Health Matters: Basic Knowledge About HIV vs AIDS (II)

Basic Knowledge about HIV and AIDS - II

HIV vs. AIDS

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS
Not everyone who is infected with HIV has AIDS
Everyone with AIDS is infected with HIV

AIDS is result of progression of HIV Infection
Anyone infected with HIV, although healthy, can still transmit the virus to another person

How HIV is transmitted?

• Sexual Transmission (85%)
• unprotected heterosexual intercourse
• homosexual intercourse between men
• Mother to child (10%)
• during pregnancy
• at delivery
• through breast feeding
• Blood and blood products (5%)
• transfusion, clinical use of blood products, transplant
• unsterile surgical and injection equipment
• sharing syringes among drug users

Things you need to know:

HIV is Not Transmitted Through the Following:

• Casual contact such as sharing food, shaking hands, hugging, kissing

• Contact with saliva, tears, sweat, urine, feces
  Airborne exposure via person who is coughing or sneezing Donating blood.

Risk behind Sexual Transmission:

• multiple sexual partners
• non-use of barrier methods (condoms)
• viral load of infected person
• type of sexual contact (anal intercourse is riskier than vaginal; vaginal is riskier than oral)
• lack of circumcision in men
• co-existence of untreated STIs

Role of STIs in HIV Transmission:

• STIs may cause inflammation and ulceration, which
• increases the risk of acquiring infection by: increasing recruitment of uninfected lymphocytes to the site of the inflammation
  disrupting the genital epithelium and endothelium.

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