How is aids sexually transmitted? How is HIV transmitted? Natural and artificial transmission routes

The human immunodeficiency virus and the damage to the immune system caused by it is an incurable disease. Today, doctors know how HIV is transmitted, what consequences it causes in the body, but there is still no way to treat this pathology. To protect himself and his family, a person needs to know as much as possible about the infection.

Features of HIV

Presumably, the first carriers of HIV were the monkeys of the African continent. Humans also became infected from animals. Due to population migration, the infection has spread throughout the planet. Now people already know how HIV infection occurs, but this was previously unknown, because when it enters the body, the virus does not manifest itself in any way.

After infection, the body is affected in several stages:

Acute phase. About 70% of the sick a month after infection complain of ARI symptoms. It is difficult to diagnose the virus, since this requires a PCR test for every patient with a runny nose and fever.
Asymptomatic period. After the signs of acute respiratory infections disappear, a person feels healthy and continues to do their usual things.
Seroconversion period. After 3-6 months, specific antibodies begin to form in the body. Sometimes they don't appear for a year. After 6-12 months, the concentration of the virus in the tissues of the body becomes sufficient to infect others. This period can last more than 10 years.
The period of secondary diseases. At this time, the patient develops a deficiency of immunity, which is manifested by opportunistic infections. AIDS is the most severe stage of HIV, which is accompanied by the destruction of the immune system. The development of secondary infection leads to the death of the infected.

To protect oneself, a person needs to know how AIDS is transmitted, methods of diagnosing the disease.

To detect the virus, the following studies are provided:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay - diagnoses HIV 3 months after infection. A false result occurs in less than 1% of cases.
Immune blotting - used to confirm a positive ELISA result.
Polymerase chain reaction - used with an undefined immunoblot result. The analysis allows you to examine the blood of newborns and sick people if more than 10 days have passed since the moment of infection. Because the test is highly sensitive, it reacts to other infections in the body.
In emergency cases, an express test is used. But the result cannot be considered definitive; confirmation is required with the help of other additional studies.

Disease spread

How HIV is transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person:

Parenteral transmission. Infection occurs when the blood of an infected person enters the bloodstream of a healthy person through direct contact or transfusion. There is also a risk of infection if instruments are reused in a medical facility without the necessary sterilization. The method of infection is common among drug addicts who use the same injection syringe.
Sexual contact. Sexual intercourse without a barrier contraceptive (condom) is the leading cause of HIV infection. Heterosexual contact or oral intercourse can also cause infection if one of the partners is infected. The use of oral contraceptives, gels, suppositories and similar methods of contraception does not protect against infection with the immunodeficiency virus.
Vertical transmission path. This method involves the transmission of the virus from mother to fetus during pregnancy. Doctors have figured out how babies in the womb become infected and are taking measures to ensure the safety of the unborn child. According to statistics, 70% of newborns from an HIV-positive woman are not infected. When establishing the fact of infection, the mother is recommended to stop breastfeeding. Diagnosis of the virus in a child is possible after he reaches the age of three, until this moment the body retains antibodies transmitted from the mother.

At-risk groups

Some categories of people are at risk for HIV infection. Among medical personnel, surgeons, dentists, and laboratory workers are especially susceptible to this. For them, knowing how AIDS is transmitted is especially important.

persons with drug addiction;
persons who have promiscuous sexual intercourse without using barrier contraception;
prisoners in colonies;
law enforcement officials in contact with prisoners;
women with reduced social responsibility;
medical workers who, by the nature of their work, are in direct contact with sick people or body fluids;
people who are indicated for an internal organ transplant or blood transfusion;
children whose mothers have been assigned HIV-positive status.

Everyone needs to know how to get infected with HIV, who is at risk. Sometimes infected people knowingly have sex with a partner. Russian law provides for criminal liability for such an act.

How You Can't Get AIDS

There are many myths about how the virus can get infected.

Doctors focus on how to get infected with HIV:

Infection does not occur in a household way, since the cells of the virus do not survive on contact with the environment. No cases of such infection were registered in the statistics.
Saliva is not a source of infection. Virus cells are found in it, but their number is not enough to damage the body.
Tears and sweat will also not harm a healthy person.
Airborne droplets are not a route of infection.
HIV is not spread by contact in public places, such as shaking hands or using handrails in vehicles.
There is no hereditary predisposition to the virus.
The disease is not spread through food and drink.

Infection with AIDS is considered almost impossible, since such a disease is the last stage in the development of HIV infection. If you seek help on time and follow the recommendations of a specialist, then the development of infection will not lead to an aggravation of the disease.

Prevention of infection

Infection of the population with the virus remains an important issue around the world. To avoid the penetration of an infectious agent, people need to know whether it is possible to contract AIDS in life situations, what rules must be followed.

Prevention includes taking the following measures:

gain knowledge about risk groups;
avoid promiscuous unprotected sex;
stop using drugs;
observe accuracy in the postoperative period;
adhere to sterile conditions if necessary for injection.

For people with diabetes mellitus, COPD, hepatitis, oncological lesions and pathologies of the lymphatic system, preventive measures include taking antibiotics and antiviral medications.

AIDS prevention is aimed at health and information education of the population. If the recommendations are followed, a healthy person can come into contact with infected people without the risk of infection.

Almost all people on the planet ask questions about what HIV infection is, how it is transmitted and what preventive measures exist. Medical staff are trying to inform about the main reasons for the spread of this disease and its possible dire consequences.

That is why the ways of HIV transmission are known to everyone quite well, but at the same time young people are increasingly turning to unjustified panic about their infection.

HIV is an abbreviation that stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

This virus slowly but progressively infects the human body, completely weakening the immune system, which leads to permanent infectious diseases and the formation of tumors. With the formation of the first serious symptoms of the virus, the stage of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) begins.

For the first time they started talking about HIV and AIDS in the early eighties of the twentieth century. The first symptoms were reported in Sweden, the USA, Tanzania and Haiti, and the first diagnosis, based on the detection of the HIV virus, was made in 1983 thanks to the French scientist Luc Montagnier. Until today, the information message has not changed since those times: the disease is spreading exponentially, no drugs have been found to completely defeat the disease, and the only way to avoid this disease is to monitor your life and behavior. There are many assumptions where the legs actually grow from. Most experts in the field claim that the virus originated in West Africa. The nature, structure and routes of HIV infection are known, but the "miraculous" medicine has never been invented. According to official data, more than fifty million representatives of the infected population have been registered to date.

Through what paths is the disease not transmitted?

Before you understand how you can become infected with HIV infection and what are the first symptoms and manifestations of the disease, you should find out in what ways AIDS does not occur. HIV is not transmitted in the following absolutely safe cases:

hugs, handshakes and other bodily touches;
using a public toilet and using common hygiene items;
general recreation areas such as a swimming pool, a bathhouse, various ponds, etc .;
contact with animals and insect bites;
physical self-gratification (masturbation);
kisses;
items of clothing and household;
places of provision of manicure, hairdressing and dental services;
blood donation and sampling for tests.

As absurd as some of the above positions are, this is a list of the most frequently asked questions to virologists and specialists in this field about the transmission of the virus. To explain why HIV infection is not transmitted in these ways, it is worth understanding how exactly the disease affects the human body and what factors affect it.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is not transmitted by airborne droplets like the common cold or flu viruses. To become infected, it is necessary to contact the blood or secretions of the genital organs of a healthy person with the blood and the same secretions of an infected person. Do not forget that HIV is a very weak virus that does not live long outside the human body. Animals are not carriers.

As for kisses and common ponds, they, contrary to all the theoretical reasoning of young people, cannot in any way cause HIV infection, because in order to take over the virus from the affected organism, a certain minimum concentration of the virus is required. When it comes to blood, then only one drop will be enough for infection, speaking of saliva - about four liters will be needed.

Possible routes of infection

If we discard all the incredible causes and ways of infection, then there are not so many real ones, but they are all very dangerous and lead to almost 100% negative outcome. Transmission and infection with the HIV virus occurs:

sexually without using a condom (the reason for 70-80% of registered infections);
using an injection syringe or needle after an infected person (5-10% of reported cases);
contaminated blood transfusion (5-10%);
transmission of the virus from mother to child (5%);
infection when using non-sterile instruments in tattoo parlors;
using personal items of an infected person with blood residues (razor, toothbrush, etc.).

Although HIV is transmitted through blood, semen, breast milk and vaginal secretions, infection is not possible through contact with other secretions and possible biological materials produced by humans (sweat, saliva, urine, tears or feces).

The first symptoms of an HIV infected

As a rule, the first symptoms proceed imperceptibly and resemble a slight malaise or habitual cold symptoms, therefore, a person does not always pay attention to them, however, when there is still a reason for worries, this can be an excellent signal for further verification. It is worth contacting health care centers if, after unprotected intercourse, the following sensations and deviations were found:

after one to two weeks, the temperature rose to 37-38 ° C;
one or more lymph nodes have increased;
unpleasant sensation in the throat and pain when swallowing;
rash on the skin;
diarrhea.

These symptoms usually last no more than one week, then disappear by themselves and are not found in all infected people. The first ten to twelve years often pass completely unnoticed. Only in some cases is there an increase in lymph nodes in the groin area, above the collarbone, on the back or front of the neck, or under the armpits.

AIDS and its symptoms

AIDS is diagnosed ten to twelve years after infection with the immunodeficiency virus. A person can be affected at once by several, at first glance, diseases that are safe for a healthy person. Most often these are:

thrush of the oral cavity, gastrointestinal tract and genitals;
high temperature;
excessive sweating, especially at night;
a sharp decrease in weight;
persistent diarrhea;
frequent exposure to flu and respiratory infections;
herpes and shingles.

If there are reasons for concern, it is necessary to pass special tests, but this should be done only 3-4 months after the expected day of infection.

HIV diagnosis and treatment

The first 120 days after HIV infection is called the window period. This is the time until antibodies are formed in the human body, the amount of which determines the diagnosis. After this period, you must go to any hospital and do an anonymous blood test for antibodies. When these same antibodies are detected, the analysis is regarded as positive, but they are in no hurry to make a 100% diagnosis. The patient is referred for re-examination to a more equipped clinic, and in case of confirmation by the second result, the patient receives the status of HIV-infected and the prescription necessary for treatment.

Treatment of the immunodeficiency virus does not imply a complete cure for the disease, but only slowing down its process, thus supporting and prolonging the patient's life. With the help of special drugs, HIV activity is suppressed and the number of immune cells increases. Sometimes treatment allows you to reduce the content of the virus in the blood to an undetectable level, but this does not rid the lymph nodes and other organs of a person from it. When treatment is stopped, the virus is released from certain organs into the bloodstream and progresses very quickly.

HIV prevention

Domestic infection, through animals and kissing is impossible, the main routes for infection are unprotected sexual intercourse and the use of syringes after an infected person.

Therefore, an intimate relationship should occur only with proven personalities and using condoms. When visiting various tattoo and piercing salons, you need to make sure that the instruments are sterile, it is even better to ask the master to re-disinfect with you.

HIV is the general name for a group of pathologies that represent the human immunodeficiency virus. How is HIV transmitted and what does it provoke? It provokes an intense defeat of the human immune system, provoking the development of such a dangerous disease as HIV infection.

HIV belongs to the category of incurable infectious diseases characterized by a slow and long-term course. The disease can lead to the most severe consequences for the human body. The most serious complication of HIV infection is the development of AIDS - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

What is HIV?
Routes of HIV transmission
HIV symptoms
- HIV diagnostics
- Prevention of infection

What is HIV?

In order to answer the question of how HIV is transmitted, it is necessary to know exactly what this infection is. Many people believe that HIV and AIDS are one and the same disease. But this opinion is fundamentally wrong. When a virus enters the human body, a viral infection first of all develops, which for many years does not manifest itself at all. But under favorable circumstances, the viral agent can become active and develop into AIDS. As you know, AIDS is one of the most serious diseases, which are almost 100% fatal.

Thanks to the human immunodeficiency virus, the body is completely deprived of the ability to independently defend itself against any foreign invasion, which allows various pathogenic viruses and bacteria to freely enter the body, actively multiply and provoke the development of numerous diseases.

Despite the fact that the main routes of transmission of HIV infection have long been known, and today medicine cannot offer an effective drug that can defeat the human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is considered an incurable disease, and all therapies are aimed at maximizing the patient's life expectancy.

Routes of HIV transmission

The modes of transmission of HIV infection can be very diverse. Everyone should know how to get infected with HIV, because with this disease, the main way to avoid serious consequences is competent prevention.

The most common ways of HIV transmission is sex. Moreover, the virus can be transmitted as a result of various types of sex:

With unprotected intercourse.
In case of promiscuous sexual intercourse and frequent change of sexual partners.
Addicted to anal sex.
Through a blowjob - the virus can be transmitted if the partner has bleeding sores, erosion or microcracks in the mouth.
Homosexual intercourse.
The likelihood of contracting HIV increases significantly when engaging in group sex.
For a woman, the risk of contracting AIDS or the human immunodeficiency virus increases in the presence of cervical erosion or other gynecological pathologies.

In the presence of any genital infections in partners, any sexual intercourse must be protected. Quite often, HIV infection occurs through blood. There are many ways of HIV transmission - you don't need to have a blood transfusion from an infected person. It is quite enough other medical manipulations - to injure the skin with an object that previously injured an HIV-infected person. The most common routes of HIV infection are the use of non-sterile dental, cosmetic or manicure instruments.

Many young people are wondering if it is possible to get HIV in a tattoo parlor. And experts answer this question positively. In the event that several people get a tattoo with the same syringe, a healthy person becomes infected with an infectious disease. The master must necessarily disinfect all the tools used, which will prevent possible infection.

The highest risk of transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus is in people who use drugs intravenously. As a rule, such people do not care about the rules of personal hygiene and can safely transfer the syringe from their vein to another person. Not surprisingly, AIDS is transmitted at a rapid pace among drug addicts.

In order to answer the question of how young children become infected with AIDS, it is necessary to take into account the state of health of their mothers. In an infected mother during pregnancy, viral agents are activated, which is associated with hormonal changes in the body. That is why, through the birth canal, a baby can become infected with HIV from an infected mother. Quite often, HIV infection can occur during breastfeeding, since the virus is present in breast milk.

Is it possible for people to contract the HIV virus through a condom? Doctors are confident that when choosing a quality contraceptive, the likelihood of infection is minimized. Quite often, young people wonder whether HIV is transmitted through saliva. If a partner is infected, and there are bleeding wounds or erosion on the surface of his oral cavity, it is quite possible to become a virus carrier after kissing such a person.

Answering the question whether it is possible to contract HIV through a kiss, it should be remembered that even an innocent touch on the lips of an infected person can have the most serious consequences - especially if the oral mucosa has various microcracks and other injuries. Men and women who are interested in whether HIV is transmitted through saliva should remember that such transmission of HIV is possible in the most rare cases - only if there are wounds and bleeding erosions in the partner's mouth.

Summarizing the above, it can be noted that the main ways of HIV infection are as follows:

Sexual intercourse without the use of contraception.
Homosexual intercourse.
HIV is transmitted through blood transfusions.
Multiple syringe use by several people, one of whom is infected.
Insufficient disinfection of instruments before tattooing.

Quite often, people have a question about how AIDS is transmitted. The routes of its transmission are the same as in HIV. It should be remembered that direct contact with the blood of an infected person is required for infection with this disease. The likelihood of contracting AIDS after kissing, using common dishes or towels is practically zero and is possible only if there are bleeding wounds and erosion on the patient's body.

HIV symptoms

The incubation period for infection can have a different duration - depending on the state of health of the person and the level of his immunity. In some people, the asymptomatic stage can last from 2 weeks to a year.

Signs of HIV infection are almost indistinguishable from those of other common illnesses. They can be as follows:

Increased body temperature.
Generalized lymphadenopathy - that is, an increase in lymph nodes.
Lethargy, drowsiness, apathy, loss of energy.
Rhinitis, cough, and other signs of a cold.
Skin rashes.
Stool disorder.
Sore throat.

In most cases, the signs of infection are no different from those of a common cold, so the person may not even notice them. The above symptoms disappear on their own, the patient is unaware of the severe consequences of HIV.

The immune status begins to deteriorate rapidly, the body can no longer independently fight any viruses and infections. 5-10 years after infection, an infected person develops one of the most dangerous and incurable diseases - AIDS. It is for this reason that everyone should know all the stages of the disease and the ways of HIV infection.

HIV diagnostics

The symptoms of HIV infection are very similar to those of other illnesses, such as flu or tonsillitis. Therefore, it is very important not only to know how you can get infected with HIV, but also to diagnose pathology in a timely manner.

A blood test is mandatory, which indicates the presence of viral agents in it. Also, the patient undergoes special HIV tests, an enzyme immunoassay, which shows the presence of viruses in the blood.

Prevention of infection

Prevention of HIV infection means that every person who has sex must clearly understand how HIV is acquired and what needs to be done in order to prevent infection.

It is very important to completely abandon the use of narcotic substances, and if you want to get a tattoo, contact only specialized salons. Everyone has the right to demand that all instruments that will be used for tattooing be thoroughly disinfected with him.

You should be no less anxious about your sex life. Best of all, if you have one, regular partner, it is recommended to refuse promiscuous sexual contacts. Even so, condoms should not be neglected.

People in their attitude to HIV infection can be divided into two groups: those who do not consider HIV a problem, continuing their usual way of life, and those who are too worried about their safety and are influenced by the flow of information pouring from the media and other sources. Both one group and the second are not doing quite right, because the infection is already well studied today, and experts can say with precision where the risk of infection is possible, and where it is not. It is necessary to understand how HIV infection is transmitted and not transmitted in order to protect yourself from possible problems and not to disturb your nerves once again.

In the body of a patient who is infected with HIV, the virus, the amount of which is sufficient to infect another person, is found in breast milk, vaginal secretions, semen and blood. It is through these pathways that HIV infection can enter the body of a healthy person. How is the virus transmitted through sweat, saliva, urine, feces? No way. There are only three ways of transmission: sexual, vertical and parenteral.

Properties of HIV

HIV belongs to the group of unstable viruses and can die under the direct influence of ether, acetone or alcohol. The virus on the surface of healthy skin is destroyed by bacteria and protective enzymes. Also, he is not inclined to endure high temperatures and dies, being about 30 minutes at 57 degrees Celsius or with one minute boiling.

The difficulty in creating a medicine lies in the fact that the virus is constantly changing.

Development of HIV infection

Primarily, the body reacts to the invasion of the virus by producing antibodies. The period from infection to the moment when the active production of antibodies begins can last from three weeks to three months. In some cases, antibodies appear only six months after infection. This period is called the "seroconversion window period".

The latent or asymptomatic period can last from several months to 15 years. The disease at this stage does not manifest itself in any way. The infectious process develops after an asymptomatic period. The first sign that the disease is progressing is enlarged lymph nodes. After the AIDS stage develops. The main symptoms of this period are: frequent or persistent headache, unmotivated diarrhea, loss of appetite, drowsiness, malaise, fatigue, weight loss. At a later stage, tumors and concomitant infections appear, which are extremely difficult to cure.

The disease is associated with loss of immunity and is life-threatening, so it is important to know how HIV is transmitted. Symptoms that may appear several years later are difficult to overcome and return to a normal lifestyle.

Diagnosis of HIV infection

It is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis and determine the presence of a virus in the body only by external signs. Here you need to conduct a blood test, which will indicate the presence of a viral load and antibodies to HIV in it. For this, HIV tests, polymer chain reaction, and various express tests are carried out. With the help of this kind of research, it is possible to establish the presence of a virus in the blood and the degree of its development.

The test can be done at any healthcare organization. You must first undergo counseling. In case of a positive result, the infected should be provided, first of all, with emotional and psychological support and information on how to lead a further lifestyle. If the result is negative, then you need to have a conversation with the person about how HIV is transmitted in everyday life. This will protect him from the possibility of infection.

Modes of HIV transmission

This question should be of interest to everyone who is concerned about their health. HIV transmission is carried out in only three ways, which are divided into artificial and natural. The first is sexual. The second is vertical. Its essence lies in the fact that the virus is transmitted directly from mother to child at birth (or to the fetus). These are natural paths.

The third route, which is usually referred to as artificial, is parenteral. In the latter case, infection can occur through blood or tissue transfusion, intravenous injections with unsterilized devices. The main condition for infection is the presence of a virus in one person and its absence in another person.

Bloodborne infection

1/10000 milliliter of blood that is invisible to the human eye can infect a person. The incredibly small size of the virus allows 100 thousand particles to fit on a line only 1 cm long. This is also dangerous for HIV infection. How the virus is transmitted through blood can be imagined based on the fact that if even the smallest part of the infected person's blood gets into the blood of a healthy person, then the probability of infection is close to 100 percent. This can happen through donation, when unverified donated blood is transfused.

HIV infection is transmitted through properly untreated medical or cosmetic items that have already been used by an infected person. Most often, such situations occur when piercing the ears, applying tattoos, during piercing in non-specialized salons. The remains of someone else's blood may be invisible and remain even after washing with water. Tools must be treated with special agents or alcohol.

After the HIV epidemic began to spread, the Ministry of Health strictly monitors the work of medical staff. This concerns donation, sterilization of the general work of staff. Therefore, it has already been thoroughly studied, therefore, in medical institutions, the risk of infection is minimized.

The risk of contracting the virus is high among intravenous drug users through blood-contaminated needles, syringes, filters, and other drug use devices.

Sexually transmitted infection

Speaking about how HIV and AIDS are transmitted, one cannot fail to mention the most common method - sexual. The virus in the body of an infected person is found in large quantities in the vaginal secretions and semen. Any heterosexual unprotected sexual intercourse can lead to infection, and the genital mucosa acts as a focus. The fact is that microdamages are formed on the mucous membrane during intercourse, through which the virus can freely penetrate and from there into the circulatory system, other organs and tissues. The possibility of contracting the virus increases with a promiscuous sex life, with frequent changes of sexual partners, with not using condoms, and also when having sexual contact with a partner who regularly uses drugs.

Infections, which today number about 30. Many of them contribute to the development of various inflammatory diseases, which can also lead to HIV infection. Most infections accompany inflammation and damage to the mucous membrane of the genital organs, which also contributes to the easy penetration of HIV into the body. Dangerous for infection and sexual intercourse during menstruation. The concentration of the virus is much higher in semen than in vaginal discharge. Therefore, the likelihood of transmission of the virus from woman to man is lower than from man to woman.

Unprotected homosexual contact is even more dangerous. Due to the fact that the rectal mucosa does not have devices for intercourse, the risk of traumatic injury in this area exceeds the possibility of injury in the vagina. Infection through the anal passage is more real due to the fact that it is abundantly supplied with blood. By the way, you can get infected through oral sex, although the probability here is not as high as in previous cases.

Thus, during any sexual contact, HIV infection can enter the body. How is the virus transmitted and what are the ways to avoid infection? It is enough just to streamline sex life and use protective equipment.

Infection of the child from the mother

Until a few years ago, this method of infection was very common, and an infected mother could not hope to have a healthy child. There were cases of exclusion, but rare. The development of modern medicine to date has achieved positive results in reducing the risk of infection of the child from the mother. from mother to fetus or baby are as follows: through breast milk while nursing, during childbirth, or even during pregnancy. It is extremely difficult to find out exactly at what moment the infection occurred, so sick pregnant women need to register as early as possible and monitor the health of their unborn baby.

The possibility of infection in everyday life

Although the risk of contracting HIV in the home is not high, it still exists. The most common is the transmission of infection through stabbing objects. The question of how HIV infection is transmitted in everyday life worries many, especially those who live under the same roof with an infected person.

The virus can be transmitted through (for example, through shaving razors). It is worth remembering that it is impossible to get infected through the shared use of the toilet, since the virus is not transmitted with urine and feces, when swimming in the pool, through common dishes and other household items.

Infection in everyday life often occurs artificially, through damaged skin. If, for example, the blood or mucous secretions of a patient entered the body of a healthy person, then we can already talk about infection.

HIV is not transmitted

The virus is not transmitted through the air (airborne droplets), food and water. Staying in a room with an infected person also does not threaten a healthy one. The use of household items (dishes, towels, bath, pool, linen) also does not pose any danger. The virus is not transmitted by shaking hands, kissing, smoking one cigarette, using one lipstick or the telephone receiver. Also, HIV is not transmitted through insect bites or animals.

HIV and AIDS

HIV infection has a destructive effect on the immune system, thereby reducing the body's resistance to various diseases. If in the first period infection can occur imperceptibly, not manifest itself externally, then at subsequent stages the immune system is weakened to such an extent that the body becomes subject to any infectious disease. These diseases include those that are very rarely affected by uninfected people: pneumonia caused by microorganisms, tumor disease Kaposi's sarcoma.

The condition when a person infected with HIV begins to develop infectious diseases, the cause of which lies in problems of the immune system, is called AIDS.

Prevention of HIV infection

It doesn't matter how HIV is transmitted, it is important that it is life-threatening to humans. In order not to face such a serious problem, it is necessary to lead a correct lifestyle and adhere to the recommendations of doctors.

Of all the methods of fighting AIDS, the most effective is HIV prevention. It includes: having only one sexual partner, avoiding sexual intercourse with drug addicts, prostitutes, as well as with little-known people, refusing group contacts, using protective equipment. These points are extremely important, since HIV infection is most often transmitted through sexual contact through unprotected sex.

For your safety, it is worth remembering that you do not need to use other people's personal hygiene items (medical tools, toothbrushes, razors or razors). Everyone has the right to insist that they be served with disposable new instruments in the office of a cosmetologist, gynecologist, dentist and other specialists.

The health sector should periodically carry out preventive measures against AIDS. These include the promotion of protected sex, careful screening of pregnant women, screening of blood donors and people at risk, birth control, refusal of infected women to breastfeed their babies.

Prevention within the walls of medical institutions implies: the use of only disposable instruments for the treatment of HIV patients, thorough washing of hands after working with an infected patient. It is also necessary to disinfect when the bed, the environment or household items are contaminated with secretions and secretions of the patient. It is definitely worth remembering that it is better to prevent a problem than to solve it later, and in this case - than to live with it later.

Treatment of HIV infection

In this case, as in many others, time counts in days. The sooner the problem is detected, the more chances there are to return the patient to a normal life. HIV treatment is aimed more at delaying the development and progression of the virus, so that it does not turn into a more serious disease - AIDS. An infected person is immediately prescribed a complex of treatment, which includes: drugs that interfere with development and medicines that affect the virus directly, interfering with its development and reproduction.

It is difficult to live with a disease like HIV infection. How it is transmitted, how it develops, how to protect oneself - everyone should know the answers to these questions, because it is unlikely that the patient will be able to lead a normal life, especially if he learns about the problem several years after infection. Therefore, it is so important to monitor your behavior and take care of your health, because this is the most precious thing we have, and, unfortunately or fortunately, it cannot be bought for money.

Quite a few people do not know how they contract AIDS. We heard something, read something, but did not fully understand it.

Now there is a lot of information on the Internet, suggesting that the "plague of the century" epidemic is gaining momentum. This is problem number one, the answer to which has not yet been found.

How AIDS gets infected is available:

Nobody hides - there are already more than 40 million HIV-infected patients in the world. The main share is young people under 30 years old. Many people do not understand, we are talking about AIDS, HIV is mentioned. What's the connection?

The most direct one - I will try to explain it in a simpler way.

How to decipher HIV, what it means:

It is a human immunodeficiency virus, a tiny microorganism.
Covered from above with a protein shell. Inside contains genetic material in the form of two RNA molecules. When it enters the body, it hides by introducing it into the hereditary substance of the cell.
While the infected cell grows and multiplies safely, the virus goes through all the reproduction cycles with it. The problem is that our immunity detects it after three or four months, and not immediately. After all, he still needed to be recognized.
If antibodies to HIV are found in the blood, the result will be positive.
If not, negative.
The test is done more than once to confirm the diagnosis. Usually after three months.
This is where the killer cells come into play. They are called T4. It is these cells that protect us against ARVI diseases and other infections. They are powerless against the HIV virus. He is stronger, calmly destroys T4 cells, puts other cells on alert - T8. This type of cells turns off the patient's immunity.

Deterioration of health:

The body temperature rises (it cannot be lowered even with drugs).
The lymph nodes enlarge, especially in the neck (1 to 5 centimeters).
The tonsils are inflamed.
The person weakens, sweaty at night, does not sleep well.
I don't feel like eating,.
The examination shows an enlarged spleen and liver.
The patient suffers from frequent diarrhea.
Some have esophagitis (inflamed esophagus).
A rash is visible on the skin.
Blood tests will already show if a person is infected. Until this period (three months) nothing is determined. Physicians call it the "window period". There will be an increase in lymphocytes, leukocytes.
Mononuclear cells are present.
This period lasts two weeks, then all the symptoms simply disappear without a trace.

Disease development:

For five or seven years, the virus does not manifest itself at all. Does his job quietly - kills a person. If we look inside the patient at this time, we will see a decreasing number of protective cells, T8 cells, on the contrary, multiply, their number is growing rapidly.

Everyone - a person is defenseless against any infection: herpes or tuberculosis, ARVI. Immunity is powerless and against internal infections: fungi, bacteria. They always live in a healthy body, immunity does not allow them to multiply, but not in this situation.

Any of the above infections can lead to the end of life. This final stage is called AIDS.

Stages of HIV infection:

Latent or incubation period.
Primary infectious manifestations.
Secondary manifestations of infection (at this stage, it is most often found).
Terminal stage.

How to decipher AIDS:

Now it is probably clear what AIDS is. It is simple to decipher it - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
This is the stage of all kinds of infections from tuberculosis and pneumonia, damage to the nervous system, and malignant neoplasms. There is no cure for AIDS.
Although at the very beginning the patient could have been helped - scientists have invented a medicine that prevents the virus from penetrating into the hereditary substance of immune cells.
This would stop its development. But time is lost, you only have to take drugs that ease the course of the disease.

Where did the virus come from:

Until now, there is no consensus, as well as on the question of where man came from on earth. Some argue about a bacteriological weapon, which is a virus, to destroy a person on earth.
Others talk about some meteorite that flew from space to us. The most real is the mutation of the virus from monkeys to chimpanzees and its gradual adaptation to the human body.
The infection came from the natives who ate the meat of infected animals. There are many hypotheses, there is only no irrefutable evidence.
The sad thing is that the largest number of infected patients is in Russia. Officially - more than 200,000 thousand people. Experts are sure there are more than a million of them.

How can you get AIDS and how is it transmitted:

We have an opinion that such patients are entirely drug addicts, representatives of sexual minorities, or persons with a large number of partners in sex.
Trouble can overtake everyone.
The transmission routes are officially approved and proven. In humans, four biological fluids are capable of containing a concentration of the virus sufficient for infection. These are blood, semen, breast milk, vaginal discharge.

Transmission ways:

From mom to child:

An infected woman transmits the virus to her baby during pregnancy, then a big risk - during childbirth or breastfeeding. This transmission route is estimated at 20 - 45%.
Modern medicine has drugs that reduce the chance of infection by up to 6% if treated during pregnancy.
All babies after birth have antibodies to the virus, regardless of whether they are infected or not. This is due to their passage through the mother's placenta.
If the baby is healthy, they will disappear by one and a half years. From this age on, it can be determined whether the baby is sick or not.

Through objects and blood contaminated with blood:

You don't have to go far for examples - syringes without sterilization transmit the virus from an infected person to a healthy person.
The most common risk group is drug addicts who use “highs” through injections or shared syringes.
You need to be careful in tattoo parlors, when piercing ears, manicure, pedicure. With untreated tools, the risk of infection is high.
The virus is transmitted through a razor, a patient's toothbrush. The risk is less, but there is.
Infection will also occur through wounds when an infection enters.
With a blood transfusion, the risk is minimal; the blood is checked there.
For anal sex without a condom, vaginal or oral. The general use of sex toys without a condom, with a torn or slipped condom, is of great importance. The man with you partner or the woman does not matter.
We do not exclude petting due to the presence of wounds and infected fluid, their contact.

How you can not get infected with AIDS and HIV:

It is never transmitted due to household contacts or doctors' term - by airborne droplets.
Safely:
With a sick person to dance, hug.
Eat from one plate.
Swim in the same pool.
Go to the shared toilet.
Move together in crowded transport.
Kissing (if the mucous membranes of the lips or mouth are not damaged).
All ticks, flies, mosquitoes, fleas do not carry the virus.

How to avoid infection:

Always use a condom when having sex with a partner you don't know.
Keep track of the processing of tools in service salons (manicure, tattoo).
Do not use drugs, among them up to 90% of them use them intravenously. The same number are infected.

Don't ruin your life!

There are people on earth, even if they come into contact with the infected, they do not get the virus. They found mutated genes responsible for the production of special proteins in immune cells.

These proteins come into contact with the virus, but are not able to interact with it. Because they are "wrong, mutated". HIV dies due to the inability to invade cells for reproduction.

Scientists have seized on this phenomenon for the manufacture of drugs for HIV, and therefore AIDS.

Well, we met briefly - how they get infected with AIDS. We learned what HIV is. If you or your family have this trouble, do not despair, do not blame yourself. We all tend to be wrong - we are human. Weak, sometimes impossibly strong, when it touches others - there is only one way out, to be treated

Allow me to wish you health and recovery if you are sick.

Always looking forward to the site.