HIV AIDS TREATMENT

In 1981 scientists in the United States and France first recognized the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AIDS which was later discovered to be caused by a virus called the Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV HIV breaks down the bodys immunity to infections leading to AIDS The virus can lie hidden in the body for up to 10 years without producing any obvious symptoms or before developing into the AIDS disease and in the meantime the person can unknowingly infect others Currently an estimated 40 million people worldwide are HIV carriers and three million a year are dying of AIDS.aids testing,aids treatment,hiv aids cure,hiv aids treatment,hiv prevention,hiv symptoms,hiv testing,hiv transmission,hiv treatment,hiv virus HIV lives in white blood cells and is present in the sexual fluids of humans Its difficult to catch and is spread mostly through sexual intercourse by needle or syringe sharing among intravenous drug users in blood transfusions and during pregnancy and birth if the mother is infected Using another persons razor blade or having your body pierced or tattooed are also risky but the HIV virus cannot be transmitted by shaking hands kissing cuddling fondling sneezing cooking food or sharing eating or drinking utensils One cannot be infected by saliva sweat tears urine or feces toilet seats telephones swimming pools or mosquito bites do not cause AIDS Ostracizing a known AIDS victim is not only immoral but also absurd.

Most blood banks now screen their products for HIV and you can protect yourself against dirty needles by only allowing an injection if you see the syringe taken out of a fresh unopened pack The simplest safeguard during sex is the proper use of a latex condom Unroll the condom onto the erect penis while withdrawing after ejaculation hold onto the condom as you come out Never try to recycle a condom and pack a supply with you as it can be a nuisance trying to buy them on short notice

AIDS is considered as the most dreaded disease of the present era Human Immunodeficiency Virus commonly known as HIV is unarguably the most destructive health condition HIV was and also is known by some other names like human lymphotropic virus type III lymphadenopathy virus and lymphadenopathy associated virus HIV is retrovirus Retrovirus means one that has RNA genome with reverse transcriptase enzyme With the help of these features this virus makes complementary DNA that can integrate into host organism DNA Though Robert Gallo an American researcher claims discovery of HIV virus the credit of discovering HIV virus goes to Luc Montagnier a French physician who discovered this virus along with his teammates in 198384

Transfer of HIV virus from one person to another occurs through blood vaginal fluid semen preejaculate and breast milk HIV virus is present in these body fluids in form of free virus particles and virus in the infected immune cells Unprotected sexual intercourse transmission of virus from mother to baby at birth or through breast milk and contaminated needles are the three main routes for transmission of HIV virus from one person to another Developed countries have achieved success in eliminating transmission of HIV virus through blood transfusions or blood products by screening of blood and blood products before transfusion

Unarguably HIV is most destructive pandemic According to the statistics released by World Health Organization and Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS more than 25 million people have succumbed to AIDS since its recognition in 1981

Ignorance towards treatment of HIV symptoms may lead to development of AIDS and subsequent death in most of the HIV infected persons

Unfortunately there is no known cure for HIV infections as well as AIDS Treatments are aimed at repairing hormonal imbalances and enhancing immune system Generally antiretroviral are used for treating HIV infections Use of antiretroviral increase the life expectancy of HIV infected people Researches are on to develop a specific treatment for treating HIV infections which can help individuals with HIV infections to achieve life expectancy at par with general people

Apart from the medications treatment of HIV infections involves intake of adequate quantity of minerals vitamins and nutritious diet Some alternative therapies like herbal medications and homeopathy may be helpful in reducing intensity of HIV infection symptoms Natural dietary supplements like colloidal silver colloidal gold colloidal copper etc may provide significant results in prevention of HIV infections Dietary supplements contain natural elements like silver gold etc These elements are known for their proprietary of regulating hormonal imbalances and strengthening immune system Moreover these substances have the property of killing bacteria viruses and other harmful microorganisms.HIV virus can transfer through blood vaginal fluid semen preejaculate and breast milk HIV virus may be present in form of free virus particles and virus in the infected cells in these body fluids The main sources of transmission include unprotected sexual intercourse transmission of virus from mother to baby at birth or through breast milk and contaminated needles Possibility of transmission of HIV virus through blood transfusions or blood products can be eliminated by screening of blood and blood products before transfusion.If left untreated most of the HIV infections may lead to development of AIDS and result in death of the infected.Till date there is no cure for HIV infections However certain medications generally antiretroviral can provide relief from HIV symptoms up to certain extent The main aim of HIV infection treatment is to prevent the deterioration by strengthening body immune system and repairing hormonal balances Some alternative therapies life herbal supplements and homeopathy medicines may be helpful in preventing reducing HIV symptoms Natural dietary supplements like colloidal gold colloidal silver and other liquid supplements may prove to be helpful in prevention of HIV infections Use of colloidal silver can help you in regulating hormonal imbalances and restrict the growth affects of virus that can cause HIV infection

HIV is spread more often through anal than vaginal sex because the lining of the rectum is much weaker than that of the vagina and ordinary condoms sometimes tear when used in anal sex If you have anal sex only use extrastrong condoms and special waterbased lubricants since oil Vaseline and cream weaken the rubber During oral sex you must make sure you dont get any semen or menstrual blood in your mouth A woman runs 10 times the risk of contracting AIDS from a man than the other way around and the threat is always greater when another sexually transmitted disease STD is present.

The very existence of AIDS calls for a basic change in human behavior No vaccine or drug exists that can prevent or cure AIDS and because the virus mutates frequently no remedy may ever be totally effective Other STDs such as syphilis gonorrhea chlamydia hepatitis B and herpes are far more common than AIDS and can lead to serious complications such as infertility but at least they can usually be cured.You should always practice safe sex to prevent AIDS and other STDs You never know who is infected or even if you yourself have become infected Its important to bring the subject up before you start to make love Make a joke out of it by pulling out a condom and asking your new partner Say do you know what this is Or perhaps Your condom or mine Far from being unromantic or embarrassing youll both feel more relaxed with the subject off your minds and its much better than worrying afterwards if you might have been infected The golden rule is safe sex or no sex.An HIV infection can be detected through a blood test because the antibodies created by the body to fight off the virus can be seen under a microscope It takes at least three weeks for the antibodies to be produced and in some cases as long as six months before they can be picked up during a screening test If you think you may have run a risk you should discuss the appropriateness of a test with your doctor Its always better to know if you are infected so as to be able to avoid infecting others to obtain early treatment of symptoms and to make realistic plans If you know someone with AIDS you should give them all the support you can theres no danger in such contact unless blood is present

Back in the days when Aids was talked about every day about 5 years ago it seemed logical that by now they would have found a cure As recent as last week on national TV I was shocked to find out that in a survey amongst our youths in colleges and high schools that they practiced unprotected sex because theyre under the impression that Aids can now be cured or at the very least controlled.It seems to me that someone has failed in public awareness First and foremost I doubt if our youths even understand what Aids stands for The translation is Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome Lets leave out two words Acquired and Syndrome and focus on ImmunoDeficiency The word Immuno stems from the word Immune and Deficiency speaks for itself So broadly speaking your immune system is deficient or not strong enough to ward off diseases many diseases but the most common associated with Aids being some form of cancer.The HIV virus which is the virus that is depleting your immune system basically allows one to catch anything as as simple as a common cold which doesnt go away develops into different variations of pneumonia candida other forms of diseases including sarcoma cancer etc It is said that symptoms of Aids vary from diarrhea sudden loss of weight fevers and rashes swollen glands etc.

It still amazes me today that given the statistics on Aids around the globe much of which can be found on the internet that people in general still dont understand why the variations of sicknesses from one country to another Before 1993 on or about the year they finally labeled the problem the predominant disease in a certain country was associated with that countries lifestyle As the HIV virus gained strenght obviously you had more people getting sick of that same disease whether it was pneumonia in Africa or cancer in the USA because more peoples immune system was being affected by the mutating HIV virus.Now of course this is just my view and Im no medical doctor or researcher Im just a very arguementative logical and analytical person who hates BS when it comes to issues of the general publics awareness and welfare Aids is not even a disease per say It is a virus which affects the immune system in such a way that the human body becomes more susceptible to getting all forms of known diseases In other words one person having sarcoma cancer without the HIV virus is said to have cancer while the other with sarcoma with the HIV virus is said to have Aids which brought on his sarcoma.Is this confusing to you It should be since it even baffles the medical community and researchers on Aids But here is what most people dont know because it is not extensively being made known or getting enough attention as it should Experts agree including the cofounder of Aids that increasing glutathion levels in your cells naturally buildsup your immune system They also said that in experimental research and clinical studies high levels of glutathion in your cells demonstrated convincing results in the treatment of major diseases including aids cancers and highgrade bacterial infections Actually studies with advanced cancer patients in Canada and Japan confirmed earlier studies which demonstrated significant reductions in the size and incidence of malignant tumors.

Now that tells me that someone is purposely withholding information to the general public at least on a wide scale Im not at liberty short of being threatened or sued to disclose any more information online But your guess Im sure is an accurate one

Healthcare Provider for Your HIV Treatment.There are a number of things that you must consider when searching for the right healthcare provider for your HIV treatment Healthcare Provider can mean a physician a Nurse Practitioner or a Physicians Assistant Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants are not doctors but they have received extensive education and training and in most states they are allowed to treat patients with only a minimum amount of physician supervision You and your provider must work together as a team and remember you are the most important member of that team Take an active role in planning your healthcare by reading and learning all that you can about the disease ask your healthcare provider for written information or read information on reputable web sites I would suggest starting with the Ceters for Disease Control or your states health department and broaden your search by following the links on those sites Work in partnership with your provider to make decisions about you health care this will make it much easier for you to stick to your treatment plan and remain healthy.If you are newly diagnosed with HIV you are most likely feeling overwhelmed and may tend to avoid and procrastinate when it comes to seeking treatment These behaviours are understandable but may also be detrimental to your health Early treatment will help you to understand what is going on in your body and will also allow your provider to assess whether or not you need lifesaving medications immediately It can prevent or delay the progression of your disease to AIDS and prevent you from getting sick You will also need a place to turn for emotional support information and education Early in treatment you will receive information regarding preventing the spread of HIV infection safer sexual practices and needle exchange programs if you are an intravenous drug user You will also be directed to a counsellor or your local Health Department to discuss notification of any sexual or needlesharing partners of their possible exposure to HIV

If you are relocating to a new city you will want to research the healthcare options where you have moved and make the best decision for continuing your care in a timely manner.

You may also want to change providers as time goes on You always have the right to stop seeing a provider and change to another at any time for any reason If you dont like your provider or you feel uncomfortable with him or her or if you feel that your health care needs are not being addressed or your ideas about your treatment are now different from your providers then it is time to search for another provider. Training and Experience HIV treatment is very complicated and changes quickly and there are many things to consider at all stages of the disease It is essential that you see an HIV specialist someone who treats a significant number of HIV infected patients and who is certified as a specialist by the American Academy of HIV Medicine http www aahivm org Your provider must be committed to staying current and uptodate with the field Ask how many HIV patients the provider has treated and how many they currently see Ask if he or she has experience treating patients at all stages of the disease.Availability Ask the office staff how long it usually takes to get an appointment or to reschedule an appointment if you have to cancel Also inquire about being able to get an appointment quickly if you are sick or are having a problem You can see a general internist for other primary care needs but I would recommend that you search for an HIV specialist who is also willing to provide primary care services Every time another provider treats you there is the potential for a possible HIVrelated problem to be overlooked or for a medication to be prescribed that has interactions with your HIV medications You also need to find out how easy it is to have your provider return phone calls to you when you have questions that cannot be answered by the nursing staff. Office Staff and Environment You will most likely have complex problems and issues that will require expert assistance from support staff such as nurses insurance and billing specialists mental health and substance abuse counsellors social workers and case managers The support staff is there to help you to get the benefits and help that you need Although your initial visit to the office will be frightening and intimidating you should be able to come out of the visit with a feel for whether or not it is a good fit for you and will provide you with the services that you need and allow you to develop trust and confidence in your care.The PatientProvider Relationship Your relationship with your provider is perhaps the most important aspect of your care During the initial visit with the provider you will be able to assess if you will be able to develop trust and confidence in the provider Most people do not want a canned approach to their healthcare where every patient must do the same thing Remember this is a partnership not a dictatorship Discuss your goals and ideas about treatment to make sure that the provider is willing to be somewhat flexible and adjust to your needs while still providing you with highquality care You will get a feel for the providers overall outlook and approach during this initial visit is it optimistic and hopeful In order for you to get the best care you must be comfortable discussing anything with your provider He she must be comfortable and nonjudgemental about sensitive lifestyle issues such as sexual practices and drug use to name just a few.

Mother To Child Transmission Of HIV

Mother to child transmission MTCT is the largest source of HIV infection in children below 15 years MTCT also known as perinatal or vertical transmission occurs when HIV is spread from an HIV positive woman to her baby during pregnancy labour and delivery or breast feeding HIV and AIDS is one of the major causes of death in children throughout the world According to Labbok 2003 of 580 000 deaths from HIV and AIDS in children under 15years of age 500 000 have been in Africa 8090% of such deaths are due to MTCT and 200 000 were secondary to breast feeding

Increasing number of children have HIV infection especially in the countries hardest hit by the pandemic In 2002 an estimated 3 2 million children under 15 years of age were living with HIV and AIDS a total of 800 000 were newly infected and 610 000 died HIV and AIDS have been estimated to account for about 8% deaths in children under 5 years of age in Sub Saharan Africa In areas where the prevalence of HIV in pregnant women exceeded 35% the contribution of HIV and AIDS to childhood mortality was as high as 42%

World wide in 2001 1 8 million women became infected with HIV and approximately 800 000 children also became infected the majority of them via MTCT Breast feeding is an important mode of transmission during the postpartum period accounting to nearly one third of entire MTCT of HIV In East Africa it is estimated that 1020% of women are HIV positive2 With the HIV epidemic showing shift towards women and young people the increasing seroprevalence among women will lead to an increase in the MTCT

Of great concern in this HIV era is the issue of breast feeding Besides being an intense personal concern the issue of HIV transmission through breast feeding is also of public health importance especially in countries where both fertility rates and HIV infection rates among pregnant women are high Now it is widely recognized that HIV is transmitted to an infant during breast feeding with an average of approximately one out seven infants born to an HIV infected mother becoming infected through breast feeding up to 24 months Efficiency of HIV transmission through breast milk ranges between 1629% Of the 30% of babies who get infected vertically the relative frequency of timing of transmission is as follows 2% early in gestation 3% late in gestation 15% during labour 5% early in postpartum period and 5% in late postpartum period Although WHO unicef and other United Nations agencies currently recommend that HIVpositive mothers avoid breast feeding if replacement feeding from birth is acceptable feasible affordable sustainable and safe AFASS it is not practically possible to adopt this policy in resource limited countries like Uganda Thus research is necessary to make this feasible

This article summarizes research findings regarding MTCT of HIV particularly through breast feeding

Knowledge on the role of breast feeding in MTCT of HIV

In order that interventions on the prevention of MTCT to become effective it is important to know the level of knowledge attitude and practices of women in relation to MTCT of HIV and breast feeding According to community based crosssectional study done among mothers aged 1640 years in Dar es Salaam only 25% of the population knew that breast feeding could be source of HIV transmission Among women who knew about HIV transmission through breast feeding 54 1% indicated they will avoid breast feeding while 45 9% indicted they will continue breast feeding The main reason given was stigmatization Generally the knowledge and attitudes regarding MTCT and breast feeding in developing countries are not well known Thus there is need to educate the masses on this issue Unlike in developed countries where MTCT of HIV is known to most mothers a lot still ahs to be done in developing countries where the vast majority of women are completely ignorant about it.

Prevention of MTCT

Current interventions aimed at reducing MTCT target the peripartum period but their application in populations where breast feeding is the norm presents considerable problem Effective interventions used include reduction of maternal viral load through ARV therapy the avoidance of exposure to contaminated maternal secretions through delivery by caesarean section and avoidance of breast feeding Washing the birth canal with antiseptic to reduce exposure to contaminated section also has some effect Several questions and challenges remain For example choice availability affordability duration and long term safety of ARV agents to be used during pregnancy and early neonatal life and the issue of transmission in situations where alternatives to breast feeding are not available The challenge is to find the most cost effective and feasible intervention to achieve zero percent transmission of HIV from an infected mother to her child

Pregnant women face many difficult decisions including decisions around HIV testing treatment options and infant feeding A womans male partners extended family greater community and health care setting all influence her decision and ability to take advantage of MTCT prevention In developing countries there is lack of access to medications in general and ARV drugs in particular In addition there is very little access to good health care for women both before and after birth limited HIV counseling and testing and high stigma and discrimination against HIV positive women In the developed world it is recommended that HIV positive mothers do not breast feed as formula feeding is safe well accept and readily available Formula feeding requires clean water for mixing formula or sanitation and cannot afford formula and therefore cannot avoid breast feeding

HIV is a preventable disease MTCT is best prevented by effective accessible and sustainable HIV prevention diagnosis and treatment programs for women men and their children Structural interventions are also needed that increase access to HIV treatment treatments clean water and formula Education and empowerment for all women in every country are as essential as access to good medical care and nutrition for women and their children whether they are HIV positive or HIV negative With the Sub Saharan African socioeconomic setting exclusive breast feeding of the baby born to HIVpositive mother is inevitable lest the baby dies within the first days after birth Replacement feeding is unacceptable unaffordable unsustainable unsafe and not feasible in most of these countries So the big question remains how can nutritionists and other health workers make breast feeding safer for every baby born to HIV positive mother and improve upon complementary feeding for such children Thus there is greater need for urgent research on how to improve the local foods to make them nutritionally balanced and safer for complementary feeding and replacement feeding of such children

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