HIV and How it Spreads

The Q's & A's on this page describe HIV and how it spreads. They have been selected from the numerous questions asked about HIV and AIDS to give a brief introduction to the disease. Other questions on HIV have also been grouped under different headings with links on this page. Click on the relevant link to get to the desired page.

Q - What is HIV?

A - HIV is an infection that knocks out the body's immune system and causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in its advanced stage.

Q - What causes HIV?

A - HIV and AIDS are caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV is a retrovirus that infects the cells responsible for the defense of the body, multiply in them and destroy them.

Q - What is AIDS?

A - AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)is a complex of diseases that affects the body as a result of HIV infection. First a person is infected with the virus (HIV) then the virus begins to multiply and destroy the body's immune system. When the destructive process reaches advanced stages, the body is no longer able to adequately defend itself from other minor infections; this is the stage that is called AIDS. It's the end-stage of HIV infection.

Q - How common is HIV/AIDS infection?

A - According to the global facts and figures published by UNAIDS for the year 2005, there are currently 38.6 million people in the world living with HIV, 2.8 million people died as a result of AIDS, there were 4.1 million people newly infected with HIV. Of these, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the largest percentage followed by Asia, then Latin America¹.

Q - How is HIV spread?

A - HIV is spread when there is an exchange of body fluids especially blood.

1. Sexual intercourse with an infected person is the commonest mode of spread. The chances are greater is sexual intercourse is unprotected. Note that using protection only reduces but does not guaranty that you won't get the infection.
2. Needle/Sharp object sharing: Intravenous drug users who have the habit of sharing needles can get HIV if they share needles with HIV infected persons. Also sharing objects like shaving sticks and hair clippers can lead to infection if there are cuts.
3. Mother to child transmission: In 2005, 1,500 children were infected with HIV everyday and most of them were newborns who got infected from their mothers¹. Children can be infected during pregnancy, at labour/delivery and through breast milk from infected mothers. The good news is that if an infected mother takes the proper treatment she can cut the chances of infecting her baby by over 50%.
4. Blood Transfusion: Being transfused with HIV infected blood or blood products (like in Haemophiliacs) can cause HIV infection. Blood is now routinely screened for HIV1 and HIV2, and treated with UV rays before transfusion in most reputable health care facilities. However, it's good to know that HIV can be spread this way and so if you ever need a transfusion, cross-check with your doctor if this has been done.

Q - How can I test if I have HIV?

A - To test if you are infected with HIV, go to your doctor or any HIV testing centre and ask for a test. At the centre, a rapid screening test will be done. If it's positive, then a confirmation test will be done using a specialized test known as the Western Blot (WB).

There are now some HIV home tests which you can also use.

Q - What are the Symptoms of HIV/AIDS infection?

A - Most people with HIV are unaware that they are infected because it usually shows no symptoms in newly infected people. This is a big reason for the problem of HIV and how it spreads like wild fire. About 1 to 2 months after infection the infected person may show some non-specific flu-like symptoms like fever, headaches, tiredness, muscle aches, and enlarged lymph nodes. Later on there may be other symptoms like flaky skin or rash, white patches in the mouth (oral thrush), vaginal candidiasis and weight loss. More on HIV symptoms and early warning signs

Q - How is it treated?

A - HIV is treated using a combination of anti-retroviral drugs. Once treatment is started, it is continued for the life of the individual because there is still no permanent medical cure for HIV/AIDS at the moment.

Q - How can it be prevented?

A - These are some measures that can help prevent HIV transmission: avoiding risky behaviours like unprotected sexual intercourse and needle sharing, treating of infected pregnant mothers, screening blood and blood products.

Knowing about HIV and how it is spread is the first step in preventing the disease. That way you will be in a better position to protect yourself and others from being infected. And when you've learnt about HIV and how it spreads, please Spread the message and NOT the virus!

Created - August, 2006

Common Diseases Associated with HIV

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