At first, in the ’80s, scientists thought only gay men could suffer from HIV in what was originally called the gay-related immune deficiency (GRIP) after reports of rare cancers and pneumonia. Some years later, these same cases were found on drug addicts that used syringes.
As medicine and the disease itself progressed, we the world came to know that HIV is a disease transmitted sexually and by blood transfusion.
So what exactly is HIV? And AIDS? HIV is a virus that can lead to immune system deterioration. The term “HIV” stands for human immunodeficiency virus and it is the virus that leads to AIDS, also known as stage 3 HIV. AIDS is an irreversible condition. The HIV virus “attacks” your immune system, making the patient way more susceptible to all other diseases and AIDS is the most advanced state of HIV.
Is there a cure for HIV? No, not yet. HIV does not operate like most viruses as your body can not “fight” the virus because the virus makes the body’s defenses weaker. Nowadays there are medications to delay HIV, but none of them are successful at completely curing a patient.
Is there any way you can protect yourself from this virus? Yes, there are a lot of precautions you can have to prevent it. As it is a virus transmitted by bodily fluids, the most common ways you can get it are by having sex without protection (for example condoms) or sharing needles/razor blades.
How do you know you are infected? An HIV infection can be detected with a simple blood or saliva test as can detect antibodies created by your body to protect you from the virus to determine if it is present. Another test can be used to detect antigens (proteins produced by the virus).
What are the treatments and your life expectancy if you have HIV? If it fully develops into AIDS, your life expectancy drops drastically as your immune system has suffered unrecoverable damage. Other conditions like cancer are very easy to contract because your body basically has no defense against it. However, with today’s treatments for HIV most people that find out are infected, do not reach stage 3, AIDS.
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