Debunk The Myths: The ABS of AIDS and HIV
World AIDS Day is commemorated on December 1, which is why Victoria joins the initiative to raise awareness and demonstrate worldwide solidarity with the 38.4 million people currently living with this condition (1) and the fight against it. Today’s article seeks to expose essential facts about AIDS and HIV, its origins, and the most recognizable symptoms.
Where Does HIV Come From?
According to most scientific research, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) may have a zoonotic origin. It appears to have spread from chimps to humans in Africa as early as the late 1800s. It was most likely transmitted to humans when men hunted these chimps to eat their meat and came into contact with their contaminated blood. HIV spread slowly across Africa and later into other parts of the world over decades, becoming prevalent worldwide by the late 20th century. (2)
Difference Between AIDS and HIV
HIV is a virus that attacks the host’s immune cells, making a person more susceptible to other infections and diseases. It is spread through contact with an HIV-positive person’s bodily fluids and is most commonly transmitted during unprotected sex or by sharing injection drug equipment like needles. (3)
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) refers to a group of potentially fatal infections and illnesses that occur once the HIV virus has had time to severely damage the immune system. (4)
What Are Its Most Common Symptoms?
1. Acute HIV Infection: Most people experience flu-like symptoms 2 to 4 weeks after infection, however, symptoms can last several days or several weeks. These symptoms alone do not indicate that a person has HIV; other illnesses can cause similar symptoms. Some people experience no symptoms at all. So testing is the only way to find out if a person is HIV-positive. (5)
2. Chronic HIV Infection: During this stage, HIV continues to replicate inside the body at very low levels. Without ART (antiretroviral therapy) the infection may advance to AIDS during the next 10 years. This stage is usually asymptomatic. (6)
3. AIDS: The final, most severe stage of infection happens once the virus has replicated enough as to severely damage host’s immune system. It is then that the body is not able to effectively fight opportunistic infections (infections and infection-related cancers that occur more frequently or more severely in people with weakened immune systems). (7)
HIV Treatments
In the 1980s, as the medical community was still learning about what was then a new illness, researchers discovered that a failed cancer drug from the 60s, zidovudine, stopped HIV from multiplying and helped people live longer. This ART (antiretroviral therapy) came at a cost: One year of this life-long treatment cost $16,500 in todays’ dollars. It also caused side effects like liver problems and low blood cell counts that could be deadly. This required the drug to be taken together with different medications. (8)
Today, there are almost 30 different HIV medications in the market, including the first ever prophylactic treatment Truvada, approved by the FDA in 2012. This medication was found effective to prevent HIV infection in otherwise healthy people who were at higher risk of infection. (9)
HIV positive patients who take their medication regularly are able to control their HIV with just one pill a day. Starting this treatment is important because it prevents HIV-positive people from getting AIDS and stops them from passing the virus to their partners during sex. (10)
A new set of HIV medications, including longer-acting pills and alternative formulations like patches, implants, and injections, are currently being developed by official organizations like the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the United States. In addition, several antibodies are being tested and created for HIV treatment by NIAID researchers at other institutions. Finally, the NIAID continues to support research to create new antiretroviral medications with fresh modes of action. (11)
Over the decades, stigma and discrimination have gone hand in hand with millions of people living with HIV. Talking about it openly with family and friends is essential in avoiding spreading myths and prejudices. In addition, today, technology is one of the most powerful tools to disseminate accurate and correct information about this condition.
Every life and every person are valuable.
[1] World Health Organization, HIV. Retrieved on November 28, 2022: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/hiv-aids#:~:text=Glo- bally%2C%2038.4%20million%20%5B33.9%E2%80%93,considerably%20between%20countri es%20and%20regions.
[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (June 30, 2022), About HIV. Retrieved on November 28, 2022: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html
[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (June 30, 2022), About HIV. Retrieved on November 28, 2022: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html
[4] Hiv.gov (June 15, 2022), What Are HIV and AIDS? Retrieved on November 28, 2022: https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/a- bout-hiv-and-aids/what-are-hiv-and-aids#:~:text=AIDS%20is%20the%20late%20stage,the %20progression%20of%20the%20disease
[5] Hiv.gov (June 15, 2022), Symptoms of HIV. Retrieved on November 28, 2022: https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/about-hiv-and-aids/symptoms-of-hiv
[6] Hiv.gov (June 15, 2022), Symptoms of HIV. Retrieved on November 28, 2022: https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/about-hiv-and-aids/symptoms-of-hiv
[7] Hiv.gov (June 15, 2022), Symptoms of HIV. Retrieved on November 28, 2022: https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/about-hiv-and-aids/symptoms-of-hiv
[8] WebMd (August 3, 2022), The History of HIV Treatment: Antiretroviral Therapy and More. Retrieved on November 29, 2022: https://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/hiv-treat- ment-history#:~:text=- Breakthrough%20HIV%20Drug,medication%20became%20available%20in%201987
[9] WebMd (August 3, 2022), The History of HIV Treatment: Antiretroviral Therapy and More. Retrieved on November 29, 2022: https://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/hiv-treat- ment-history#:~:text=- Breakthrough%20HIV%20Drug,medication%20became%20available%20in%201987
[10] WebMd (August 3, 2022), The History of HIV Treatment: Antiretroviral Therapy and More. Retrieved on November 29, 2022: https://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/hiv-treat- ment-history#:~:text=- Breakthrough%20HIV%20Drug,medication%20became%20available%20in%201987
[11] National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (August 26, 2019), Future Direc- tions for HIV Treatment Research. Retrieved on November 27, 2022: https://www.niaid.ni- h.gov/diseases-conditions/future-hiv-treatment.
