2. HIV is a virus that
damages the immune
system. The immune
system helps the body
fight off infections.
Untreated HIV infects
and kills CD4 cells,
which are a type of
immune cell called T
cells. Over time, as HIV
kills more CD4 cells,
the body is more likely
to get various types of
infections and cancers.
WHAT IS HIV?
3. H I V I S T R A N S M I T T E D
T H R O U G H B O D I L Y
F L U I D S T H A T
I N C L U D E :
Blood
semen
Vaginal and rectal
fluids
breast milk
The virus doesn’t
spread in air or
water, or through
casual contact.
4. HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS
• HIV is a lifelong condition and
currently there is no cure, although
many scientists are working to find
one. However, with medical care,
including treatment called
antiretroviral therapy, it’s
possible to manage HIV and live with
the virus for many years.
5. HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS
• Without treatment, a person with HIV is
likely to develop a serious condition
called AIDS. At that point, the immune
system is too weak to fight off other
diseases and infections. Untreated, life
expectancy with AIDS is about three years.
With antiretroviral therapy, HIV can be
well-controlled and life expectancy can be
nearly the same as someone who has not
contracted HIV.
6. AIDS
• AIDS is a disease that can develop in people with HIV. It’s the
most advanced stage of HIV. But just because a person has HIV
doesn’t mean they’ll develop AIDS.HIV kills CD4 cells.
• A person can also be diagnosed with AIDS if they have HIV and
develop an opportunistic infection or cancer that’s rare in
people who don’t have HIV. An opportunistic infection, such as
pneumonia, is one that takes advantage of a unique situation,
such as HIV.
• Untreated, HIV can progress to AIDS within a decade. There’s no
cure for AIDS, and without treatment, life expectancy after
diagnosis is about three years. This may be shorter if the
person develops a severe opportunistic illness. However,
treatment with antiretroviral drugs can prevent AIDS from
developing.
7. AIDS:
• If AIDS does develop, it means that the immune system is
severely compromised. It’s weakened to the point where it can no
longer fight off most diseases and infections. That makes the
person vulnerable to a wide range of illnesses, including:
• Pneumonia
• Tubercolosis
• Oral thrush, a fungal infection in the mouth or throat
• Cytomegalovirus, a type of herpes virus
• Cryptococcal meningitis, a dungal infection in the brain
• toxoplasmosis, a brain infection caused by a parasite
• Cryptosporidiosis, an infection caused by an intestinal parasite
• Cancer, including Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphoma
8. SYMPTOMS
OF HIV
• Below are the three stages of
HIV and some of the symptoms
people may experience.
a.Stage 1: Acute HIV Infection
• Within 2 to 4 weeks after
infection with HIV, about
two-thirds of people will
have a flu-like illness. This
is the body’s natural
response to HIV infection.
There are several
symptoms of HIV.
Not everyone will
have the same
symptoms. It
depends on the
person and what
stage of the
disease they are
in.
10. ACUTE HIV INFECTION
• These symptoms can last anywhere from a few
days to several weeks. But some people do not
have any symptoms at all during this early
stage of HIV.
• Don’t assume you have HIV just because you
have any of these symptoms. They can be
similar to those caused by other illnesses.
But if you think you may have been exposed to
HIV, get an HIV test.
11. TYPES OF HIV
• Stage 2: Clinical Latency
• In this stage, the virus still multiplies, but at very
low levels. People in this stage may not feel sick or
have any symptoms. This stage is also called chronic
HIV infection.
• If you take HIV treatment every day, exactly as
prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load,
you can protect your health and prevent transmission to
others. But if your viral load is detectable, you can
transmit HIV during this stage, even when you have no
symptoms. It’s important to see your health care
provider regularly to get your level checked.
13. TYPES OF HIV
• Stage 3: AIDS
• If you have HIV and you are not on HIV treatment,
eventually the virus will weaken your body’s
immune system and you will progress to AIDS
(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). This is the
late stage of HIV infection.
14. SYMPTOMS
OF AIDS
Many of the severe
symptoms and illnesses
of HIV disease come
from the opportunistic
infections that occur
because your body’s
immune system has been
damaged. See your
health care provider
if you are
experiencing any of
these symptoms.
15. SYMPTOMS OF AIDS
• Rapid weight loss
• Recurring fever or profuse night sweats
• Extreme and unexplained tiredness
• Prolonged swelling of the lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or
neck
• Diarrhea that lasts for more than a week
• Sores of the mouth, anus, or genitals
• Pneumonia
• Red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or
inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids
• Memory loss, depression, and other neurologic disorders
• Each of these symptoms can also be related to other illnesses.
The only way to know for sure if you have HIV is to get tested.
16. HIV VS. AIDS:
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
• It can be easy to confuse HIV and AIDS. They are
different diagnoses, but they do go hand-in-hand and
are often used interchangeably to describe a particular
disease. HIV is a virus that can lead to a condition
called AIDS.
•
• At one time in history, a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS was
considered a death sentence. Thanks to research and the
development of new treatments, people diagnosed with
HIV and AIDS today are living long, productive lives.
17. HIV: PERSON TO PERSON
• Some of the ways HIV is spread from person to person include:
• through vaginal or anal sex — the most common route of
transmission, especially among men who have sex with men
• by sharing needles, syringes, and other items for injection drug
use
• by sharing tattoo equipment without sterilizing it between uses
• during pregnancy, labor, or delivery from a woman to her baby
• During breastfeeding
• through “pre-mastication,” or chewing a baby’s food before
feeding it to them
• through exposure to the blood of someone living with HIV, such
as through a needle stick
18. HIV: PERSON TO PERSON
• It’s theoretically possible, but considered extremely rare,
for HIV to spread through:
• oral sex (only if there are bleeding gums or open sores in
the person’s mouth)
• being bitten by a person with HIV (only if the saliva is
bloody or there are open sores in the person’s mouth)
• contact between broken skin, wounds, or mucous membranes and
the blood of someone living with HIV
19. HIV DOES NOT SPREAD THROUGH:
• skin-to-skin contact
• hugging, shaking hands, or kissing
• air or water
• sharing food or drinks, including drinking fountains
• saliva, tears, or sweat (unless mixed with the blood of a
person with HIV)sharing a toilet, towels, or bedding
• mosquitoes or other insects
20. CAUSES OF HIV
• HIV is a variation of a virus that infects African
chimpanzees. Scientists suspect the simian
immunodeficiency virus (SIV) jumped from chimps to
humans when people consumed infected chimpanzee meat.
Once inside the human population, the virus mutated
into what we now know as HIV. This likely occurred as
long ago as the 1920s.HIV spread from person to person
throughout Africa over the course of several decades.
Eventually, the virus migrated to other parts of the
world. Scientists first discovered HIV in a human blood
sample in 1959.It’s thought that HIV has existed in the
United States since the 1970s, but it didn’t start to
hit public consciousness until the 1980s.
