December is AIDS Awareness Month, which is a key opportunity to raise awareness regarding the most destructive pandemics. You! takes a look...
December is AIDS Awareness Month, which is a key opportunity to raise awareness regarding the most destructive pandemics. You! takes a look...
According to UNAIDS - in the year 2016 - 36.7 million people were living with HIV globally; while 1.8 million people became newly infected with HIV and 1 million people lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses.
World AIDS Day, which falls on the 1st December, is being observed worldwide since 1988. Moreover, the entire month of December is dedicated to raise awareness regarding HIV/AIDS. Millions of people across the globe come together to honour people who lost their lives to HIV, applaud the progress made in responding to the epidemic and recommit to ending the epidemic. This year’s campaign promotes the theme, ‘Right to health’.
This week You! takes part in celebrating AIDS Awareness Month by shedding light on the virus, its existence in Pakistan and the myths attached to it.
All you need to know
AIDS (Acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is a disease caused by a virus called HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The illness alters the immune system, making people much more vulnerable to infections and diseases. This susceptibility worsens as the disease progresses.
HIV is found in the body fluids of an infected person (semen and vaginal fluids, blood and breast milk). The virus is passed from one person to another through blood-to-blood and sexual contact.
HIV can be transmitted in many ways, such as vaginal, oral sex, anal sex, blood transfusion and contaminated hypodermic needles. Among drug users, sharing and reusing syringes contaminated with HIV-infected blood is extremely hazardous. Individuals who give and receive tattoos and piercings are also at risk and should be very careful. Both the virus and the disease are often termed collectively as HIV/AIDS. And as a result, those with HIV infection, later on develop AIDS. There is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS. Treatments can slow the course of the disease.
The virus in Pakistan
A recent survey conducted by the Ministry of National Health Services and Regulations (NHSR), has revealed that the HIV is rising in the country with no signs of decline. As per the survey, conducted in the entire country, Sindh province is leading in numbers of HIV patients. The survey tested samples from the key population areas including People Who Inject Drugs (PWID), Transgender Population (TGs), Female Sex Workers (FSWs) and Men having Sex with Men (MSM). The survey covered 23 districts of the country where the number of populated cities was not included. According to the report, the HIV dissemination in PWID remained dominant with the overall prevalence of 38.4 per cent and all cities were reported with a concentrated epidemic.
In TG category, the overall HIV prevalence was reported 7.5 per cent. The high prevalence for TGs was reported from Larkana with 18.2 per cent, followed by Bannu with 15 per cent and Karachi with 12.9 per cent. The survey said overall HIV burden on the country is 0.1 per cent and amongst general population the prevalence is static.
Of myths and misconceptions
For many reasons, AIDS is a disease that is commonly misunderstood and, as a result, unduly feared. Having correct information is the key to understanding and preventing HIV/AIDS. Following are the facts about some of the most common myths and misconceptions about the pandemic.
Myth: Living around HIV positive people can be very dangerous.
Fact: You can only get HIV if you are exposed to blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or mother’s milk from an HIV-infected person. There is no record of HIV transmission through tears or saliva. So if you are around people infected with HIV, there is no danger of becoming infected with the virus by: breathing the same air as them; eating food handled, prepared, or served by them; sharing toilets, phones, or clothing with them; sharing forks, spoons, knives, or drinking glasses with them; and touching, hugging or kissing them.
Myth: HIV-infected pregnant women always pass HIV on to their babies.
Fact: Mother-to-infant transmission is one way HIV can spread. HIV-infected pregnant women who are not treated for the disease have about a one in four chance of passing the infection to their babies. When both mother and infant receive proper treatment and care before, during, and after birth, there is only about a 1 to 2% chance that an infected mother will pass HIV to her child.
Myth: My partner and I are both HIV positive, there’s no reason for us to practice safer sex.
Fact: Practicing safer sex - wearing condoms - can protect you both from becoming exposed to other (potentially drug resistant) strains of HIV.
Myth: I have HIV. I shouldn’t start drug therapy until I get very sick.
Fact: Even when you are feeling great, HIV is already attacking your body. When you finally start feeling sick, HIV has already hurt your immune system. At that point, nothing can bring it fully back to normal. To protect your immune system, most experts think you should start HIV medicines before you become very ill.
Myth: I don’t need to worry about becoming HIV positive - new drugs will keep me well.
Fact: Yes, antiretroviral drugs are improving and extending the lives of many people who are HIV-positive. However, many of these drugs are expensive and produce serious side effects. None yet provides a cure. Also, drug-resistant strains of HIV make treatment an increasing challenge.
Myth: Women can’t transmit HIV to men.
Fact: It is much harder for men to get HIV from women, happens rarely. HIV does not live long outside the body. A man’s penis is only exposed to HIV for the time that it is in a vagina or rectum. Men also may have fewer areas on the penis where the virus can enter the body. HIV can enter at the opening of the tip and through cuts or sores on the shaft. But if a partner has an untreated sexually transmitted infection (STI) like syphilis, gonorrhoea, or chlamydia, the risk is higher. Meanwhile, women have a higher risk of getting HIV from men. Because HIV is in the man’s semen, which can stay in the woman’s vagina for days, her exposure time is longer after sex. Also, the vagina provides a much larger area than the penis does through which HIV can enter the woman’s body.
Preventive measures:
Anybody can get HIV, but you can take steps to protect yourself from it. The most important step of all is to get tested and to know your partner’s HIV status. Talk to your partner about HIV testing and get tested after marriage or before you have sex. Get tested and treated for STIs, and insist that your partner do, too. Having an STI can increase your risk of getting infected with HIV. Use condoms every time you have sex. You can also talk to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is an HIV prevention method that involves taking an HIV medicine every day. PrEP is intended for people who don’t have HIV but who are at high risk of STI. PrEP should always be combined with other prevention methods, including use of condom.
If a person has been exposed to the virus, it is crucial that they get tested as soon as possible. The earlier HIV is detected, the more likely the treatment will be successful. Also, precautions can be taken to prevent the virus from spreading to other people. After infection with HIV, it can take up from three weeks to three months for the virus to show up in testing. Re-testing may be necessary.
