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Too many know as the aids virus that lives in the blood and other body fluids, within the blood or white blood cells of the infected person. Large scale transmit of this virus occur due to unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing of drug injections, infected used in transfusion, and in some occasions through pregnancy when the virus is passed from mother to child. It’s important to understand that people don’t catch aids, they become infected with HIV due to many one of the above listed transmits.

Secondly we need to understand the positive results of HIV that is when the body has been infected by the human immunodeficiency virus. When blood tests are carried out doctors don’t search for HIV but they come across it in our blood, HIV+, HIV antibody positive or seropositive HIV add up to the simple meaning of being infected with positive HIV results. The HIV virus is not a disease it’s a progressive emanation that damages your body immune system.

The HIV virus is best know for targeting the T cells having chances of attacking the cells of the brain, nervous system, digestive system and lymphatic system. Hence the T cells can be referred to as the brain operator of our system, and when these cells are infected our body becomes weak and cannot battle bacteria, cancer, fungi and other parasites, When T cells are infected with HIV it kills the strength of a human progressive and recovery system.

Once HIV infects your T cells then it works like a factory reproducing itself to grow the virus inside the body, which eventually results in the virus moving into the bloodstream. HIV can destroy all fresh T cells repeating its process of reproduction in this manner. The immune system then gets absolutely weekend multiplying this virus all over you, this can be termed as “opportunistic infection”.

A person with a HIV-weekend immune system comes down with one or more of rare opportunistic infections, with low T cell counts it can be diagnosed as an AIDS patient, ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICENCY SYNDROME. AIDS can be thought of the most severe form of HIV disease, all but a handful of medical experts now believe that HIV is the primary agent that leads to the development of AIDS.

Yes .. YOU can play a very important role against HIV and AIDS

AIDS is the most pressing problems faced globally. We can prevent the spread by a very simple process of communication. Communicating to spread awareness. By just educating only one neighbor or friend per week, we can cover a very huge population is a very short span of time.

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. As the name suggests, AIDS is a syndrome i.e. a combination of many diseases due to failure of the Human Immunity System.

I just want to share a few basic facts, which need to be understood by us first and then need to be shared with others.

What is AIDS ? AIDS stands for “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome”. A virus called HIV causes it. It is the late stage of infection with HIV, which damages and ultimately destroys the immune system.

What is HIV ? HIV stands for Human Immune Deficiency Virus. It is the virus that causes AIDS.

What is the difference between being HIV-positive and having AIDS ? Being HIV-positive, means being infected with the virus. It is within the body and is slowly destroying the immune system. However, when the immune system becomes very weak and the body starts developing a number of infections, it is called AIDS. From the time the person has been infected with the virus, it may take anywhere from 5 to 10 years for AIDS to develop.

Is there any way HIV can create itself ? HIV cannot create itself under any circumstances. The virus has to be present in a person’s body and then passed on to someone else. HIV does not develop in a person’s body on its own accord. It is found only in ‘human beings’ and can only be ‘acquired’ from another infected human being.

How is HIV transmitted ?
HIV is transmitted in the following ways :
- By unprotected sexual intercourse with a person who is already infected with HIV. This is the most common way of getting HIV.
- By the transfusion of infected blood and blood products.
- By sharing needles contaminated with HIV infected blood.
- By a HIV positive pregnant women to the new born baby. Before, during or just after delivery (through breast feeding ).
HIV cannot enter the human body in any other way.

How does one protect oneself from infection ? “Prevention is always better than cure”. The only way to protect from this disease is by not sharing needles, not coming in contact with infected blood and having protected sexual intercourse.

Founded in 1983, National HIV Testing Day is an annual campaign by the National Association of People with AIDS . It is the oldest coalition of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world and the oldest U.S. national AIDS organization. It encourages individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing.

The National HIV Testing Day is beneficial to all. It is beneficial to both the HIV positive as well as the HIV negative.The counseling and testing helps people with HIV virus to take steps to protect their own health and at the same time the health of their partners.It also helps people who test negative to get information and knowledge to protect them from being infected.

NAPWA distributes kits to community groups and health departments so that they can help the National HIV Testing Day campaigns and events targeting their local communities.Workers at thousands of sites give free and confidential Testing and distribute vital information. The National Testing Day is significant as it helps people to fight against the threatening and incurable HIV/AIDS as people nationwide learn and get to know about the various facts about HIV/AIDS and their HIV status. As such they can take care of their health and protect their lives.

Apart from the counseling and testing the National HIV Testing Day also clears doubts and myths related with HIV Testing. It is also able to reach to those who have never been tested before.There are many ‘Americans’ with HIV who are diagnosed quite late in the course of the infection and are not able to benefit from life prolonging treatments. The National HIV Testing Day brings awareness to all as HIV testing is easier, accessible and less invasive than ever.HIV Testing also reduces new infections as when a person comes to know about being HIV positive, that person takes necessary precautions so that the disease does not spread any further.

Near about 1 million people in United States are HIV positive, out of which nearly twenty percent are unaware of their being HIV positive. The National HIV Testing Day creates awareness and as such helps the people to know their status and protect them. National HIV Testing Day is important because HIV testing is not a routine part of medical care taken by people. It is important as it promotes early human immunodeficiency virus diction, counseling, treatment and prevention.

The HIV virus is of two types, HIV1 and HIV2. When worldwide, people generally talk of HIV they refer to HIV1. The relatively uncommon HIV2 is concentrated in West Africa and is rarely found anywhere else. Although there is slight difference there is no cure for the HIV1 and HIV 2 and AIDS.

If we talk of similarities they are as follows-

• Both the viruses are transmitted in a similar manner.
• They are transmitted by sexual contact, through body fluids such as blood, tears and vaginal fluids.
• It is also transmitted through breast milk from a mother to the child.
• Within three to six months both HIV-1 and HIV-2 cause the body to produce antibodies. • Both HIV1 and HIV2 can develop into AIDS.

When we talk about Differences they are as follows-
• The persons who are infected with HIV2 develop immunodeficiency or a weak immune system more slowly and it is also milder.
• People who are infected with HIV2 virus are less infectious in the early stages than those infected with HIV1.
• It has been said that HIV-2 is less easily transmitted.
• The period between the initial infection and illness is longer in case of HIV-2
• As the virus progresses the infection of HIV2 increases.
• Compared to HIV-1 mostly it is the HIV-2 that seems to be more infectious later in the course of the disease.
• Mostly the cases of HIV-2 are reported in West Africa whereas the cases of HIV-1 are found worldwide.

Subtypes of HIV-1 The HIV-1 is classified into three groups. The “major” group that is M, the group M again has subtypes A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J and K, the “outlier” group O and the third is the “new” group N. It has been found out that more than 90% of the people with HIV-1 infection belong to the group M. Group N is extremely rare and group O is restricted to west-central Africa.

The treatment of HIV-1 and HIV-2 HIV-2 is more difficult to monitor than HIV-1 and the studies are still not clear towards the best treatment of HIV-2. There are some drugs that are used for treatment of HIV-1 but are not effective against HIV-2. Both the virus lead to the threatening disease AIDS.

It is three decades since the discovery of the HIV virus but we are still lacking information about HIV / AIDS. According to UN AIDS estimates, there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. Although there is no foolproof cure or vaccine for HIV virus, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) will ensure that medicines are available at an affordable cost even in third world countries. The search for the vaccine for AIDS remains the challenge for the world today.

Let us delve into some more information about HIV /AIDS. What is causing the spread of the infection? Ignorance. One in three youngsters in the world are still ignorant about how the infection spreads. We have to wake up to the harsh reality of the epidemic and the world’s leaders must demonstrate real commitment to keep their promise. We cannot wait another quarter of a century for a vaccine. The need of the hour is the four Ms-motivation, money, medicines and manpower.

Let me burst the bubble on some common myths about HIV /AIDS.

Blood donation can cause HIV infection. People today are afraid of donating blood. HIV does not spread through donation of blood, as hospitals and blood banks use disposable syringes. Another myth is that HIV / AIDS spreads through mosquito and bug bites, air, saliva and touch. It is a very important piece of information about HIV / AIDS that it is not spread through mosquito and bug bites, air, saliva and touch.

Promiscuous men and women have largely been held responsible for fuelling the HIV /AIDS epidemic in the world. Stigma towards HIV-positive people needs to be countered if the threat of HIV /AIDS is to be overcome. Stigma is hard to track and its impact even harder to measure. Those vulnerable to and experiencing social stigma and discrimination will be puzzled if they were told that awareness and knowledge about HIV/AIDS is higher than before.Awareness is not translating into tolerance or a shedding of stigma. The good information about HIV / AIDS is that the number of people contracting HIV infection is dropping worldwide.

Protection against HIV/AIDS and preventing its spread is certainly a key message, but protection using stigma and alienation will go nowhere. It is always challenging to fight for legislation and better policy outcomes. Certain states have law against discrimination of HIV-positive children in schools. But laws and policies cannot be substitutes for a humane approach.

AIDS. The very sound of the word scares some, and makes other cringe. How did we let it get so far? There is no cure for very few diseases, and aids is one of them. Yet we still have unprotected sex, and we still share dirty needles. Come on! Granted, HIV/AIDS will never be a thing of the past, but we can do better in making the condition less common.

HIV/AIDS kills. In 2004, it was responsible for 3.5 million deaths globally. Thats not even the worst of it. 6.4 million people newly contracted the virus in the same year! Instead of diminishing the deadly condition, we are multiplying it. This needs to stop. It’s as if 3.5 million wasn’t enough dead in 2004, so we decided to boost the numbers for 2005. What are we thinking?!

Mothers can share AIDS with their infants during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding, and there is no way to stop it short of not becoming pregnant. But here is the list of preventable HIV/AIDS transmissions:

- Penetrative oral, vaginal, or anal sex (Unprotected)

- Blood transfusion

- In health care settings

- Drug injection

So if these ways are all preventable, why is HIV/AIDS still such a major problem?

The human race needs to wise up, stop sharing needles, screen blood transfusions, and USE CONDOMS. Let’s beat AIDS before it beats us.

The prevalence of HIV infection and AIDS has increased steadily in all demographic groups since the epidemic began, yet data show that minorities and lower-income populations are disproportionately affected by HIV disease. Nutritional adequacy in all populations is an often overlooked area in the progression of HIV disease, despite the fact that the relationship between poor nutritional status and impaired immune response is well established. It can be hypothesized that minorities and lower-income individuals are likely to have poorer nutritional habits.

The objective of a recent investigation was to determine the correlates of reduced and inadequate nutrient intakes in a large, clinically and socioeconomically diverse cohort of HIV-infected adults. Researchers also sought to determine the extent to which dietary inadequacy is correlated with clinical symptoms, economic inability to procure foods, and lack of health awareness. The Nutrition for Healthy Living (NFHL) is a longitudinal study of wasting in HIV disease. Since the initiation of the study in 1995, 679 HIV-positive participants have enrolled. The data pertaining to this investigation were obtained from two baseline clinical visits per participant. The visits consisted of a physical examination, anthropometric measurements, and administration of several questionnaires on clinical status, physical activity, alternative health treatments, and quality of life. At the first visit, each subject was given a 3-day diet record that was to be completed and returned at the second baseline visit. Dietary intakes were measured as absolute intakes and also as percentages of the US recommended dietary allowances (RDAs). Supplement use was included in all nutrient calculations. The adequacy of energy intake was determined by comparing each subject’s energy intake with the energy needed to sustain minimal physical activity as determined through indirect calorimetry.

The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), new medical facility providing state-of-the-art training and treatment of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases opened its doors on the grounds of the Makerere University. The institute, one of the largest centers of its kind in East Africa, has the capacity to treat up to 300 HIV/AIDS patients daily and will be a major center for training medical professionals in advanced HIV/AIDS management techniques.

The opening of the IDI is the result of a unique, public-private partnership between a number of organizations committed to working across borders to advance HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis and care.

The partnership includes Pfizer Inc, a global pharmaceutical company, Makerere University, Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, the Academic Alliance Foundation for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Pfizer Inc and the Pfizer Foundation have contributed more than $15 million to support construction of the building, equipping and staffing programs at the new facility where training, operational research and patient care will be delivered under the same roof.

Shawn C. Nabors, 14, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is the winner of “Positively Negative,” an HIV/AIDS National story-writing competition for youth ages 14-22. Nabors will receive a $500 cash prize and his story will be adapted into a screenplay and made into an HIV/AIDS educational film to be distributed nationwide to schools, health departments and other youth-serving organizations nationwide.

The final round judging panel included Spike Lee, Robert Rodriquez, producer Elizabeth Avellan, Jesse L. Martin, Jeff Friedman, playwright Charles Oyamo Gordon, Jasmine Guy, MTV VJ Quddus, and Dr. Loretta Jemmott, author/HW/AIDS research prevention specialist.

“This competition is a fresh way to get young people thinking about their vulnerability to HIV and A1DS. The celebrity support validates these kids and says ‘your life is important to us–protect it,’” says Dr. Loretta Sweet Jemmott, professor and director of the Center for Health Disparities at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing.

Many young people are unaware that HIV and AIDS are significant threats in the United States, and believe that HW/AIDS is only a problem overseas. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), at least half of all HIV infections in the United States are among people under 25 and the majority of these young people are infected sexually. Minorities are the hardest hit. The CDC reports that 84 percent of girls ages 13-19 with MDS are African American or Hispanic and 62 percent of boys ages 13-19 with AIDS are African American or Hispanic.

“HIV and AIDS affect everybody. Kids feel invincible. This contest helped kids realize they are vulnerable,” says actress and writer Jasmine Guy, a contest spokesperson.

The call for entries yielded nearly 400 stories from all over the country, as well as international responses from London, Nigeria, Zambia and Canada. Young people also reached out from prison to share their thoughts. There were stories entered about incest, rape, drug addiction, spousal and child abuse and other issues that will find a voice in print compilation.

The contest is Select Media’s first annual competition in collaboration with The HEAR ME Project, a nonprofit 501c3 organization. The contest was created to get young people thinking about their own personal vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, and to give them a chance to have their voices and stories heard in a meaningful context.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to interview Andrew Weil, MD, about the use of Chinese medicine in the treatment of HIV disease and AIDS. While Dr. Weil acknowledged that his experience with these cases is not wide, at the same time, the protocol he feels holds the most promise for treatment is much what he would recommend for dealing with other diseases: strengthen the body’s immune system, so that it can be in a stronger position to fight illness. Because, after 40,000,000 diagnoses worldwide, 19 million deaths, (1) and not yet one cure, it seemed relevant to include Dr. Weil’s comments here for our readers. And while certainly there are other physicians whose work has been very important in this arena — doctors like Joan Priestley, M.D., and Bastyr’s Leanna Standish, ND, (2) among others — Dr. Weil’s input is interesting because of his ability to get to the philosophical heart of the matter: do we treat the disease, or do we treat the patient? What follows are his comments.

“For instance, if you look at AIDS, one of the interesting things about that disease is that there is this long period of time after infection when people are relatively healthy. It looks as if there are individuals who can go for a very long time in that period. So if we can figure out how to extend that period — if a person can have 20 or 30 years of living with the virus in their system and not be sick, that would be great. The way to achieve that is not necessarily by looking for ways to destroy the virus, but rather, through ways to increase the functioning of the immune system.

“[In the early 1990s,] if you talked about this subject [people with HIV who seem not to develop AIDS] most conventional doctors would say these cases didn’t exist. They were setting up a standard view in medicine that everybody infected with HIV was going to die. Now there have been enough of these cases for the doctors to have to admit they exist. The dominant view is that these people are infected with a benign strain of the virus; it’s putting all the cause on the virus. But in the past years, there has been serious speculation that host factors maybe involved; it’s something about the person as well as the virus. Once you admit that, you open up possibilities of doing things for people.