Onsa d.i symptoms og naa kay AIDS?

[Mr Deed]

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it takes years for someone to know that he has aids unless you take a test.. kung nahan gyud ka pa test nga libre, donate ug dugo.. AIDS test is a requirement for you to be able to donate..

[ashira]

WHAT DOES "AIDS" MEAN?

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome:

• Acquired means you can get infected with it;
• Immune Deficiency means a weakness in the body's system that fights diseases.
• Syndrome means a group of health problems that make up a disease.

AIDS is caused by a virus called HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. If you get infected with HIV, your body will try to fight the infection. It will make "antibodies," special molecules to fight HIV.

A blood test for HIV looks for these antibodies. If you have them in your blood, it means that you have HIV infection. People who have the HIV antibodies are called "HIV-Positive".

[ashira]

WHAT IS HIV TESTING?

HIV testing tells you if you are infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which causes AIDS. Most of these tests look for “antibodies” to HIV. Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to fight a specific germ. Other types of HIV test look for signs that the virus itself is in the blood.
When people already know they are infected with HIV they might get other "HIV" tests. These measure how quickly the virus is multiplying- VIRAL LOAD TEST.

WHAT IS VIRAL LOAD TEST?

The VIRAL LOAD TEST measures the amount of HIV virus in your blood. There are different techniques for doing this:

The (polymerase chain reaction) method uses an enzyme to multiply the HIV in the blood sample. Then a chemical reaction marks the virus. The markers are measured and used to calculate the amount of virus. Roche and Abbott produce this type of test.

The (branched DNA) method combines a material that gives off light with the sample. This material connects with the HIV particles. The amount of light is measured and converted to a viral count. Bayer produces this test.

The (nucleic acid sequence based amplification) method amplifies viral proteins to derive a count. It is manufactured by bioMerieux.

Being HIV-positive, or having HIV disease, is not the same as having AIDS. Many people are HIV-positive but don't get sick for many years. As HIV disease continues, it slowly wears down the immune system. Viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria that usually don't cause any problems can make you very sick if your immune system is damaged. These are called "opportunistic infections".

[ashira]

WHAT ARE OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS?

In our bodies, we carry many germs — bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses.

When our immune system is working, it controls these germs. But when the immune system is weakened by HIV disease or by some medications, these germs can get out of control and cause health problems.

Infections that take advantage of weakness in the immune defenses are called “opportunistic.” The phrase “opportunistic infection” is often shortened to “OI.”

The rates of opportunistic infection have fallen dramatically since the introduction of ANTIRETROVIRAL therapies; However, OI are still a problem, especially for people who have not been tested for HIV. Many people still show up in hospitals with a serious OI, often pneumocystis pneumonia. This is how they learn they have HIV infection

To see if you’re infected with an OI, your blood might be tested for antigens (pieces of the germ that causes the OI) or for antibodies (proteins made by the immune system to fight the germs). If the antigens are found, it means you’re infected. If the antibodies are found, you’ve been exposed to the infection. You may have been immunized against the infection, or your immune system may have “cleared” the infection, or you may be infected.

[takas bahay]

OT:
Para sa tanang nagduda nga na-a sya HIV...AYAW intawn mo ug Donate ug dugo para lang ma libre inyong HIV test kay kasagaran ra bang HIV screening test sa Blood Donors is HIV antibody ra ang gina test ana dili ang HIV antigen mismo...unya basin naa pa sa "window period" ang HIV infection, louy ang tawo nga maka receive sa inyong dugo.

Unsa mana ning Window Period?

The ‘window period’ is a term used to describe the period of time between HIV infection and the production of antibodies. During this time, an antibody test may give a‘false negative’ result, which means the test will be negative, even though a person is infected with HIV. To avoid false negative results, antibody tests are recommended three months after potential exposure to HIV infection. A negative test at three months will almost always mean a person is not infected with HIV. If an individual’s test is still negative at six months, and they have not been at risk of HIV infection in the meantime, it means they are not infected with HIV.
It is very important to note that if a person is infected with HIV, they can still transmit the virus to others during the window period.


Mao gani nang ang screening questionnaire kun mo donate man gani mo ug dugo must be answered HONESTLY and with full knowledge about the questions being asked.




Check this link for the Blood Donor Questionnaire:
Blood Donor Questionnaire

OnT:

TS...thumbs up ko nimo for making this thread, daghan kaayong mga tawo nga kinahanglan pa gyud ug sakto nga information about HIV/AIDS. daghan sab ang maamong due to lack of sufficient knowledge.

Check this link:
Signs & Symptoms of HIV / AIDS

[ashira]

HOW DO YOU GET AIDS?

You don't actually "get" AIDS. You might get infected with HIV, and later you might develop AIDS. You can get infected with HIV from anyone who's infected, even if they don't look sick and even if they haven't tested HIV-positive yet. The blood, vaginal fluid, semen, and breast milk of people infected with HIV has enough of the virus in it to infect other people. Most people get the HIV virus by:

• having *** with an infected person
• sharing a needle (shooting drugs) with someone who's infected
• being born when their mother is infected, or drinking the breast milk of an infected woman

Getting a transfusion of infected blood used to be a way people got AIDS, but now the blood supply is screened very carefully and the risk is extremely low.

There are no documented cases of HIV being transmitted by tears or saliva, but it is possible to be infected with HIV through oral *** or in rare cases through deep kissing, especially if you have open sores in your mouth or bleeding GUMS.

[ashira]

WHAT HAPPENS IF I'M HIV POSITIVE?

You might not know if you get infected by HIV. Within a few weeks after being infected, some people get fever, headache, sore muscles and joints, stomach ache, swollen lymph glands, or a skin rash for one or two weeks. Most people think it's the flu. Some people have no symptoms .


The virus will multiply in your body for a few weeks or even months before your immune system responds. During this time, you won't test positive for HIV, but you can infect other people.
When your immune system responds, it starts to make antibodies. When this happens, you will test positive for HIV.


After the first flu-like symptoms, some people with HIV stay healthy for ten years or longer. But during this time, HIV is damaging your immune system.

[ashira]

HOW DO YOU GET INFECTED WITH HIV?

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is not spread easily. You can only get HIV if you get infected blood or sexual fluids into your system. You can’t get it from mosquito bites, coughing or sneezing, sharing household items, or swimming in the same pool as someone with HIV.

Some people talk about “shared body fluids” being risky for HIV, but no documented cases of HIV have been caused by sweat, saliva or tears. However, even small amounts of blood in your mouth might transmit HIV during kissing or oral ***. Blood can come from flossing your teeth, or from sores caused by gum disease, or by eating very hot or sharp, pointed food.

To infect someone, the virus has to get past the body’s defenses. These include skin and saliva. If your skin is not broken or cut, it protects you against infection from blood or sexual fluids. Saliva can help kill HIV in your mouth.

If HIV-infected blood or sexual fluid gets inside your body, you can get infected. This can happen through an open sore or wound, during sexual activity, or if you share equipment to inject drugs.
HIV can also be spread from a mother to her child during pregnancy or delivery. This is called “vertical transmission.” A baby can also be infected by drinking an infected woman’s breast milk

[ashira]

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE AIDS?

HIV disease becomes AIDS when your immune system is seriously damaged. If you have less than 200 CD4 cells or if your CD4 percentage is less than 14%, you have AIDS.

WHAT ARE CD4 CELLS?

CD4 cells are a type of lymphocyte (white blood cell). They are an important part of the immune system. CD4 cells are sometimes called T-cells. There are two main types of T-cells. T-4 cells, also called CD4, are “helper” cells.


They lead the attack against infections. T-8 cells (CD4 are “suppressor” cells that end the immune response. CD8 cells can also be “killer” cells that kill cancer cells and cells infected with a virus.

Researchers can tell these cells apart by specific proteins on the cell surface. A T-4 cell is a T-cell with CD4 molecules on its surface. This type of T-cell is also called “CD4 positive,” or CD4.

HIV disease becomes AIDS when your immune system is seriously damaged. If you have less than 200 CD4 cells or if your CD4 percentage is less than 14%, you have AIDS. More information on CD4 cells. If you get an opportunistic infection, you have AIDS. There is an "official" list of these opportunistic infections put out by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The most common ones are:

• PCP PNEUMOCYSTIS PNEUMONIA a lung infection;
• KS KAPOSI'S SARCOMA a skin cancer;
• CMV (CYTOMEGALOVIRUS) , an infection that usually affects the eyes
• CANDIDA ,a fungal infection that can cause thrush (a white film in your mouth) or infections in your throat or vagina

AIDS-related symptoms also includes serious weight loss, brain tumors, and other health problems. Without treatment, these opportunistic infections can kill you.

[ashira]

WHY ARE CD4 CELLS IMPORTANT IN HIV?

When HIV infects humans, the cells it infects most often are CD4 cells. The virus becomes part of the cells, and when they multiply to fight an infection, they also make more copies of HIV.

When someone is infected with HIV for a long time, the number of CD4 cells they have (their CD4 cell count) goes down. This is a sign that the immune system is being weakened. The lower the CD4 cell count, the more likely the person will get sick.

There are millions of different families of CD4 cells. Each family is designed to fight a specific type of germ. When HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells, some of these families can be totally wiped out. You can lose the ability to fight off the particular germs those families were designed for. If this happens, you might develop an opportunistic infection.


WHAT IS A CD4 TEST?

A small sample of blood is taken from your finger. The Blood is tested to count several types of cells. CD4 cells are not counted directly. Instead, the laboratory makes a calculation based on total white blood cells.