HIV—which stands for human immunodeficiency virus—is thought to affect around 35 million people worldwide. Yet, for such a globally present disease, no cure or preventative substance has been found. So what is HIV? And how does it relate to AIDS?
As mentioned above, HIV comes from a virus, which is transmitted solely through certain bodily fluids: blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. However, these liquids are more or less harmless, unless they contact open wounds, an eye, the rectum, the nose, the vagina, the opening of the penis, or the mouth of another person. When this happens, the virus is given access to their blood and could infect them. There have been no recorded cases of HIV transmission involving a small amount of blood contacting intact skin.
If infected, the person often exhibits flu-like symptoms, a stage known as acute retroviral syndrome (ARS). During this stage—which occurs within 2-4 weeks after infection—large amounts of the virus are being produced in the body. The virus then begins destroying important immune system cells known as CD4 cells, putting the person at a great risk for infecting others.
After a while, the immune system begins to gain a foothold against the virus, bringing it back down to a stable level. Soon, the HIV-positive person reaches the clinical latency stage—which, if they are treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART), can last for decades. (Otherwise, it lasts for up to 10 years).
Eventually, CD4 cell levels begin to drop as the virus begins to overcome the immune system, leading to the AIDS stage.
AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) occurs when the infection has badly damaged the immune system, leaving the person vulnerable to infections and opportunistic cancers. A diagnosis of AIDS requires blood CD4 levels of below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood, or the development of an opportunistic illness, regardless of CD4 count. Without treatment, people diagnosed with AIDS live for only 1-3 years.
While the lack of preventative medications and vaccines or a cure may frighten some who are HIV-positive, the current therapies allow most patients to live a long and full life.
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