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Though individuals are extra educated concerning the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at this time, there are nonetheless misconceptions concerning the virus. False assumptions can enhance the danger of an infection and the chances of transmitting the virus to another person. Listed below are some myth-busting solutions to essentially the most generally requested questions on HIV.
1. Are HIV and AIDS the Identical Factor?
HIV and AIDs usually are not the identical factor. HIV is a virus, whereas AIDS is a stage of superior an infection. Particularly, HIV, or the human immunodeficiency virus, is an infectious virus that regularly breaks down an individual’s immune system, leaving the physique much less capable of defend itself in opposition to viruses, micro organism, fungi, and parasites. These infections, that are known as “opportunistic,” are typically delicate within the early levels and may turn into progressively worse as they deplete your immune system.
AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is the stage of the illness when the immune system is weakened by the lack of CD4 T cells (additionally known as helper T cells). These are white blood cells that assist fend off dangerous pathogens within the physique. With out these defenses, an individual will probably be at excessive threat for critical diseases {that a} wholesome particular person would be capable of combat off.
AIDS is recognized when an individual has a CD4 depend of lower than 200 (that means lower than 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood) or has not less than one among 27 AIDS-defining situations outlined by the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), equivalent to recurrent pneumonia and a few lymphomas.
2. Can HIV Stay Exterior the Physique?
HIV doesn’t dwell exterior the physique for very lengthy. In contrast with different varieties of viruses, equivalent to flu or chickenpox, HIV is comparatively fragile: It doesn’t thrive at room temperature (68 levels F), when uncovered to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the solar, or at pH ranges which can be dissimilar to that of blood.
Even when a small quantity of virus does handle to outlive for a brief time period, the chances that it’s going to infect you might be subsequent to zero. There have been no confirmed circumstances of HIV attributable to a blood-tainted needle in a public place up to now. Even in a healthcare setting, the danger of an infection from a needlestick harm is lower than 1 %, per the CDC.
3. Which Actions Are Most More likely to Transmit HIV?
The three essential routes of HIV an infection in the US are anal intercourse, vaginal intercourse, and shared needles. Of those, unprotected anal intercourse poses the best threat. Right here is the estimated likelihood of buying HIV from an contaminated supply, by drug use and completely different intercourse acts, based on the CDC:
- Receptive anal intercourse: 1 in 72
- Shared injection drug use: 1 in 160
- Insertive anal intercourse: 1 in 909
- Receptive penile-vaginal intercourse: 1 in 1,250
- Insertive penile-vaginal intercourse: 1 in 2,500
The extra you have interaction in these actions, the extra doubtless you might be to contract the virus, though it’s nonetheless attainable to get contaminated after a single publicity.
Should you’re apprehensive about your threat of contracting HIV, speak to your healthcare supplier about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a extremely efficient oral or injectable remedy for HIV prevention. In line with the CDC, it could scale back the danger of HIV an infection by intercourse by 99 % when taken accurately.
RELATED: 7 Issues You Can Do to Shield In opposition to HIV
4. Can You Get HIV From Oral Intercourse?
Whereas there’s a attainable threat of getting HIV from oral intercourse, the documented threat stays extraordinarily low. The CDC says that the danger is tough to quantify, as a result of lots of people who’ve oral intercourse have anal or vaginal intercourse, too.
Nonetheless, there are specific elements that will enhance the potential for an infection. These embrace coexisting sexually transmitted illnesses (STDs) and bleeding gums. Even then, it’s unlikely that an individual will probably be contaminated by having oral intercourse. Utilizing a condom or dental dam can additional scale back the already low threat, as can taking medication to forestall or deal with HIV.
5. How Widespread Are False Negatives and False Positives?
Because of the usage of next-generation applied sciences, the accuracy of HIV testing in healthcare settings has by no means been higher. Nonetheless, false positives and false negatives have been identified to happen, albeit occasionally.
Right now, the false damaging price for antibody-only exams is just round 0.3 % (or roughly 3 out of each 1,000 exams), based on i-BASE. False optimistic charges are even decrease — between 0.0004 % and 0.0007 %, based on StatPearls — due largely to the apply of confirming a optimistic outcome with a secondary take a look at.
If a false damaging does happen, it’s typically the results of untimely testing through the so-called window interval. That is the time period following an infection when the physique has not but produced sufficient protecting proteins (known as antibodies) to register an correct outcome. If this occurs, an individual might imagine that they haven’t been contaminated.
Newer antigen/antibody lab exams have considerably decreased this window interval, based on the CDC. Nonetheless, you continue to want to attend about three to 5 weeks after being uncovered to the virus to get a dependable outcome.
That mentioned, when you assume you’ve been uncovered to HIV within the final 72 hours, the CDC says to contact a well being supplier, hospital, or pressing care heart straight away about getting post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
6. How Correct Are In-House HIV Exams?
At present there is just one in-home HIV take a look at out there in the US, OraQuick, promoted as a way to make sure privateness for individuals who may in any other case keep away from getting examined. It’s simple to make use of, requiring solely a easy saliva swab, and may return a end in as little as 20 minutes.
As a result of antibody ranges in saliva are decrease than they’re in blood, this take a look at can fall quick in its skill to detect an infection. In line with the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA), 1 in 12 OraQuick exams will ship a false damaging, that means that roughly 1 out of each 12 exams will ship an incorrect all-clear signal.
7. Can a Pap Smear Detect HIV?
A Pap smear is effective for a lot of issues, however HIV detection isn’t one among them. The intention of a Pap smear is to determine cell adjustments that will point out cervical most cancers, to not test for the presence of HIV, which will be recognized solely with a blood- or saliva-based HIV take a look at.
That mentioned, Pap smears are particularly essential for girls who’ve HIV; these ladies are not less than 5 occasions extra more likely to develop invasive cervical most cancers than ladies who don’t have HIV. The take a look at can be used to display screen for anal most cancers and the human papillomavirus (HPV).
8. How Lengthy Does It Take for HIV Signs to Seem?
As much as 80 % of newly contaminated individuals expertise signs through the early (acute) stage of HIV an infection. These typically develop inside two to 4 weeks of publicity and resemble signs of the flu, equivalent to fever, sore throat, physique rash, headache, and muscle and joint ache, based on the Nationwide Well being Service (NHS).
One of many extra telling indicators of acute an infection is lymphadenopathy, the typically painful swelling of the lymph nodes, particularly on the neck, behind the ears, below the armpits, and within the higher groin. Whereas flu-like signs can final wherever from a number of days to a number of weeks, lymphadenopathy can persist for months and even years and will enhance solely after the beginning of HIV remedy.
After the acute stage of HIV an infection, signs might not reappear for a number of years, however the virus remains to be lively and inflicting injury if left untreated, per the NHS. That’s the reason it’s essential to see a healthcare supplier as quickly as attainable when you suspect you will have HIV.
9. Do HIV Signs Differ in Girls and Males?
The HIV signs in women and men don’t differ very a lot. Nonetheless, ladies with HIV will be inclined to different infections that will trigger signs within the genital tract, together with bacterial vaginosis and candidiasis, a standard fungal an infection that may manifest as a vaginal yeast an infection. (Oral thrush, a fungal an infection, can seem in each men and women.)
Girls with HIV even have an elevated threat for recurrent and hard-to-treat pelvic inflammatory illness (PID) and may expertise irregular intervals, cramping, and strange discharge.
Within the later levels of HIV, ladies who even have HPV usually tend to have an elevated threat of cervical most cancers; homosexual and bisexual males with HPV usually tend to develop anal most cancers.
However past these variations, the illness varies extra by the person than by intercourse. Different elements, like genetics, age, remedy historical past, and way of life habits equivalent to smoking, weight loss program, and train additionally play a task.
10. How Lengthy Can I Wait Earlier than Beginning Therapy?
Ideally, you shouldn’t wait to begin remedy. Up to now, medical doctors would delay remedy till an individual’s CD4 depend fell under 500 — largely due to considerations concerning the long-term results of HIV remedy and the untimely improvement of a drug-resistant virus — however that’s now not the case.
“Right now, issues are completely different,” says Linda-Gail Bekker, PhD, an infectious illness specialist and deputy director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre on the College of Cape City in South Africa. “Newer-generation medicine have overcome many of those considerations. Furthermore, if [treated] correctly, an individual with HIV can now count on to get pleasure from near-normal life expectancy.”
The main target, due to this fact, is now not simply on life extension; it’s on preserving high quality of life. Analysis funded by the Nationwide Institutes of Well being confirmed that early HIV remedy (began at CD4 counts above 500) decreased the danger of significant sickness by 53 % in contrast with delayed remedy.
That’s the reason the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies now recommends that HIV remedy start on the time of analysis.
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