MUST KNOW FACTS ABOUT HIV/AIDS FOR EVEYONE!


HIV / AIDS A perspective


by: Mehjabeen Poonawala


AIDS is caused by the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which damages the body's defense system. People infected with HIV usually live for years without any signs of the disease. They may look and feel healthy, but they can still pass on the virus to others.


HIV is a retrovirus with two primary types: HIV-1 and HIV-2. There are many strains of both types and all mutate rapidly, which has made it particularly difficult for researchers to find an effective vaccine or treatment for the virus. HIV infection is often mostly or entirely asymptomatic (without symptoms) and the most common signs, which include fever, fatigue, rash, and lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), are often mistaken for mononucleosis, flu, or similar, comparatively harmless diseases.


AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection. People who have AIDS grow weaker because their bodies loose the ability to fight off illness. In adults, AIDS develops 7 to 10 years after infection, on an average. In young children, it usually develops much faster.

It is not possible to get HIV /AIDS from touching those who are infected. Hugging, shaking hands, coughing and sneezing will not spread the disease. HIV /AIDS cannot be transmitted through toilet seats, telephones, plates, glasses eating utensils, towels, bed linen, swimming pools or public baths.


AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is an incurable but preventable disease. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the virus that cause AIDS, spreads through unprotected sex (intercourse without a condom), transfusions of unscreened blood, contaminated needles and syringes (most often those used for injecting drugs) and from an infected woman to her child during pregnancy, childbirth and breast feeding.

All people including children are at a risk for HIV/AIDS everyone needs information and education bout the disease and access to condoms to reduce this risk.

Anyone who suspects that he or she might be infected with HIV should contact a health worker or an HIV.AIDS center to receive confidential counseling and testing.


The risk of getting HIV through sex can be reduced if people don't have sex, if the reduce the number of sex partners, if uninfected partners have sex only with each other, or if people have safer sex- sex without penetration or while using a condom. Correct and consistent use of condoms can save lives by preventing the spread of HIV.

Girls are especially vulnerable to HIV infection and need support to protected against unwanted and unsafe sex.

Parents and teachers can help young people protect themselves from HIV /AIDS by talking with them about how to avoid getting and spreading the disease, including the correct and consistent use of male or female condoms.


HIV infection can be passed from a mother to her child during pregnancy or childbirth or through breastfeeding. Pregnant women or new mothers who are infected with HIV, or suspect that they are infected, should consult a qualified health worker to seek testing and counseling.

Un-sterilized needles or syringes, most often those used for injecting drugs, can spread HIV. Used razor blades, knives or tools that cut or pierce the skin also carry some risk of spreading HIV.

People who have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) are at a greater risk of getting HIV and of spreading HIV to others. People with STIs should seek prompt treatment and avoid sexual intercourse or practice safer sex.

NUTRITION AND AIDS

Consuming a balanced diet lessens the impact but does not cure the disease, whereas poor nutritional status definitely contributes to onset of symptoms such as body wasting and fever.

All persons with HIV infections and AIDS need early ongoing medical nutrition therapy. The goal should be to educate individuals about the importance of consuming a well- balanced diet, to provide adequate nutrition for maintenance or improvement in the nutritional status and to prevent protein-energy malnutrition and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.


About the author: Mehjabeen Poonawala - Ph.D. Research Scholar (Foods and Nutrition) The author is Content Editor of http://www.eguruguide.com which is a health information portal. eguruguide.com offers quality information on topics like Nutrition, Diet, Obesity, Diabetes, Food habits, Blood pressure and weightloss.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FITNESS FOR SENIORS. TAKE YOUR HEALTH BACK.

Image
Health and fitness are major concerns for most seniors, usually because they've spent decades ignoring those topics. If that includes YOU, at what age did you decide your fitness level wasn't a priority? Fortunately in most cases it's not too late - you can start taking back your health and fitness at any age!   From treadmills to exercise machines to free weight areas, more and more people over 60 are turning up regularly at gyms and working out regularly. Most marathons these days have athletes 60 and older joining them, and the half-marathons see even more seniors taking part. And golf courses, tennis courts and squash courts are often populated with seniors, both for their enjoyment and to help them get and stay fit. But if your physical condition isn't up to extreme senior sports, the good news is you can start much more simply. Health and fitness require proper exercise, nutrition and sufficient rest to recover fully.  But seniors don...
Read more

Why we Die Young.

Image
     Okay, so death is inevitable. But dying before our time is not. Granted, many millions of people do make a hasty exit from the human race long before they're ready to pass the baton, but that's not because they're built that way. Often, they simply do things to accelerate the process.              The saying "live fast, die young" applies here, says Dr. Webtser. Men smoke tobacco. They eat fatty foods. they sit around and dont exercise. They do all this wrong things. Then they end up with real trouble like heart disease or cancer and act like it's a sudden occurence. Those diseases are not a consequence of aging they're a consequence of living poorly. Start laying plaque in your arteries, and you'll end up with heart disease. Injure your cells with toxins from cigarette smoke, and you'll get cancer.              And even if you somehow escape ...
Read more

HOW TO KEEP ACTIVE MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY AFTER RITIREMENT.

Image
Keeping active daily and learning new things can make for a stimulating retirement with little boredom. If you didn't lead an active life, now is a great time to start since nothing is in the way to hold you back. Hanging out with other seniors that are active will help you stay active, too. You may not keep at it unless you are motivated, and having friends join you in an activity helps you keep doing it. If you are starting a new activity, have a spouse or buddy join with you. Doing aerobic exercise increases your endurance which increases your heart rate and breathing capacity. Some examples are brisk walking, swimming, dancing, and biking. Strength exercise, which includes lifting free weights, increases muscle mass and strength.  You can also accomplish this by using resistance bands. It is also good for maintaining your bone density which prevents any falls from doing a lot of damage. The weights don't need to be too heavy to do the job, and ...
Read more