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UNP-0045 HIV/AIDS Fact Sheet
HIV/AIDS Fact
Sheet
UNP-0045, Revised October
2006, Wendi Williams,
Assistant to 1890 Administrator for Program Analysis, Reporting
& Technical Editing and Certified HIV/AIDS Prevention
Educator, Alabama A&M University; and Donnie Cook,
Health and Nutrition Specialist, Alabama A&M University
AIDS 101
Most medical professionals believe that
the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS). HIV weakens the body's immune system or its ability
to fight infections by destroying white blood cells (CD4+) called
lymphocytes. When someone is HIV-positive, that person has HIV
antibodies in his or her body. Antibodies are proteins produced
by the immune system to fight germs or infections; however, the
presence of HIV antibodies in the blood does not mean an individual
has AIDS. A person can carry the AIDS virus for more than 10 years
before it develops into AIDS. He or she may look healthy but still
have the ability to infect others. A person is diagnosed with
AIDS when his or her CD4+ cell count falls below 200 per cubic
millimeter of blood. For normal adults, the CD4+ cell count is
1,000 or more per cubic millimeter of blood.
How do you get HIV?
HIV is transmitted through the bodily fluids
of an individual carrying the virus. These bodily fluids are blood,
semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. HIV can be transmitted
in the following ways:
- Through the exchange or intake of blood,
semen, or vaginal fluids while having vaginal, anal, or oral
sex with someone who is HIV-positive
- By sharing needles used to draw blood,
give tattoos, or pierce ears or by sharing syringes used to inject
illegal or prescribed drugs with someone who is HIV-positive
- Through perinatal transmission when
a HIV-positive woman transmits the virus to her fetus during
pregnancy, labor, delivery, or to her baby while breast-feeding
HIV
does not survive long outside the human body and is not acquired
through casual contact, such as touching, hugging, talking, or
sharing common living quarters with a person infected with HIV
or AIDS. You cannot contract the virus from an infected person
by using the same eating utensils, swimming pools, hot tubs, drinking
fountains, toilet seats, doorknobs, gym equipment, or telephones.
You cannot contract the virus from body waste (feces or urine)
or insect bites. No one has contracted the disease by having an
infected person spit, sneeze, cough, sweat or shed tears on them.
Only one known case of someone getting the virus as a result of
kissing, from bleeding gums, has been reported (Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report, 1997). Also, blood transfusions are safer
today because donors are screened for high-risk factors, and donated
blood is examined for the presence of HIV antibodies.
Treatment Options
There is no cure for HIV, and only a doctor
can diagnose AIDS. Current drug therapies, such as Azidothymidine
(AZT) or highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) that involves
the use of three or more drugs, allow HIV-positive individuals
to live long, productive lives by preventing the virus from replicating.
This is evident in the decline since 1982 of AIDS-related deaths
in Alabama. From the early 1980s to the early 1990s, AIDS-related
deaths numbered in the thousands, and a person usually died between
a few months and two years after being diagnosed this is
still true of undiagnosed and untreated cases today. However,
a vaccine has yet to be developed.
What does this mean?
Prevention education and early detection
are important factors in reducing the spread of HIV. While HIV
infection has declined by 4 to 6 percent among some populations
since 2000, the rate of new infections among teens, people of
color, women, and adults over the age of 50 continues to climb.
Safe Health Practices
The only way to tell if you have HIV is
to be tested. A person living with HIV is generally identified
as having AIDS or advanced HIV disease, when a physician diagnoses
one or more opportunistic infections. Opportunistic infections
are diseases, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and Kaposi sarcoma,
a malignant form of cancer, that take the "opportunity"
to damage the immune system. A person who is HIV-positive has
undergone an antibody test to confirm the presence of the virus.
To avoid being infected, it's necessary to make smart decisions
about sex, drug use, and prenatal and post-natal care. Although
the surest way to avoid being infected is by abstaining from sex,
sharing needles, or breast-feeding, other preventive measures
may be helpful to you, your partner(s), or your baby.
If you're HIV-positive:
- Inform your current and past sex partner(s)
that you are HIV-positive. Note: Take precautions when informing
your partner(s) about your HIV status. AIDS is a life-threatening
disease with no cure and some people may respond in an aggressive
way. If you believe this is the case, a trained professional
may be needed to inform the individual of his or her HIV status.
- Use a new latex condom each time you engage
in sex, even if your partner is also HIV-positive.
- Use water-based lubricants with condoms
because oil-based lubricants can cause tears or rips in condoms.
- Don't share sex apparatuses (toys), needles,
or other drug paraphernalia.
- Avoid donating blood, plasma, or organs.
- Do not share toothbrushes or razors.
- If pregnant, a doctor may prescribe AZT
or zidovudine (ZDV) to reduce the risk of transmission to the
fetus. Once the baby is born, don't breastfeed. Consult your
doctor about prescribing AZT for your infant during the first
six weeks after birth.
If you have a same-sex partner:
- Wear a condom and use a dental dam or
another protective barrier during oral sex because you are at
risk of being infected through the intake of semen and vaginal
bodily fluids, including menstrual blood.
- Avoid sharing sex apparatuses.
If you're a heterosexual:
- Use a latex or polyurethane condom with
a water-based lubricant. The female condom also provides protection
against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Use a new condom
or another protective barrier during oral sex. Note: A male or
female condom does not provide 100 percent protection against
HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.
- Avoid sharing sex apparatuses.
If you're an injection drug
user:
- Seek treatment for drug use immediately.
- Use sterile injection equipment and avoid
sharing needles, syringes, or other equipment.
- Be sure all equipment and supplies, such
as cotton, water, and the drug itself, are not contaminated.
What to do if infected
If you believe you are infected with HIV
or AIDS, get tested and stop engaging in risky behavior. Risky
behavior includes having vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a
condom or dental dam and sharing needles for drug use or tattooing.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, you are putting your baby
at risk for HIV infection. Consult a health professional certified
to treat people with HIV and AIDS.
HIV testing is generally free at county
public health departments or at AIDS service organizations. However,
only a medical doctor can diagnose AIDS. If you test positive
for HIV, you will still have to see a physician and undergo additional
confirmatory tests, such as the Western Blot or the Enzyme-Linked
Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test. If you do not wish to consult
your private doctor or you do not have medical insurance, you
can be tested or receive medical treatment for HIV and AIDS at
the following Alabama facilities.
Remember: People
diagnosed with HIV or AIDS can live productive lives, but precaution
is necessary to avoid infecting others. As with many chronic diseases,
early detection can improve the quality of life. For those who
are not infected, HIV and AIDS is 100 percent preventable. Wise
choices can help safeguard your health and the health of your
loved ones. As the saying goes, "It is not who you are but
what you do that puts you at risk for HIV infection."
Where to go for help in
Alabama
Contact your local health department
or the following AIDS service organizations for testing and treatment.
1917 Clinic
(The AIDS Outpatient Clinic)
908 South 20th Street
Birmingham, AL 35294-2050
Toll-Free: (877) 614-9129 or (205) 975-9129 |
AIDS Action
Coalition
Davis Clinic
600 St. Clair Ave, Bldg 6, Suite 14
Huntsville, AL 35801
Phone: (256) 537-4700
Toll-Free: (800) 728-3603 |
AIDS Alabama
3521 7th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: (205) 324-9311
Confidential Help: (800) 592-2437 |
Birmingham
AIDS Outreach
205 32nd Street South
Birmingham, AL 35233
Phone: (205) 322-4197 |
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East Alabama Medical Center
2000 Pepperell Parkway
Opelika, Alabama 36801
Phone: (334) 887-5244
Alabama AIDS Hotline
Toll-Free: (800) 228-0469
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Alabama Department
of Public Health
Direct Care & Services Branch
201 Monroe Street, RSA Tower
Suite 1400
Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone: (334) 206-5364 |
Health Services
Center, Inc.
608 Martin Luther King Drive
Hobson City, Alabama 36201
Phone: (256) 832-0100 |
South Alabama
CARES (Community AIDS Resources, Education, and Support)
2054 Dauphin Street
P.O. Box 40296
Mobile, Alabama 36640
Phone: (251) 471-5277 |
Jefferson
County AIDS in Minorities
1925 Bessemer Road
Birmingham, AL 35208
Phone: (251) 781-1654 |
West Alabama
AIDS Outreach
2720 Sixth Street
Tuscaloosa, AL 35403
Phone: (202) 759-8470 |
References
Advocates for Youth. (May 2006). Safer
sex: Get the facts. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(September 22, 2003). HIV
and its transmission. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(July 11, 1997). Transmission
of HIV possibly associated with exposure to mucous membrane to
contaminated blood. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Retrieved May 8, 2006.
United States Department of Health &
Human Services. (March 2005). HIV
infection and AIDS: An overview. National Institutes of
Allergy & Infectious Diseases/National Institutes of Health.
Retrieved May 8, 2006.
United States Food and Drug Administration.
(April 4, 2006). Drugs
used to treat complications of HIV/AIDS. Retrieved May
8, 2006.
For more information, contact your county Extension office. Visit http://www.aces.edu/counties or look in your telephone directory under your county's name to find contact information.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and
home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related
acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama
Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn
University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal
opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color,
national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.
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