our immune system leaving us
vulnerable to diseases and cancers

Incidence
By 2004, 900,00 cases in U.S. with
500,000 deaths
 Currently, 850,000 are living with HIV
 40,000 new cases a year
 Dramatic increases for teens
 Worldwide 5 million new cases a year
 42 million suffer from it
 Another 45 mil. by 2006?

Transmission
HIV typically enters the body through
unprotected bodily fluid exchanges during
oral-genital, vaginal or anal intercourse
 An additional 20% contract via
contaminated needles
 Children can also contract from mother
before or during birth or through breast
feeding

Symptoms
Often it begins with a brief flulike illness a
few weeks after infection
 Fevers, swollen lymph glands, rashes, loss
of appetite, muscle aches
 Then bloody stools, repeated fevers, and
especially, oral candidiasis
 Eventually antibodies to the virus are
detectable through blood tests

Course
As HIV spreads, the body loses its ability
to defend itself
 Within 8-11 years one or more severe
diseases attack
 Pneumonia, encephalitis, fungal infections,
salmonella are all common
 Now improvement in drug therapies has
slowed the former rapid descent to death

Treatment
No cure
 Thousands of scientists worldwide are
trying to cure or prevent
 In 1996 a drug which inhibits the virus’
copying abilities emerged
 HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral
Therapy) has stymied the virus
 Complicated regimen, toxic side-effects

Prevention
To be completely safe, no interpersonal
sexual contact or a monogamous,
mutually faithful relationship
 Short of that:
don’t share needles
avoid contact with semen
keep away from anuses, urine, sex
workers

Preventing STD Transmission

Pleas for abstinence and dissemination of
educational materials have failed to stem
the tide

Perhaps advice concerning assessing risk
rather than insisting on abstinence is the
most practical path
Assessing Risk
 Look
to yourself first – get a
comprehensive screening
 Spend a lot of time with your
prospective partner before engaging
in sexual activity
 Swimming
against the cultural tide
 Self-disclosure
– but many lie

Obtain prior medical exams, costs can be
controlled

Use condoms

Avoid multiple partners

Wash, inspect, inform