Is it possible for HIV-infected people to increase their lips. Is HIV transmitted through a kiss, how can and how not to get infected with a virus

Once entering the human body, the herpes virus persists in nerve cells for life. Clinical manifestations of the disease occur with a decrease in immune forces and reactivation herpetic infection.

The most severe disease of the immune system is immunodeficiency, this condition can be congenital or acquired. Acquired immunodeficiency is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

HIV itself often has no symptoms of its own, but signs of co-infections may indicate the presence of immunodeficiency. One such infection is herpes.

Human immunodeficiency virus in modern conditions is an extremely common pathogen. This microorganism is a DNA-containing particle with a complex structure.

You can get an infection in several ways:

• Sexual - with hetero- and homosexual contacts.
• Vertical - from mother to child through the placenta, during childbirth or while breastfeeding.
• Hemocontact - contact with infected blood on damaged skin.
• Injection - transfusion of blood infected with HIV, as well as when drug addicts use the same syringe.

Structural features of the virion allow it to suppress the carrier's immunity. HIV binds to special receptors on human leukocytes, penetrates the cell and destroys it.

These receptors are present not only on immune cells, but also on the epithelium of the skin, gastrointestinal tract, some cells nervous system. However, it is the immune system, and specifically T-lymphocytes, that suffers the greatest harm. As a result of their death, the phenomena of immunodeficiency increase.

Under these conditions, manifestations of various infections gradually begin to appear, with which the body is no longer able to cope.

Immunodeficiency and herpes

Herpetic infection, regardless of the type of virus, has the ability to persist for a long time in the human body. Most often, virions are dormant in the cells of the nervous system. herpes simplex 1 and 2 types.

They can cause symptoms in the presence of HIV infection. The mechanism of this phenomenon is as follows:

1. After infection with the immunodeficiency virus, the first immune reactions. During this process, a temporary immunodeficiency occurs, the bulk of the HIV virions are destroyed, but lymphocytes also suffer.
2. The herpes virus dormant in the body is reactivated and causes clinical symptoms. However, this phenomenon is temporary.
3. Further, HIV infection proceeds in the form of a latent carriage, viral particles multiply, and the only symptom of the disease for many years is only an increase in lymph nodes.
4. This process can take a very long time, especially with effective antiretroviral therapy.
5. As a result, HIV infection passes into the stage of AIDS - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. At this stage, there is a significant decrease in the body's resistance due to the steady death of T-lymphocytes.
6. In such conditions, numerous infectious processes begin, caused by a variety of pathogens. One of them is the herpes simplex virus, which can cause symptoms on the lips or in the intimate area, as well as affect the internal organs.

Thus, herpes is not always a manifestation of the final phase of HIV infection, the symptoms of the disease may indicate the beginning of the infectious process. Let's try to understand this in more detail.

Herpes at the initial stage of HIV infection

So, after HIV enters the human body, it immediately binds to receptors on numerous body cells. These receptors are called CD-4. Most of these protein complexes are found on the surface of T-lymphocytes.

The active reaction of HIV with T-lymphocytes in conditions of healthy immunity leads to the death of most viral particles. Some of them settle in the lymphoid tissue and, gradually multiplying, someday will cause AIDS.

The death of a significant part of T-lymphocytes in this fight causes a weakening of the immune system. Under such conditions, the herpes virus dormant in the body leaves the nerve cells and causes symptoms:

1. Since immunodeficiency is short-term, generalized manifestations of herpes are not observed.
2. Most often, herpes simplex causes manifestations on the lips.
3. If a person is infected with herpes type 2, he is more likely to be bothered by lesions on the genitals.
4. People who have had chickenpox before are at a higher risk of developing shingles.

After treatment of concomitant diseases, and herpes in particular, the symptoms disappear and the latent phase of HIV infection begins.

If your cold sores flare up after unprotected sex, ingestion of infected blood, or exposure to other HIV transmission factors, you should have a blood test to check for the infection.

Herpes in AIDS

Much more severe damage occurs when the latent phase of HIV infection comes to an end. This period is associated with the activation of a viral disease, a large number of virions enter the bloodstream and cause the death of immune cells.

The progressive decrease in T-lymphocytes in the body leads to various viral, bacterial and fungal diseases. The herpes virus is one of the first to reactivate.

This pathogen can cause the following:

1. Symptoms occur on the lips and other areas of the face, mucosa oral cavity.
2. Manifestations of infection affect the genitals.
3. There may be rashes on the trunk and limbs.
4. Less commonly, herpes can affect internal organs - the esophagus, lungs, liver.

The occurrence of generalized rashes with existing HIV infection should lead the patient to a doctor. The specialist can correct antiretroviral therapy and manage symptoms of co-infection.

In severe cases, herpes is observed throughout the duration of the AIDS phase, up to complete immunodeficiency and the outcome of the disease.

Herpes symptoms

The manifestations of herpetic infection are familiar to the majority of the population of our planet, since more than 90% of the population is infected with the virus. Regardless of localization, the disease causes characteristic symptoms:

• Redness of the skin or mucous membranes.
• Swelling of the surrounding tissue.
• The formation of vesicles with transparent contents.
• Opening of the bubbles with the formation of crusts.
• Itching of the skin and mucous membranes.

These signs of the disease do not differ in the presence or absence of HIV in the body, however, immunodeficiency leads to a generalization of the process, severe clinical symptoms and the occurrence of herpes without previous hypothermia or stress.

Manifestations to varying degrees worried most people. They do not always indicate a serious immunodeficiency. However, these symptoms should bring people at risk of contracting HIV, as well as those already observed with this disease and receiving appropriate treatment, to the doctor.

Herpes can cause various lesions on the human body depending on the type of virus and the stage of HIV infection.

Herpes on the lips

The first manifestations of the disease that occur with immunodeficiency are rashes on the lips. These symptoms can be associated with both primary infection with HIV and the onset of the AIDS stage.

At the first meeting of the body with HIV, a herpes infection on the lips can have pronounced clinical manifestations - swelling and rashes affect a large area of ​​​​the mucosa. Often, herpes on the lips gradually moves inside the oral cavity, causing manifestations on the gums, the inner surface of the cheeks, and the palate.

Vesicles that have opened on the lips do not heal for a long time, topical treatment with acyclovir and analogues may not provide relief from symptoms. Itching on the lips is quite pronounced, forcing the use of ointments with a local analgesic effect.

Herpes on the lips with AIDS also has a number of features:

• Occurs quite early, can persist throughout the entire period of immunodeficiency.
• Not associated with previous hypothermia, stress or other adverse factors.
• Lip manifestations spread rapidly and may become generalized.
• Not amenable to treatment with first-line drugs, require complex therapy.

Herpes on the body

Herpetic eruptions on the body are most often caused by two types of virus - type 2 leads to inflammation on the genitals, and type 3 (chickenpox and shingles) affects the trunk, less often the limbs.

Both infections can occur at the stage of initial manifestations and with AIDS, the clinical manifestations in these cases do not differ, but at the final stage they are more pronounced.

Herpes on the genitals manifests itself as follows:

• Rashes can bother both men and women.
• In men, herpes is localized on the body and head of the penis, rarely affects the urethral mucosa.
• In women, rashes occur on the labia and pubis, however, when the immune forces are weakened, herpes causes inflammation and the mucous membrane of the vagina.

Herpes zoster, or type 3 herpes virus, causes the following symptoms:

• Eruptions on the chest and abdomen along the intercostal nerve.
• Vesicles have a characteristic appearance and are accompanied by itching of the skin.
• When the infection is generalized, it affects the entire trunk and even goes to the limbs.

These symptoms are more typical for the stage of AIDS. Immunodeficiency at the first meeting of the body with HIV is not so pronounced and prolonged as to lead to such manifestations.

Herpes of the internal organs

Severe immunodeficiency leads to generalization of a viral infection. In this case, herpes affects the internal organs.

One of the first to suffer is the oropharynx. Rashes on the tonsils and palate are possible, they cause herpetic sore throat. Symptoms are sore throat when swallowing, itching in this area, and examination of the oropharynx reveals characteristic vesicles.

Another body digestive system involved in pathological process, is the esophagus. Herpetic esophagitis manifests itself as follows:

• Pain, burning in the chest.
• The pain is aggravated by food and water.
• Due to severe pain, the patient is afraid of eating, weight loss is possible.
• Peristalsis of the esophagus is disturbed, food regurgitation is possible.

Often, with immunodeficiency, herpes affects the liver and causes hepatitis:

• Liver enzymes and bilirubin increase in the blood.
• The skin and mucous membranes of the eyes become yellow.
• Body temperature rises, sleep is disturbed, general well-being suffers.
• Patients are concerned about pain in the right hypochondrium.

Another organ affected by herpes when the immune system is weakened is the lungs. This process is called viral pneumonia:

• The disease is accompanied by a cough with sputum difficult to separate.
• The body temperature rises.
• In the lungs, wheezing and weakening of breathing are heard.
• Shortness of breath occurs with severe pneumonia.

Diagnosis and treatment

Numerous listed symptoms lead patients to the doctor. The specialist conducts diagnostics in order to confirm a herpes infection and detect HIV.

If clinical evidence is insufficient to make a diagnosis of herpes, blood tests are used. PCR is used to detect virus DNA, and ELISA and other serological methods are used for indirect diagnosis by antibodies to the pathogen.

To detect HIV use:

1. Screening ELISA study.
2. immune blotting.
3. polymerase chain reaction.

After the diagnosis is made, treatment is prescribed for a particular patient:

1. HIV antiretroviral therapy is mandatory.
2. Herpetic infection is eliminated with acyclovir, valacicolvir, famciclovir.
3. Use local symptomatic agents.
4. Immunomodulators help support the immune system.

An obligatory component of treatment is secondary prevention. Controlling the course of the disease helps people with HIV infection live and work for a long time.

Patients diagnosed with HIV, AIDS have long surprised no one. Society has learned to treat such diseases as a normal set of circumstances, and patients do not feel like such, since the development of medicine allows them to feel like full members. modern society.

Is plastic surgery necessary for immunodeficiency?

Having learned from the patient or according to the results of the examination about an unpleasant diagnosis, few plastic surgeons will undertake to operate on patients with HIV or AIDS. This is understandable: instead of focusing on a quality result, the operating team will have to be triple focused on personal safety issues.

This is a difficult psychological aspect that specialists do not want to experience during the operation.

In addition to concerns for personal safety, a true professional surgeon is unlikely to allow himself to risk the health and life of such a patient.

Is it possible to do plastic surgery with HIV at all? Complications in immunodeficiency can naturally be expected more than in a healthy patient. Among other things, carriers or patients with AIDS are constantly on special therapy, and the use of anesthesia and other medical preparations practiced during and after plastic surgery can also affect the patient's health.

Is it worth doing plastic surgery for HIV patients? If the decision on plastic surgery is made and the patient's immunity is practically normal, there is every chance for a favorable outcome of the operation.

Doctor's Note - Plastic Surgeon

“I recently had a plastic surgery practice in Barcelona. So in Spain, a whole state has been created. a program to support HIV-infected patients, including in the field of plastic surgery. Unfortunately, in Russia this is not so well developed and many plastic surgeons simply do not undertake such operations. In general, plastic surgery is not contraindicated for such patients, but it is already a personal matter for each surgeon to undertake it or not.

Another thing is that, like any other patient, HIV-infected patients must pass preliminary tests before the operation, and only on the basis of these tests can one conclude whether the operation will affect the patient's health or not, whether it is contraindicated for him or not. Come for a consultation, get tested. Each case is individual, but in my practice there were many such patients whom I underwent plastic surgery. ”

Plastic surgeon Borisenko Anastasia Sergeevna does not always, but does plastic surgery for patients diagnosed with HIV, but in any case, you must first come to the preliminary free consultation and take tests. Only then will the final decision on the operation be made. You can sign up for a free consultation at the link -.

You can also familiarize yourself with the operations that Anastasia Sergeevna does at the link -.

Today, more than ever, the problem of HIV is acute. Despite active propaganda, the risk of infection only increases, as the number of infected people increases day by day. Thematic meetings are held annually in educational institutions, leaflets and booklets are distributed, cycles of programs are issued, but the statistics are ruthless. About 40 million people today live with the probability of meeting with a virus carrier is high. Moreover, he himself may not yet know the diagnosis. Therefore, it is extremely important to consider all possible routes of transmission of the disease. Do you know if you can get HIV through oral? Many are already beginning to doubt the completeness of their knowledge on this issue. Let's study together the possible ways of getting the immunodeficiency virus into the blood.

What is HIV

Despite the abundance of information, it will be useful to go over the theory again. So, this is the scourge of the 20th century. It does not live in the environment and dies without a host within seconds. However, in the cavity of the needle, where the remnants of human blood are stored, it may well live up to 5 days. When it enters the bloodstream of the cells, it deprives the body of the ability to resist various bacteria and viruses.

An HIV-positive person with proper therapy can live a normal life. If the treatment was stopped and the number of viruses in the blood increased, and immune cells decreased, we can talk about the onset of the AIDS stage. This is a reversible state. With proper correction, the AIDS stage may not occur at all, although the disease cannot be cured.

oral contact

Let's make a small digression into sexology. This term means that a person uses their mouth, tongue, and lips to stimulate their partner's genitals. There are various types of manipulations that have their own names. Many couples practice this way of getting sexual release, especially since the risk of unwanted pregnancy can be avoided this way.

Your safety

In fact, there are infections that are more likely to be transmitted to a partner during oral sex. However, this method remains safer than unprotected vaginal contact. At the same time, there is a risk only for the receiving partner, who performs manipulations with other people's genitals. In this case, secrets, which are sources of various pathogens, enter the oral cavity. There is practically no risk for the passive partner, since he only comes into contact with the oral cavity, and not with the genital fluids. Therefore, if the partner is not permanent, reliable and proven, you should think about the means of protection.

It is important to know

• The very first option, about which doctors shout at every turn, is sexual contact. That is why the question so often arises whether it is possible to catch HIV orally. After all, this kind of caress in the mind is closely related to foreplay or an alternative to ordinary sex.
• Narcotic injections. An extremely common route of transmission of the virus. However, the solution is very simple; today, sterile injection syringes are provided free of charge in HIV centers.
• During a blood transfusion.
• From mother to newborn.
• From a sick patient to a healthcare worker.

As you can see, nothing is said about whether HIV is transmitted through oral sex. This option is theoretically possible, but so far this possibility has not been confirmed. That is, in world practice there were no such cases.

intimate relationship

Let's take a closer look at this point. It is clear that this term can be understood as a whole range of actions. Starting from petting and mutual caresses, to classic penetration. In fact, each region still has its own statistics on how HIV is transmitted. In Russia today, the leading one is narcotic injections.

However, back to our topic. We want to know if you can get HIV through oral sex. The risk is minimal, but it cannot be discounted. For example, the probability of infection during anal sex is up to 3%. The more often contact with a carrier of the virus occurs, the greater the likelihood of infection. Therefore, if one of the spouses becomes infected, very often the second one becomes HIV-positive even before the first one knows about it.

With a single vaginal contact, statistics show that the chances are even smaller. Transmission of the immunodeficiency virus occurs in 0.15% of cases. In this case, the active partner, as a rule, cannot become infected. Nevertheless, among the representatives of the stronger sex, there are usually more concerns about this.

What can be said about oral sex? The introducing partner does not risk at all, since the contact is only through saliva. Therefore, speaking about whether it is possible to become infected with HIV through an oral to a man, we can safely say that such cases have not been registered. That is, theoretically, the probability cannot be denied, but in practice this has not yet happened.

For men and women

It turns out that the risks are not the same for both partners. Therefore, it is extremely important to know whether HIV can be transmitted orally. The reasons that increase this likelihood stem from the ways in which the virus is transmitted. The main thing is through the blood. Thus, if there are bleeding wounds in the woman's mouth, then theoretically there is a chance of becoming infected from an infected man. With the reverse scheme, if she is HIV-positive, we can talk about zero risk for a man.

In any case, the always receiving partner is more likely to become infected. Do not risk your health, it is much better to prevent a problem than to solve it later.

Not only HIV

Indeed, this is not the only danger that awaits those who practice oral sex. What can you get if your partner is not honest enough with you? This is a whole series of Herpes, gonorrhea and syphilis, candida and so on.

How can you protect yourself? First of all, this is sex with a proven partner. If he himself told that he is a carrier of HIV, then it is important to use contraceptives. If you still decide to have sexual intercourse, then remember the following risk factors:

• You are more susceptible to illness if this moment you have a sore throat, there are sores, sores or inflammations on the lips.
• If a partner has sores, sores or cuts on the genitals, on the lips and in the oral cavity, then this should be the subject of an open discussion.
• Infected fluids got into your mouth or throat, mucous membranes (eyes).

To protect yourself, you should also not engage in oral partner, brush your teeth immediately before the act. Also, try to avoid direct contact with vaginal secretions or seminal fluid.

How HIV is not transmitted

The answer to this question is asked very often. And in most cases, people are interested, you can suck. The virus cannot be transmitted in this way. There is always a logical argument that in the presence of bleeding wounds on the lips and in the mouth, there is still a risk. Let's imagine this situation. you meet stranger, whose lips are bleeding wounds, will you kiss him? Most likely no. A minor crack cannot cause infection, because the chances are negligible.

The virus is not transmitted through hugs and handshakes, hygienic items, that is, all household ways are absent. The virus does not survive in the pool. Only those who have unprotected sex in a pool where an infected person is bathing at the same time can be at risk. Mosquitoes are not carriers of HIV, as they inject into the body not someone else's blood, but saliva. Damage skin in public places, visiting the dentist and other horror stories are myths. The virus does not live outside the host, which means it will not be able to wait in the wings.

Although the pathways of HIV infection are already well understood, there are reports in the press from time to time of alleged real cases transmission of the virus during kissing and even in a household way. A sensational conclusion is usually drawn from this: they say that no one knows exactly how and when one can get infected, and no one is immune from this.

The argument for such statements, according to those who distribute them, is the fact that HIV is present in saliva. Currently, there is even a special test for the immunodeficiency virus, according to which infection is determined not by blood, but by saliva. Is it all true? Can HIV be contracted through kissing or casual contact? Let's try to understand these issues.

Modes of transmission: where is the danger?

As a reminder, it is worth mentioning evidence-based, proven methods of transmission. This:

• through blood and its products (by transfusion or direct contact);
• vaginal discharge and semen;
• breast milk.

These bodily fluids of an HIV-positive person contain large amounts of the virus and are therefore sources of transmission. But what about saliva? HIV is actually there, but its concentration is negligible and insufficient for infection.

And this fact is confirmed by numerous studies. You can think about this. From the time when the immunodeficiency virus became known to the present, research in this area has not stopped. Yes, scientists still do not fully understand the principle of HIV in the body and its ability to adapt. However, transmission methods and penetration methods have long been studied. And there is no known case of infection with the virus through saliva.

In addition, if it would really be possible to “catch” HIV with a kiss, the likelihood of infection would also exist with coughing, runny nose and sneezing. In this case, the sick would probably be the entire population of the planet. However, as we see, this does not happen. Therefore, we can definitely say that HIV-positive people can kiss healthy people. This is confirmed by many years of research by scientists from the US Center for Disease Control. But here there is one "but".

Precautionary measures

As we have seen, saliva itself is not dangerous. But the danger is in something else - in the blood. That is, if there is blood in the mouth of an infected person in saliva and if there is blood in the mouth of a healthy person, there is a possibility of infection.

What conclusions can be drawn from this? If neither you nor the other person has scratches, sores, or bleeding gums on their lips or in the oral cavity, you can kiss without danger to health. If such problems are present, they need to be treated. And in the meantime, refrain from kissing "sucked". It is in this, and not in sensual caresses, that love and concern for someone else's health will be manifested. However, kisses on the cheek, neck, and so on in this case are not dangerous, so there is no need to completely refrain from manifestations of tenderness.

Knowledge brings responsibility

The likelihood of contracting HIV is most often associated with behavior: promiscuity and intravenous drug use. Of course, there are other ways of infection, for example, through the transfusion of infected blood. However, the first two methods are the most common. Therefore, it makes sense, when speaking about HIV prevention, to pay attention to lifestyle.

The opinion that HIV can be transmitted anytime and anywhere, in its turn, somehow releases from responsibility and does not encourage not to change anything in one's life. Everyone knows that there is a risk of infection, but most still believe that this will never affect them personally. We all like to think that the problem will pass by. In fact, the risk of infection can be significantly reduced if you adhere to moral standards of behavior.

Thus, knowing the truth about HIV imposes responsibility and, at the same time, eliminates the unreasonable fear of infection.

Kissing someone with HIV

The most common mode of infection with this pathogen is through unprotected sex, accounting for more than 70% of reported worldwide HIV infections. However, many are concerned about the question: is HIV and AIDS transmitted through saliva if there was no sexual contact with an infected person, but there was a kiss? Or when using the same dishes with the infected? How else can and how not to get AIDS? There's an answer!

Is it possible to get AIDS and HIV through a kiss?

Scientific fact: to become infected with HIV through saliva, you need at least two liters of infected saliva, since the concentration of the pathogen in the salivary fluid is negligible! With a normal kiss with an infected person, infection with the virus is almost impossible.

The risk increases slightly if both kissers have bleeding wounds in their mouths, but even in this case, infection can only occur with a high concentration of the virus in the blood, and the kiss must be deep and long. No cases of HIV transmission by kissing have been identified in couples in which one of the partners is infected.

Moreover, you should not be afraid of contracting AIDS when using the same dishes with an HIV-infected person. Even if the saliva of the infected contained droplets of blood (although it is unlikely that you will drink from a bloody glass), the virus dies very quickly in the air. Dried liquid containing HIV is not dangerous.

Ways of transmission of infection

The concentration of the pathogen that can lead to infection is contained in only four biological fluids: blood, vaginal secretions, semen and breast milk. All possible ways of HIV infection are associated with the entry of these fluids into the body of a healthy person through the blood or damaged mucous membranes.

Ways to get AIDS:

• Unprotected sexual contact. The most common way of infection with the virus, and the risk increases with anal sex due to the high probability of damage to the rectum (only the “receiving” partner can become infected). During oral sex, the risk of infection is minimal, and also exists only for the "receiving" side, if there are sores and wounds in the mouth.
• injection route. The second most "popular" way of infection in the world, and the first - in Russia in 1996-1999. But it is dangerous not only for drug addicts, it is possible to transmit the pathogen in a medical institution through a poorly sterilized instrument.
• From mother to child. An HIV-positive mother can pass the virus on to her baby during pregnancy (low chance), childbirth, or breastfeeding. When conducting special therapy during pregnancy, the use caesarean section And artificial feeding the infant is at low risk of infection.
• Organ transplant an HIV-infected person or a blood transfusion.
• professional infection. Occurs when a healthcare worker comes into contact with a patient's blood.

How can you not get AIDS?

Most of the terrible rumors about the possible ways of infection with the causative agent of immunodeficiency are unfounded. HIV is not transmitted:

Find out what are the first symptoms of AIDS?

What is the incubation period for syphilis, read our article.

Infections transmitted through saliva

Although the likelihood of contracting HIV during kissing is almost impossible, you should not “relax”. With a passionate kiss, you can catch not only a banal SARS, but also a serious illness. The most dangerous infections transmitted through saliva:

• herpes,
• cytomegalovirus,
• human papillomavirus,
• bacterial meningitis,
• Hepatitis B,
• Infectious mononucleosis,
• syphilis.

AIDS is a real threat but you should not give in to panic after an accidental kiss or other contact with a possible carrier of HIV. Remember the following:

• AIDS is not so easy to catch if you follow some simple precautions, the main one is the use of a condom with a partner you are not sure about.
• HIV is not transmitted through handshakes, saliva, airborne droplets, or any household means.
• Saliva is an excellent breeding ground for many serious infections, so avoid frivolous tactile contact with unfamiliar people.
• Do not give in to unreasonable fears, but be attentive to your health - and the risk of contracting AIDS for you will tend to zero.

PREVENTION OF HIV TRANSMISSION

HOW CAN YOU GET HIV?

HOW CAN YOU GET HIV?

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) does not spread easily. You can only become infected with HIV when infected blood or sexual fluids enter your body. You cannot become infected through mosquito bites, coughing or sneezing, household items, or by swimming in the same pool as someone who has HIV.

Some talk about "general body fluids" as a risk factor for contracting HIV, but there are no documented cases of HIV transmission through sweat, saliva or tears. However, even a small amount of blood in your mouth is enough to transmit HIV through kissing or oral sex. Blood can come from brushing your teeth, from ulcers caused by gum disease, or from eating hot or spicy parts of food.

In order to infect someone, the virus must pass through the body's defenses. They include skin and saliva. Unless your skin is broken or cut, it protects you from infection through your blood or sexual fluids. Saliva contains chemicals that help kill HIV in the mouth.

If infected HIV blood or sexual fluid gets into your body, you can get infected. This can happen through open sores or wounds if you share equipment to inject drugs.

HIV can also be passed from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth. This is called "vertical transmission". The baby can also become infected through infected breast milk. Leaflet 611 has more information about pregnancy. Babies who breastfeed from an HIV-infected woman may also be at risk of contracting HIV.

HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS?

If you are not 100% sure that you and the people you spend time with are not infected with HIV, you need to take steps to prevent infection. People who have recently become infected (within the last 2-3 months) are more likely to pass HIV on to others. This is when their viral load is highest. In general, the risk of transmission is higher with high level viral load. This brochure is an overview of HIV prevention and redirects you to other brochures for details on specific topics.

You can avoid any risk of contracting HIV if you practice abstinence (not having sex). You also won't get infected unless your penis, mouth, vagina, or rectum comes into contact with another person's penis, mouth, vagina, or rectum. Safe activity includes kissing, erotic massage, masturbation, or mutual masturbation.

Having sex in a monogamous (faithful) relationship is safe if:
both of you are not infected (HIV negative)

You both only have sex with your partner

None of you are at risk of contracting HIV through drug use or other activities.

Oral sex is less risky in terms of infection than anal or vaginal sex, especially if there are no open sores or blood in the mouth. Pamphlet 152 contains more information about the degree of risk various kinds behavior.

You can reduce your risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases by using barriers such as condoms. Traditionally, condoms are worn on the penis, newer condoms are designed for the vagina or rectum. See brochure 153 for more information.

Some chemicals called “spermicides” can prevent pregnancy but do not prevent HIV infection. They can even increase the risk of infection if they cause irritation or swelling.

For more information on safer sex, see pamphlet 151.

If you are under the influence of drugs, you may forget to protect yourself during sex. If you use other people's tools (needles, syringes, pots, cotton wool or washing water), you can become infected with very small amounts of blood. The best way avoid infection - do not use drugs.

If you use drugs, you can prevent infection by avoiding injecting them. If you inject drugs, do not share equipment. If you have no other choice, clean the tools with white water before each use. Pamphlet 154 describes drug use and HIV prevention in more detail.

Some communities have established exchange programs that provide people with clean syringes free of charge so that they do not share syringes.

Not using prophylactic treatment for HIV-positive women, at least 25% of children are born infected. The risk of infection is reduced to about 4% if a woman takes AZT during pregnancy and childbirth, and if the newborn receives AZT. The risk is 2% or less if the mother is on combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). Delivery by caesarean section probably does not reduce the risk of transmission if the mother's viral load is less than 1000 copies.

Babies can become infected by drinking the breast milk of HIV-infected women. HIV-positive women should use infant formula or breast milk from uninfected women to feed their children.

For more information about HIV and pregnancy, see brochure 611.

contact with blood

HIV is one of many infections that are transmitted through blood. Be careful when helping someone with bleeding. If your job involves contact with blood, make sure you protect any cuts or open sores on your skin, as well as your eyes and mouth. Your employer must provide gloves, face masks, and other protective equipment, as well as training on various blood-borne disease prevention.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM AT RISK OF INFECTION?

If you think you may be at risk of contracting HIV, talk to your doctor or contact a community medical institution and get tested. For more information on HIV testing, see leaflet 102.

If you are sure you are at risk, call your doctor immediately to discuss possible reception antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). This is called "post-exposure prophylaxis" or PEP. You will take two or three drugs over several weeks. These drugs may reduce the risk of infection, but they cause some serious side effects. For more information see brochure 156.

HIV does not spread easily from person to person. In order to become infected with HIV, you must get infected blood, sexual fluid or breast milk into your body. HIV-positive pregnant women can pass the infection on to their newborn babies.

To reduce the risk of HIV transmission:
Use condoms during sexual intercourse

Do not share injecting drug equipment

If you are HIV positive and pregnant, talk to your doctor about taking ARVs.

If you are an HIV positive woman, do not breastfeed your baby.

Protect cuts, open sores, eyes and mouth from contact with blood.

If you think you are at risk of contracting HIV, get tested and talk to your doctor about taking ARVs.

Is HIV transmitted through kissing?

The specialist of the Republican Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and Infectious Diseases, psychotherapist Roza Mukhametova was asked to explain the situation to “KV”:

No, HIV is not transmitted through saliva. For infection, the concentration of the virus in it is not enough. Therefore, in the entire history of the study of HIV and AIDS, not a single case of infection in this way has been recorded. Scientists have proven that only four liters of HIV-infected saliva contain a dangerous concentration of the virus for infection. But to swallow it at once, you know, is impossible. If HIV were transmitted this way, the whole world would be infected by now.

- When is it not transmitted yet?

- HIV infection is not transmitted by contact-household way. Infection will not occur when shaking hands, collective sports, using common utensils, cutlery, towels, and insect bites. In the lacrimal fluid and urine, the concentration of the virus is also low, so infection through them is also impossible.

- But if there are bleeding wounds in the mouth of a person with HIV-positive status? Let's say a bad tooth that bleeds...

- Theoretically it is possible. But in the world such cases of transmission of this infection are not registered.

— Roza Nurgalievna, please remind me how HIV is transmitted?

— There are three ways of transmission of HIV infection. Sexual way - unprotected (that is, without a condom) vaginal, anal and oral sex. Parenteral - through infected blood - occurs when non-sterile instruments are shared or reused - syringes, needles and other injection equipment, other people's shaving accessories, piercing tools. And vertical - the transmission of HIV from mother to child. An HIV-positive mother can pass the virus on to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. However, this can be prevented. A child of an HIV-positive mother can be born healthy. Today, medicine knows a lot about how to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. As a result, HIV-infected mothers in 98% give birth to healthy babies.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the destruction of the body's immune system, which protects it from infections. The virus is spread by transfusion of contaminated blood; when used for injection of dirty needles; with bisexual and heterosexual contacts. Homosexuals, drug addicts and prostitutes are at particular risk.
As a rule, a person affected by the AIDS virus feels constant fatigue, loses weight, and gets tired quickly. A high temperature can be kept for a long time, increased sweating appears, frequent diarrhea observed dry cough and shortness of breath. Mild infections, such as the common cold, are much more serious and last much longer than usual.

AIDS patients may develop pneumonia, colitis, herpes, fungal infection in the mouth, throat, esophagus and rectum. The AIDS virus can also damage the brain, causing dementia. In addition, cancer may develop. In patients on the body or in the mouth, nose or in anus painless red to pink bruising or sores appear (Kaposi's sarcoma). Usually, Kaposi's sarcoma is a fairly rare, relatively benign form of skin cancer. However, in people with AIDS, it spreads quickly and can affect the skin, lymph nodes, and internal organs. AIDS patients are also more vulnerable to cancer of the lymph nodes, lips, tongue and anus.
It was revealed that AIDS is transmitted only through direct contact of body fluids - blood, semen, breast milk. It cannot be transmitted through the air or through objects. Even prolonged close contact with an AIDS patient does not result in the transmission of the infection to family members.
AIDS has a long incubation period. A person can carry the virus for years before any symptoms appear. During this time, he can infect others.

Has a cure for AIDS been found? Can you get vaccinated against it? Are AIDS tests always true? Can you get it from kissing or oral sex?
The number of HIV-infected people is steadily growing - at the beginning of 1999 there were already 33 million infected in the world. Paradoxically, doctors believe that this spread of the disease has its own positive side - a large number of objects of observation helps to find more and more successful methods of combating the virus. There is no cure for AIDS yet. But they learned to restrain its development. AIDS has gone from a 100% fatal disease to a chronic but non-fatal disease. Nevertheless, the topic of AIDS is still of extreme concern to all mankind, causing more and more questions from people regarding their own protection from the plague of the 20th century.

I am heterosexual. I have not had a blood transfusion and I do not use drugs. How high is my risk of getting HIV?
The risk exists, although it is not great. More than two-thirds of new infections occur in homosexual contacts between men - all other cases: blood transfusion, infection through medical instruments, and so on account for no more than 25%. The percentage of men who become infected with HIV through heterosexual intercourse has always been about the same - about 4% of all new infections. Specialists today know about nine varieties of the immunodeficiency virus - the so-called type E is most often transmitted precisely through heterosexual sexual contact. Unfortunately, today there is a tendency towards the spread of this type - therefore, the risk for heterosexual men has increased slightly. Most often, the victims were men whose partner belonged to one of the risk groups: either she was a prostitute or had a drug addiction. The share of infections attributable to heterosexual contact with a partner who is not at risk is the smallest part of all cases of infection.

I am single and live alone. Sometimes I have "chance encounters" that rarely last longer than one night. I hate condoms because I don't feel anything in them. Should I be afraid of AIDS?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the probability of contracting HIV for a man who had a single contact with an unfamiliar partner without using a condom is 1 in 100. With frequent contacts of this kind, sex turns into as dangerous entertainment as "Russian roulette" .
If I have had sex with a woman and then find out she has HIV, can I take any Urgent measures protection?
Theoretically yes, practically no. Statistics show that when people accidentally infected in hospitals were immediately injected with drugs used in the treatment of AIDS, infection did not occur in 79% of cases. But, firstly, these statistics are quite controversial - infection was only assumed, but not proven, and secondly, these measures should be taken within a few hours after a possible infection, and doctors take them only when the likelihood of infection was almost proven. That is, you can rush to the nearest center with a request to immediately prescribe a set of drugs for you, but doctors are unlikely to do this without conducting the necessary tests.
Can you get HIV by kissing?
Only one single example of indisputable transmission of HIV through a kiss is known - such a case has been registered in the United States. It was there that studies were conducted that found out why infection almost never occurs with a kiss. HIV can very rarely be found in saliva. The fact is that human saliva contains substances that destroy virus-infected cells, causing them to disintegrate into safe components (at least everything looks that way on laboratory glasses). Saliva contains proteins that neutralize the action of the proteins of the virus - a healthy immune system manages to destroy the virus before it has time to infiltrate the cells of the body.
So it is very difficult to get infected through a kiss. However, such a danger exists - if both partners have any damage to the mucosa, which happens with periodontal disease, stomatitis, inflammation, or after dental operations. In these cases, the virus is transmitted not through saliva, but through the blood.

Can you get HIV through oral sex?
Such cases have happened, but for a woman the danger is much greater due to the fact that the virus is usually found in semen, although not in such a high concentration as in the blood. But men can also be infected. The higher the concentration of the virus in a particular body fluid (semen, blood, vaginal secretions), the easier the virus is transmitted by contact - therefore, it is very important at what stage of the disease the partner is: if she herself was recently infected, then the risk is much less than if she already had AIDS. During oral sex, the virus is much less likely than during normal intercourse - the mucous membranes of the tongue, lips and oral cavity are impenetrable for it - it is required that they be damaged.

My friend went to Thailand and had a relationship with a local girl there, and he did not use a condom. Should he take an HIV test just in case?
A friend should immediately take tests, and until the results arrive, keep your fingers crossed all the time. Thailand is one of the most AIDS-prone areas in the world, and there is a very high percentage of infections through heterosexual contacts - in Thailand, the number of people infected with the type E virus is exceptionally high, which, as we know, is most often transmitted from woman to man and vice versa. In addition to HIV tests, a friend should also be tested for gonorrhea - in some places in Thailand, up to 100% of prostitutes and 50% of all other women are infected with it.
The most common questions about HIV/AIDS

What is HIV?

What is HIV infection?

The disease caused by HIV is called HIV infection. HIV infection begins from the moment of infection (infection) with HIV and lasts for many years until the death of a person. A few weeks after infection (infection, introduction of HIV into the human body), an infected person has a fever, enlarged lymph nodes, glands, there may be an unpleasant sensation in the throat, pain when swallowing, red spots on the skin of the body, diarrhea. But these initial signs of the disease (symptoms) quickly disappear, and often they do not happen at all. Although the virus then remains in CD4 cells, its presence is manifested only by an increase in several lymph nodes - on the back of the neck, above the collarbone (the lymph nodes on the front of the neck, underarms, in the groin can also be enlarged, but their increase can often be associated with with other diseases). After a few years, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells, immune deficiency develops, and an HIV-infected person develops diseases that healthy people quickly go away on their own or are easily cured. In HIV-infected people with reduced immunity, such diseases do not go away on their own, and over time they become more difficult and more dangerous, because HIV kills some of the body's defenders. Skin is affected first internal surfaces mouth and genitals. With a further decrease in the number of CD4 cells and a decrease in immunity, diseases of the internal organs develop, gradually leading to death. This late stage of HIV infection was formerly known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS.
How is HIV infection different from other infectious diseases?

A person infected with the influenza virus only sometimes dies, more often he recovers quickly and after recovery is completely freed from the influenza virus. HIV infection is different in that once infected with HIV, a person is never freed from it and always dies from its effects (if he does not die earlier from another cause).
What is an HIV carrier?

All people infected with HIV, or HIV-infected persons, without obvious signs of illness, are sometimes called "HIV carriers", virus carriers. This expression is not entirely successful, since patients with severe forms of the disease also “carry” HIV in their bodies. In addition, many carriers have hidden signs of the disease. Any “carrier of HIV” will eventually get sick.
What is AIDS?

When doctors for the first time in 1985 discovered patients with an unknown disease with damage to the internal organs, they did not yet know that the cause of the disease was a virus. Previously healthy young men suddenly began to develop diseases that were previously found in newborn premature babies (congenital immune deficiency, congenital immunodeficiency). Doctors found that these young people had a decrease in immunity - the immune deficiency was not congenital, but was "acquired" in adulthood. Therefore, the disease in the first years after its discovery began to be called AIDS - acquired immune deficiency syndrome. In fact, AIDS is only a late stage of HIV infection, when people infected with HIV develop serious, life-threatening lesions.
Can any decrease in immunity be called AIDS?

No, only deep lesions caused by the selective effect of HIV on the immune system are called AIDS. Changes in immunity caused by HIV are very specific and very rare from other causes. Therefore, HIV can be called the "AIDS virus".
Is HIV infection correctly called AIDS?

Not everyone infected with HIV, but only a patient with life-threatening lesions, can be called an AIDS patient. Quite often people confuse these concepts, but this is not entirely correct. The term "AIDS" denotes an outdated concept, and even doctors argue all the time when to use this word correctly. For example, with the help of modern methods of treatment, it is possible to restore the immune system of a person who previously had all the signs of AIDS, but he still has HIV infection. It is not correct to talk about infection with AIDS, because you cannot get infected with the immunodeficiency syndrome, you can only get infected with the virus that causes this immunodeficiency, the AIDS virus. If you want to always be understood correctly, it is better to always use the term "HIV infection".

What trouble can happen if I confuse HIV infection with AIDS?

There is a case when a young man infected with HIV persuaded a girl to enter into an intimate relationship with him, saying: "Don't be afraid, I don't have AIDS, I only have HIV infection." The girl did not know that HIV causes AIDS, yielded to the young man's persuasion, and became infected with HIV. A few years later, both fell ill with AIDS and died.

How long does it take from being infected with HIV to death?

The average life expectancy of an HIV-infected person, if he does not receive any treatment, is 11-12 years. Some people who were not completely healthy before HIV infection die earlier, but others, though few, live 20 years or longer. For example, one weak and sick child who was transfused with HIV-infected blood died a year after infection. And the other, being infected in the same way, grew up, went to school and graduated from it. Such people are carefully studied in order to discover the reason for their "survival", to find a way to treat HIV infection.

What are the symptoms that a person has after being infected with HIV?

Signs of HIV infection are difficult to recognize. So, one person, a month after infection, felt chills, fever, sore throat, he developed a rash, was liquid stool. The doctor found an enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver and spleen in the patient. These symptoms disappeared after a week, except for swollen lymph nodes. Another person had a slight sore throat when swallowing, but the doctor found only swollen lymph nodes. Even the doctor could not assume that it was an HIV infection, and not a simple acute respiratory disease. Many showed no signs of HIV infection at all immediately after infection, and were only told that they were infected many years after infection, when they were tested for HIV infection after showing signs of reduced immunity. Thus, HIV infection in most cases proceeds secretly for many years.

How can you tell if a person is infected with HIV?

From the third month from the moment of infection, antibodies appear in the blood of an infected with HIV, protective bodies, specifically directed only against HIV. These antibodies to HIV persist as long as there is HIV in the blood, that is, until the end of life. Antibody detection is by far the most reliable method for diagnosing HIV infection. Blood for the detection of antibodies to HIV can be donated in all clinics and hospitals throughout Russia. The virus itself or its specific structures (genes and antigens) can be determined in the blood from the first week after infection. However, these methods are complicated or quite expensive, and therefore are carried out so far only in special scientific institutions.

How can you tell if a person has AIDS?

Simply put, if a person infected with HIV begins to get sick for a long time and seriously, then he has developed AIDS. Whether the disease of a person infected with HIV, AIDS, is determined by doctors according to the signs of the painful manifestations observed in him. Fifteen years ago, physicians around the world agreed on which painful manifestations are considered AIDS and which are not, but, unfortunately, during this time the World Health Organization has changed this list several times. Therefore, the medical diagnosis of AIDS is quite difficult even for an experienced doctor. For example, if an HIV-infected patient has a fungal infection of the pharynx, the diagnosis of AIDS cannot be made, but if the esophagus is affected, it can. That's why the word "AIDS" is always confusing.

Is it true that for a patient with HIV infection in the stage of AIDS, any colds are deadly?

How can you get AIDS?

Of course, they are not infected with AIDS (immunodeficiency), but with the virus that causes it (HIV). To infect a person, HIV must be transmitted to him from another, previously infected person. This can happen during sexual intercourse. This is the most common and natural way of HIV transmission. In addition, infection can occur when blood contaminated with HIV enters the internal environment of an uninfected body. This happens when blood is transfused from an HIV-infected donor, with injections that are made with needles and syringes that have left HIV-infected blood. Infected blood most often remains on the needles and syringes used by drug addicts. There are cases when this happened in the hospital, if the doctors did not follow the precautionary rules. Finally, HIV can be transmitted from an infected pregnant woman to her unborn child.

How does the HIV epidemic start?

We observed such a case: one man, named Vladimir Alekseevich, a homosexual, that is, a person who has sexual relations with men, was in 1982 abroad. There, he had many "friends", that is, "sex partners". From them he contracted HIV. When he returned to Russia, he got a job as a school teacher. He persuaded young guys, including his students, to try to enjoy sex with him, especially, he said, homosexuality is so fashionable abroad, and many pop stars are homosexuals! Some guys agreed and 5 of them got HIV. They did not attach any importance to this "experiment", they got girl friends. One, Nicholas, had ten. Three of them also contracted HIV. Then their husbands and other “friends” became infected with HIV from these girls. One of the girls had an HIV-infected child. In addition, Nikolai went to donate blood as a donor. He did not take money for this, he even almost became an honorary donor! His blood was transfused to five patients, and all of them became infected with HIV. One child, infected by a blood transfusion, was taken to the hospital. Due to the fact that the sister gave him and another child an injection with one syringe, he also became infected with HIV. This boy, who was infected with a dirty syringe in the hospital, was called Sergei. When Sergei grew up, he also got himself a lot of girlfriends. It is easy to guess that many of these girls have contracted HIV. Two also had infected children! Five years later, Vladimir Alekseevich, who brought HIV to Russia, fell ill with AIDS. Then he told who he had sex with. Gradually, it was possible to identify the entire "chain" of those infected with HIV. None of them even suspected that they were infected, because they still felt good. And in total, 24 people were infected with HIV along the chain from Vladimir Alekseevich! This is how HIV spreads in secret, and one person can become the first link in an entire epidemic.

How do people get HIV through drug use?

Drug addicts most often become infected with HIV due to the fact that they use the same syringe and needle. First one will prick, then the second, and a little blood of the first remains in the needle and in the syringe. If there is any virus in the blood of the first, it goes to the second. This is how not only HIV is transmitted, but also viruses that cause hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), and many other microorganisms. HIV and other viruses can also get into the drug solution. After all, someone may have already “tried” this solution, and for this he climbed in with his dirty syringe. This means that the solution may already be infected with pathogenic viruses. Sometimes drug addicts wash their syringes in the same container without fear that HIV gets into the wash water. It turns out that they do not wash the syringe, but, on the contrary, infect it with HIV. One student, Lida, always injected drugs with a sterile syringe, which she bought at the pharmacy each time. But she collected a solution of the drug from the same mug with "friends". They all took turns sticking their syringes into this mug, not thinking that the virus was getting into the solution. So Lida got the virus. Another girl, tenth grader Katya, considered herself even smarter. She not only used her personal syringe, but also diluted the powder of the drug in her own separate mug and did not give it to anyone. However, after the injection, she rinsed her syringe in the same bowl as other addicts. Blood from other syringes fell into the bowl and, consequently, into Katya's syringe. When Katya used her syringe again, the virus got into her bloodstream. Thus, when administering drugs, it is very difficult to avoid infection with HIV or other disease-causing viruses. Most drug addicts suffer from inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) caused by hepatitis B and C viruses (Latin B and C).

Can a drug be infected with HIV?

When purchasing a drug solution, you can never be sure that someone has not tried it and has not infected HIV in this way.

If HIV lives in human blood, then why is it in the liquid environment of the vagina and semen, in breast milk?

Is it always possible to get HIV through contact with fluids secreted by an infected person?

HIV needs not only to somehow “get out” of an already infected organism, but also to penetrate into a new victim. Getting over to another person with HIV is not so easy, because the CD4 cells that he needs to reproduce are in the deep layers of the skin, in the blood. Because of this, HIV is not transmitted through everyday contact with handshakes, hugs, and similar contacts. Even if HIV-infected blood comes into contact with intact skin, infection does not occur. The top layer of the skin serves as protection. Sexual intercourse is another matter, because with it the smallest, sometimes invisible wounds always occur, and in addition, infectious material, sperm or vaginal discharge, is also rubbed into these wounds with effort. Inflammatory diseases of the genital organs also contribute to HIV infection. In places of inflammation, cells bearing CD4 accumulate. Inflammatory sores are the gateway for HIV to enter.

How long does HIV continue to act outside the body and is it possible to become infected with HIV through contact with dried blood?

HIV remains active in frozen blood cells and semen for many years. And in dried blood, it can remain “alive” for several weeks. Therefore, he can survive for quite a long time, for example, in a syringe with which an infected drug addict injected himself. Hepatitis viruses live even longer. One girl gave her handkerchief to a young man whose nose was broken in a fight, then she herself used this handkerchief and thus became infected with hepatitis B. Although such cases have not yet been noted with HIV, those should not stay away from blood, wherever it is found Immediately treat items covered in blood with decontaminating disinfectant solutions. It is easiest to use household disinfectants containing chlorine. In extreme cases, you can use vodka and other strong drinks (but, of course, do not drink them, but pour blood stains with them). Laundry that has come into contact with blood or other liquids should be boiled longer. Used glass syringes and needles should be boiled for two hours before being used again.

Is it possible to get infected during the first sexual contact?

The first sexual contact for men is no less dangerous than any other, and even more dangerous for girls, since it usually causes more injuries. And the wounds, as we have already said, are the gateway for HIV.

Does a condom help protect against AIDS and is it 100% safe?

A condom significantly reduces the likelihood of infection, but, unfortunately, it does not give a 100% guarantee. The fact is that even the highest quality condoms sometimes break or slip. To reduce the chance of breaking, use condoms that are not past their expiration date. In addition, you need to pay attention to whether the packaging is damaged. It is dangerous to open the packaging with sharp objects, as this can damage the condom and cause it to break. Sticky, damaged or torn condoms must not be used! Do not use condoms without lubrication, this also increases the likelihood of breaking. You can not use one condom twice, it will definitely break. To reduce the likelihood of slipping, you need to put on a condom on an already tense penis, but before it comes into contact with the partner's body. After ejaculation, the condom must be carefully removed from the still tense penis, so as not to spill its contents, tie it in a knot, wrap it in paper and throw it in the trash. If the condom breaks, you need to wash the genitals with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, or household vinegar diluted in half (of course, not with acetic acid, “essence!”), Or vodka diluted in half, or, finally, just water. This will reduce the chance of infection.

How do contraceptive pills, ointments work, do they protect against HIV infection?

Birth control pills only affect the process of egg production, and therefore do not protect against HIV infection at all. Some birth control ointments reduce the risk of infection, but only slightly. In addition, the frequent use of certain contraceptive ointments or weak acid solutions leads to ulcers. These sores can become a gateway for HIV to enter.
Special ointments and liquids appeared on sale, which say that they kill HIV. Is it really true?

These solutions and ointments kill HIV only in laboratory experiments. Evidence that they kill HIV in vivo, No. Therefore, they are best used with condoms. Many of these solutions, especially those containing chlorine compounds, cause irritation and sores on the genitals. Well, ulcers, as you know, are the gateway for HIV. Therefore, it is not recommended to use them for a long time.

Does saliva inactivate the virus?

Saliva contains substances that destroy HIV. But they are not enough to prevent HIV infection through contact of the genitals and mouth never occurred. One American, because of the fear of AIDS, limited himself to only this kind of sex. And yet he contracted HIV. Such cases of infection do occur, although infrequently, so condoms with aromatic additives, mint, orange, etc. are on sale.

Can a person get the AIDS virus by kissing?

Kiss kiss discord. When kissing on the cheek or on the forehead, there is no risk of infection. Kissing on the lips can also be different. If lovers bite each other during a kiss, or if one of them has bleeding gums, there is some risk of transmission of HIV and viruses that cause hepatitis. But, apparently, due to the properties of saliva, cases of HIV infection during kissing have not yet been registered.

Can HIV exist in the air?

HIV does not fly through the air. None of those who breathed the same air with those infected with HIV in the same, even the cramped room, became infected with HIV.

Can HIV be transmitted through food products and drink?

HIV is not spread through food and drink. None of those who ate foods prepared by HIV-infected cooks became infected.

Do high temperatures destroy HIV?

Temperatures over 100 degrees per minute kill HIV. Even at a temperature of 56 degrees, HIV dies in half an hour. However, inside human body a constant temperature is maintained within 35-45 degrees. Therefore, no hot bath kills HIV in the blood and internal organs of an infected person.

Among the people of which ethnic groups are the most HIV carriers?

The virus does not care what ethnic group a person belongs to (that is, what language he uses and what religious customs he observes). It is clear that in Africa, where most of the inhabitants are Africans, the most infected with HIV are among the indigenous people. In Russia, the most infected are among the Russians, who make up the majority of the population. The probability of infection depends more on the behavior of a particular population group. In Africa, the most HIV-infected among black prostitutes, in the United States - among white homosexual men and among black drug addicts.

Who is most susceptible to AIDS?

The risk of contracting HIV, and hence the risk of AIDS, varies among different population groups during different periods of the epidemic. The earliest and fastest spread of HIV is among homosexual men, intravenous drug addicts, and prostitutes. But then the entire population is at risk. For example, in South Africa until 1991 HIV was found only in white homosexual men. Therefore, the black population of South Africa thought that AIDS was a disease of white people, and did not take any precautions. But by 2000, it turned out that almost one in five black people in the country was already infected with HIV. In Russia, homosexual men were the first to become infected with HIV; at present, drug addicts are most often infected. But soon HIV will threaten EVERYONE equally!

Can infection occur when touched in a dance, in a gym?

Can not. But if during physical exercises injuries occur, accompanied by bleeding, blood must be handled very carefully.

Is it possible to get HIV through food, utensils?

It is forbidden. None of those who ate from the same plate and drank from the same cup with HIV-infected people became infected.

What should I do to avoid getting infected with HIV?

In order not to get infected with HIV, you must, firstly, not to rush to start a sexual life, and even more so to have sexual intercourse with anyone. With age, a person understands better with whom to have sexual intercourse, and with whom to part before that. It should be borne in mind that drug addicts, homosexuals, prostitutes, and generally more "experienced" sexually people, had a greater risk of "catching" HIV, hepatitis viruses, syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases. It is ideal, of course, to find yourself such a friend who has not yet had time to get infected with anything, and with whom you could then live your whole life. If this does not work, you need to remember about the condom. When going on a date that can go far, stock up on condoms in advance. It's best to always have them with you.

You should generally stay away from drug addicts, as they are unreliable people who often earn money for drugs through criminal means. The drug is more important to them than love and friendship. It is very difficult for a drug user, even if he does not consider himself an addict, to avoid contracting HIV. In order not to get infected, the addict must always use a sterile or his own individual personal syringe (do not give it to anyone), boil the drug solution and dilute his dose of the drug, as well as rinse his syringe in a separate container. If he violates these rules even once, it is easy to become infected with HIV or viruses that cause hepatitis (inflammation of the liver).

What should not be feared that does not pose a risk of HIV infection?

Ways of HIV transmission are limited, so there is no need to be afraid of accidental, household HIV infection. Even HIV infected person close to you, it will not lead to infection. In the United States, doctors examined thousands of families with HIV-infected people and AIDS patients. It turned out that none of those who used the same dishes, one toilet bowl, a bathroom, none of those who slept in the same bed with an HIV-infected person (in the United States in poor families, children sleep in the same bed), but did not have sexual contact with infected with HIV, did not become infected. Even none of those who used one toothbrush got infected.

Why are adolescents a particular risk group for AIDS and hepatitis?

Teenagers, most often thoughtlessly, agree to try drugs offered to them by "friends", who most often earn their dose of the drug in this way. (For each new "client", the drug dealer receives a reward from his master). Well, if a teenager began to use the drug intravenously, getting infected with HIV is “a couple of trifles”. Some teenagers also have sex with many partners, do not use condoms - this is also important factor risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis viruses.

If a partner has AIDS, what is the probability of getting infected from him?

A sexual partner is sick with AIDS or is still only infected with HIV, however, you can always get infected from it. The likelihood of infection depends on many factors, such as the amount of HIV in the blood of a partner, ulcers and inflammatory diseases of the genital organs in both partners, and many others. For this reason, sometimes infection can occur during a single sexual intercourse, and sometimes sexual partners live together for years before infection occurs. Having sexual intercourse with an HIV-infected person without a condom is like constantly crossing railroad tracks in front of a train: some are lucky for a long time, but sooner or later the irreparable will happen. One young man married an HIV-infected woman. He said: "I have Siberian health, no HIV will take me" - and did not use a condom. It is not difficult to guess that after a while he also showed signs of HIV infection.

Can you get HIV when you get a tattoo?

Tattoos, ear piercings, percings, and similar fashion procedures are dangerous, as they are often performed with dirty instruments. Who can be sure that an HIV-infected fashion lover has not been stabbed with the same needle before?

Is it possible to get infectedwhen giving first aid to an injured person,bleedingman? I heard that a doctor helping a patient in the ring can get infected?

There appears to be a risk of contracting HIV through contact with blood, although there have been no reliable cases of HIV infection from washing or dressing wounds. Much more risk of contracting viruses causing hepatitis. Therefore, someone else's blood that has got on the skin should be washed off as soon as possible (if there is soap, then with soap). If blood gets into the eyes, they should also be rinsed as soon as possible. clean water. You can treat the skin with improvised means, for example, vodka or gasoline (it is dangerous to wash your eyes with vodka and gasoline). Artificial respiration is best done through a handkerchief.

Can HIV be transmitted through human or animal bites?

Animals do not get infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, but their bites can transmit some other viruses. infectious diseases: rabies, "rat bite disease", "cat scratch disease". Therefore, in case of animal bites, you should consult a doctor. As for the bites of an HIV-infected person, there is a slight risk of infection, because the biter's mouth may contain his blood. True, a case is described when a crazy person infected with HIV bit almost all the doctors in a psychiatric hospital, but none of them became infected. Fortunately, people bite much less often than animals.

Can a person become infected if he shares a razor with an HIV-positive person or shares a knife?

If the blood of an HIV-infected person remains on a dangerous razor or blade, then infection can occur when another person is cut. So it's not safe to share a razor with anyone. As far as one knife is concerned, it's hard to imagine that two people can cut themselves with the same knife right after each other. However, what does not happen. Therefore, if someone cuts himself, do not forget to wash the knife immediately. But do it carefully so as not to cut yourself when washing. And, if you cut yourself, immediately rinse the wound with running water and spread it with iodine, brilliant green or rinse with vodka, bandage it.

How many people in the world and in Russia are HIV-infected?

The exact number of people infected with HIV cannot be calculated, since it is very difficult to detect the disease without a special examination. Experts from the United Nations HIV/AIDS program estimate that 20 million people on Earth have already died of AIDS, and 40 million are living with HIV. In Russia, 15 million people were examined in 2000, and 50,000 of them were infected. 150 million people live in Russia. How many of them were infected with HIV in 2000 is a task for the third grade. (The correct answer is 500 thousand). Only 70,000 are aware of their infection, the rest have no idea. In 2001, the number of people infected with HIV could have doubled. How much will it be?

How many people in Russia have died of AIDS?

The majority of Russian citizens have been infected with HIV in the last three years, and fall ill with AIDS on average 8-10 years after infection. Therefore, there are relatively few AIDS patients registered in Russia - 600 people. 500,000 people will develop AIDS over the next 15 years if they don't receive treatment.

Are there equal numbers of men and women among people with AIDS?

Due to the fact that homosexual men and drug addicts are affected at the beginning of the epidemic, and there are more men among drug addicts than women, the number of infected men at the beginning of the epidemic is more than women. In those countries where the epidemic has gone far, the number of infected men and women is leveling off.

Who is most susceptible to AIDS?

Those who have many sexual partners and those who do not use a condom are at risk of infection. Previously, for example, homosexual men had many partners and never used a condom because they were not afraid of getting pregnant. At that time, the AIDS virus was spreading rapidly in this group. Many homosexual men now use condoms, although they still have many partners, so HIV is slowly spreading in this group. Now HIV is spreading much faster among “ordinary” men and women who often change sexual partners and do not use condoms. Intravenous drug users are at even greater risk of contracting HIV. Infected blood that enters syringes and needles, or drug solutions, causes the rapid spread of HIV in this environment.

How long does it take for a person to develop AIDS after testing positive for HIV?

Antibodies to HIV, giving a "positive" reaction, usually appear 2-6 months after infection, and from that time until death, these antibodies and a "positive" reaction persist. Thus, by the presence of a "positive" reaction, it is impossible to determine whether AIDS will soon develop.

Is it possible that HIV lives in the body for many years and cannot be detected?

In fact, all HIV-infected people show some signs of HIV infection. It all depends on the thoroughness and quality of the survey. Previously, there were cases when HIV infection could not be detected immediately. But with the improvement of the quality of research, such cases are becoming less and less.

Are there ways of getting an infection in which the development of AIDS occurs faster, and what other viruses and diseases affect the rate of development of AIDS?

As observations have shown, the rate of development of AIDS does not depend on the route of infection, but rather on the initial health of the person. For example, those who become infected at a young age take longer to develop AIDS than those who become infected at an old age. People who are infected with other viruses besides HIV, and generally suffering from other diseases, can develop AIDS more quickly.

Are there ways of getting an infection in which HIV infection occurs faster?

The probability of becoming infected is highest with a single transfusion of infected blood, then the risk level is followed by a single injection of the drug with an HIV-infected syringe, then sexual intercourse with an HIV-infected person.

What other viruses and diseases affect the likelihood of contracting HIV?

Inflammatory diseases of the genital organs, including those caused by viruses, increase the risk of sexual transmission.

Can a person without AIDS be a carrier of the infection?

A person infected with HIV is always a carrier of HIV infection and can be infected from him. An AIDS patient is to some extent even less dangerous, because due to his state of health, he is less likely to have sexual intercourse.

What is the incubation period for HIV infection?

The period from the moment of HIV infection to the onset of symptoms of malaise of the type of "acute respiratory infection" or until the appearance of antibodies to HIV in the blood is called incubation. During this period, HIV is already in the blood, and it is already possible to become infected from a person in the incubation period of HIV infection. Sometimes erroneously called "incubation" the entire period from infection to the development of AIDS. This period lasts several years (average 8-10 years).

What are the symptoms that a person has after being infected with HIV?

Many people 1-4 months after becoming infected with HIV have fever, often sore throat, spotty rash, sometimes upset stool. Doctors can detect enlarged lymph nodes, spleen. These symptoms quickly disappear, and they may not be present at all. Most common after HIV infection long years only an increase in lymph nodes is always found in several different places. Particularly suspicious is the prolonged enlargement of the lymph nodes on the back of the neck, in the fossa above the collarbone. With HIV infection, several nodes located in different parts of the body are always enlarged. An increase in lymph nodes in one group more often indicates a local inflammatory process. So almost everyone has enlarged anterior cervical and submandibular nodes - due to diseases of the teeth. Lymph nodes in the groin are also enlarged in perfectly healthy people.

Why are there many homosexual men among AIDS patients?

There are a lot of AIDS patients among homosexuals because during the years of the "sexual revolution" they often changed sexual partners, never used condoms, because they were not afraid to get pregnant ... Now, because of the danger of HIV infection, they have become more careful, they try to use condoms, are less likely to become infected, and the number of AIDS patients among them is somewhat reduced.

How do children get AIDS?

HIV is transmitted to a child from an infected mother during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. If the mother is infected. The chance that a child will be infected is 25-30 percent. (That is, one out of three or four children born to an HIV-infected mother receives HIV from her). Taking antiviral drugs, prohibition of breastfeeding and some other methods can reduce the risk of infection of the child from the mother to 3-8%. That is, without treatment, 1 out of four children born to HIV-infected mothers is born infected, and 1 out of 20 with appropriate treatment of the mother.

Is it true that AIDS is most often contracted by drug addicts, and why?

Drug addicts often change syringes, take drugs from one container, and therefore HIV from the blood of an infected drug addict can easily enter the blood of another. If HIV-infected blood enters a syringe, needle or drug solution, then it is then injected directly into another person's vein. The virus does not need anything else: it has entered the body of a new victim.

How long can a contaminated needle cause HIV infection?

HIV survives in blood left in a needle or syringe for up to a month, and hepatitis B virus even longer. It is best not to touch syringes and needles thrown by someone. Disposable plastic syringes are dangerous to reuse, and glass ones must be boiled for at least 2 hours.

If a pregnant woman is infected, will HIV be passed on to the baby?

If a woman does not take precautions, the child may be born infected with HIV. Pregnant HIV-infected women should take antiviral drugs, should not breastfeed their baby, and then the risk of having an infected baby will be significantly reduced.

How and when can you find out if a person is HIV positive?

The simplest, most accessible and most informative test - the determination of antibodies in the blood, allows you to determine HIV infection from one month after infection, but sometimes it does not give the correct answer up to 6 months. There are more sophisticated methods that allow you to determine the infection (identify the virus itself or its parts) from the third week after infection, however, they are not always correct. In all cases where the tests used indicate the possibility of infection, the result is checked using other tests. Only after a careful comparison of all the results can a final conclusion be made whether a person is infected with HIV or not.

What is an "AIDS and HIV test"?

The “test for AIDS and HIV infection” usually means a method for determining antibodies to HIV (special particles produced by the body against HIV). For this test, you need to donate blood.

Where can a person take the test?

There are laboratories conducting this analysis in all major cities of Russia. These laboratories send blood for research from all hospitals and clinics in the country. In large cities there are AIDS Centers, and they have departments where you can donate blood for examination even anonymously, without naming yourself.

What does "negative" and "positive" mean? Can they be wrong? How accurate are HIV tests?

A "negative" result means that no antibodies to HIV were detected, and a "positive" result that they were detected. There may also be a “doubtful” result, which means that the analysis needs to be repeated after 2 months. "Positive" results are always carefully cross-checked using additional methods. After that, people with "positive" and "doubtful" test results are carefully examined by doctors, and only then can a diagnosis of HIV infection be made. Without an examination by a doctor, the diagnosis of HIV infection cannot be made. In St. Petersburg, one person donated blood for AIDS in one "scientific" laboratory. On the phone he was told that the result was “positive”, he decided that he had AIDS, his life was over, and committed suicide. It turned out that he was told the preliminary, not yet final, result of the study, besides, he incorrectly gave the number of the analysis, and he was generally told the result of the examination of someone else's blood. If he had gone to the doctor before ending his life, the mistake would have been easily discovered. As for the “negative” result, we must not forget that antibodies appear only a few months after infection, and six months after a dangerous contact, the test can still become “positive”.

What is the treatment for HIV-infected people?

The condition of HIV-infected people is monitored at the Centers for the Prevention and Control of AIDS or at polyclinics at the place of residence. If there is a threat of developing AIDS in them, drugs that inhibit HIV are prescribed. The appointment of modern antiviral drugs allows indefinitely to delay the development of AIDS and even cure the symptoms of AIDS, if they have already developed. But it is not yet possible to completely eradicate HIV. And yet there is hope that those who are now infected with HIV and started in time modern treatment, will live to the time when the disease will be completely cured, like the once incurable syphilis and tuberculosis.

How are AIDS patients treated?

AIDS patients are treated not only antiviral drugs, but also prescribe the treatment of the disease that has developed due to a decrease in immunity. If it is tuberculosis, anti-tuberculosis drugs are prescribed, if candidiasis caused by a yeast-like fungus, antifungal agents, etc. As a rule, most manifestations of AIDS can now be cured, but since HIV does not disappear from the body, the threat of their reappearance always remains.

Which doctors should I contact about drugs and AIDS?

Drug addiction is treated in narcological dispensaries and hospitals. With regard to HIV infection, it is best to contact the regional (city) Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS. In AIDS clinics, infectious disease doctors are involved.

If a person has AIDS, do they try to somehow treat him or not?

AIDS is not only treated, but treated successfully. On TV, performances of a famous pop artist who sings beautifully are very often shown, and, meanwhile, he was diagnosed with “AIDS” five years ago. The treatment that he receives allows him to successfully continue his performances.

Does the cure or suspension of the disease depend on the strength of the will of a person? Is it possible to stop the disease with internal energy?

If you sit with a frown and "concentrate internal energy", then this is unlikely to help. But in order to fight the disease, you really need willpower. Some weak-willed people, having learned that they are infected, quit their business, start drinking, using drugs, sink and, of course, quickly die. And those who concentrate on useful work, strictly follow the prescriptions of doctors, regularly take medicines (although they are often disgusting in taste), they live longer. One sailor, who contracted HIV back in 1989, has since become the commander of a large ship and is doing well.

Is there anything in common between cancer and AIDS?

The development of both AIDS and cancer is associated with a malfunction in immune system person. Some species malignant tumors, like AIDS, are caused by viruses. An example of this is cervical cancer, which is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Do HIV-positive people have more chances today?

Every year there are more and more new drugs that suppress HIV. Therefore, now those infected with HIV have a real chance, if not cured of HIV infection, then at least not to get AIDS.

Will they ever overcome this disease, like, for example, the plague?

The plague has not yet been completely dealt with, but it has been driven into remote desert places where it is still found in rodents. So far, only smallpox has been completely eradicated. HIV infection is more cunning than plague and smallpox. It is known to spread covertly, exploiting the weaknesses of the human race. Therefore, at least decades will pass before a decisive victory over it.

Where can an HIV-infected person get advice and treatment?

HIV-infected people are provided with assistance in the regional and city Centers for the Prevention and Control of AIDS.

What role do nutrition and exercise play?

An HIV-infected person should eat well and fully, getting enough proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins. There is no special diet. Starvation, monotonous diet are contraindicated. Physical exercise useful for HIV-infected people, however, sports overloads deplete the immune system and it is better not to engage in “big” sports for HIV-infected people. However, it is known that the American basketball player Magic Johnson played for a long time in a professional team, being infected with HIV.

Where can one get HIV treatment in Russia and how expensive is it?

HIV treatment is indeed very expensive. Each year of treatment costs almost ten thousand US dollars. However, according to the laws Russian Federation not the patient himself, but the state can pay for the treatment. The state, of course, does not have enough money, but still, all HIV-infected people in Russia have a real chance to receive treatment. To do this, you need to contact the territorial (regional, regional, republican, city) Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS.

HIV mutates, what does that mean?

HIV can constantly change some of its properties, due to the fact that each individual virus is slightly different from the other. Changes in HIV are called mutations. For example, from time to time viruses that are resistant to a certain drug may appear. Since under the action of the drug other viruses, except for the "mutant", die, the drug ceases to act. However, the mutations of HIV are not so endless that someday its basic properties will change and it will begin, for example, to fly through the air. It is as unlikely as that a camel could grow wings.

When was AIDS first discovered?

In 1981, in the United States, when collecting data on notifiable diseases, a large number of rare diseases were discovered, the development of which was usually associated with a decrease in immunity. This unusual decrease in the protective properties of the body was called "acquired immune deficiency syndrome." The reason for the decrease in immunity could not be determined for a long time, but in 1985 a virus was discovered, infection with which leads to the development of AIDS in a few years. Since the first AIDS patients in the United States were discovered in 1978, simple calculations suggest that the HIV epidemic there did not begin until the early 1970s. Most researchers believe that HIV in its modern form appeared on the planet no more than 50 years ago. And it was helped to spread by the “sexual revolution”, which swept the countries of the West in the late 60s and early 70s.

What is the origin of HIV?

He got the human immunodeficiency virus from relatives - monkeys. However, it is still unclear how this happened. Some scientists believe, for example, that an accidental infection of a hunter could occur when cutting the carcass of a killed monkey. The history of science also knows many attempts to transplant organs of monkeys to humans, to transfuse monkey blood to humans. However, HIV is not found in monkeys; related, but still different, viruses live in their blood. Therefore, in addition to accidental infection, the monkey virus still had to adapt to life in human society. This could be due to the widespread use of such scientific achievements twentieth century as blood transfusions, organ transplants and all sorts of other experiments. Although there is still a version that some evil people "created" HIV with bad intentions, but most likely modern type HIV was formed by chance due to the widespread and not always thoughtful use of new medical technologies.
Recently, many articles have appeared in the press that claim that AIDS does not exist, but that it was invented by doctors and scientists, as well as drug companies, in order to get more money. How true can this be?

Western doctors and scientists who discovered AIDS and HIV are already making a lot of money, and they do not need to invent new diseases to earn extra money. This also applies to pharmaceutical companies that make billions of dollars even from headache drugs. And claims that HIV and AIDS do not exist are based on false or outdated information. So, it is often stated that “nobody has ever seen HIV”, although this virus is actually studied in detail using an electron microscope (of course, like all other viruses, it is not visible in a simple microscope). Or they say that HIV exists, but it is harmless, does not cause AIDS, but AIDS causes homosexuality or drugs. However, homosexuality existed thousands of years ago in Ancient Greece, but AIDS was not there, and could not be, since homosexuality does not cause serious immunity disorders. All drugs are, of course, harmful to health, but the disorders they cause have nothing to do with AIDS. The unprecedented mass spread, that is, the “epidemic” of cases of immunodeficiency, could only be associated with an infectious agent, which turned out to be HIV. All people who are diagnosed with HIV sooner or later develop AIDS. In those rare cases when patients show symptoms similar to AIDS, but no HIV is detected, other causes of immune deficiency can be found - poisoning with special drugs or radiation. Such immune deficiencies are generally not called AIDS.