- people avoiding you
- people criticizing and scolding you
- people looking at you as if you are the virus itself
- spouse leaving you
- doctors and nurses handling you as if you are an "untouchable"
- dentists saying "NO" to you
- hawkers not letting you use their utensils
- your employer sacks you
- no one wants to eat at the same table with you
- no one is willing to hug you when you are sad
- no one is willing to shake your hands
- no one wants to swim in the same pool as you
- your lover not willing to walk down the aisle with you, the moment the truth is revealed
- no one willing to clean your body when you die
- and many many more even chilling situations..............................
Below are some facts obtained from the Malaysian AIDS Council website..... which I hope will help change the perspective of YOU who reads my blog................
What is HIV?
Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system.
- HIV only affects human beings.
- Its presence can be detected through an HIV antibody test.
- HIV is highly concentrated in blood, semen and vaginal fluid but is present in very low concentrations in saliva and tears.
- Outside the human body, the virus is weak.
- HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
What is AIDS?
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Acquired = It is not inherited.
Immune Deficiency = a weakened immune system that is unable to resist oncoming diseases.
Syndrome = signs and symptoms of an illness.
AIDS is the condition whereby HIV has destroyed a person's immune system, such that it is unable to defend the body from opportunistic diseases.
How does HIV break down the immune system?
CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell.
Upon entering the human body, HIV will attack CD4 cells and destroy them. The viruses then use infected CD4 cells to produce more HIV viruses. These new viruses invade other CD4 cells, causing the body's immune system to slowly deteriorate. As a result, the body's immune system is weakened and cannot fight against oncoming infections.
You don't know who has HIV
Anyone can be infected with HIV. It is not who you are, but more so what you do that puts you at risk of an HIV infection. HIV carriers may look and feel healthy but at the same time, they are able to transmit the virus to others. It is not possible to identify an HIV-positive person based on how they look on the outside. Prevention is, by far, still the best method for avoiding HIV infection.
AIDS cannot be cured. Once you are infected with HIV, you will stay infected for the rest of your life.
There is a range of medications known as antiretroviral drugs that suppresses the virus's ability to replicate itself. As a result, there are less chances of HIV infecting other CD4 cells. These drugs, however, are not a cure for AIDS.
How is HIV transmitted?
3 main modes:
- Unprotected, penetrative sex with an infected person
- Exchange of infected blood, for example sharing infected needles and syringes, blood transfusion or organ transplant
- Mother to child transmission during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding, which presents a 30 percent risk but can be lowered to less than 10 percent with the use of a medication called AZT
Social contacts such as hugging
Sharing food and drinks
Studying or working together
Sharing public facilities such as public phones, swimming pools or public toilets
Sharing beds or home equipment
Mosquito bites
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