HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a very dangerous virus. Doctors and scientists have been searching for a cure for a long time. Recently scientists have achieved a great achievement in this matter. He has developed an injection that prevents HIV infection. Scientists say that this injection is up to 96% effective in preventing HIV infection.
The name of this injection is Lenacapavir. According to scientists, taking two doses of this vaccine in a year will completely protect a person from the risk of HIV infection.
According to data released by American biopharmaceutical company Gilead and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the lencapavir vaccine was up to 100% effective in preventing HIV infection during a phase-3 trial. The vaccine was successfully tested on 5000 women in South Africa and Uganda.
According to the India HIV Estimation Report, 2023, more than 25 lakh people are living with HIV in India. About 66,400 people fall victim to it every year.
Talking about the whole world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the year 2023, about 40 million people were suffering from HIV. This year around 6,30,000 people died due to it.
So today Health waterIn we will talk about HIV. You will also know that-
- What is HIV?
- How does it spread?
- What are the ways to avoid this?
What is HIV? HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune system. It targets the body's white blood cells, causing the immune system to weaken.
This increases the risk of diseases like TB, serious infections and cancer. If HIV is not treated on time, it can cause Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
What is the difference between HIV and AIDS? The HIV virus infects the cells of the immune system and gradually weakens it. It reduces the ability to fight any kind of illness.
While AIDS is a medical condition, the primary cause is HIV infection. If the infection is not detected and treated in time, the immune system weakens and turns into AIDS. AIDS can be prevented if HIV treatment is started at the right time. Therefore, timely detection of HIV infection is very important.
What causes HIV to spread? HIV is usually spread through contact with the body fluids of an infected person, namely blood, breast milk and semen. It is transmitted to the baby by infected pregnant women. There are many other reasons for its spread. Understand this from the following graphic-
How can HIV be detected? Dr. Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases Consultant at Shri Balaji Action Medical Institute, Delhi. Ankit Bansal says, you can't tell if someone has HIV or not by looking.
Flu-like symptoms usually appear in the early days of HIV infection. Many times, despite being infected with HIV, a person does not show any symptoms. The only way to find out is to do a blood test. Therefore, even after being sick for a long time or experiencing flu symptoms, a person should get tested for HIV.
How to avoid HIV? There are many ways to prevent HIV infection. The most important of these are safe sex and not sharing needles, syringes or other injection equipment. Apart from this, what are the other remedies, understand from the following graphic-
Can HIV be completely cured? Dr. Ankit Bansal says that there is no perfect treatment for HIV yet. However, there are some treatments. With the help of this, the damage caused by HIV to the body can be reduced to a great extent. HIV treatment protects others from becoming infected and also helps the infected person stay healthy.
If HIV positive, antiretroviral therapy (ART) is given. However, after the successful trial of lencapavir injection, there is hope around the world that HIV will soon be treated accurately.
Is HIV spread through infection? Dr. Ankit Bansal explains that HIV is not a virus spread by touch. Therefore, instead of keeping a distance from HIV-infected persons, one should show empathy and emotional support towards them. From the pointers below, understand which items do not pose a risk of HIV.
- By hugging an infected person
- By eating together
- By staying in the same room
- Using public toilets or swimming pools
- By sharing utensils or clothes
- From mosquito bites
- By donating blood to an infected person
- through tears or sweat
Can kissing cause HIV? Dr. Ankit Bansal states that HIV is not spread by kissing. However, if an infected person has open sores in the mouth or bleeding gums, infection can occur.
Can an HIV positive person have physical relations? Many people think that a person cannot have sex after being HIV positive, but this is not true. An HIV positive person can have physical relations like any other person. However, it is important to use protection during this time to prevent infection.
How to take care of yourself if you are HIV positive? Don't panic if you are HIV positive. Keep yourself mentally healthy. Keep in mind that a person can live a happy life despite being HIV positive. For this, keep taking your medicines at the prescribed time and consult the doctor from time to time.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
