Wednesday 29 January 2014

HORRIFIED BY IGNORANCE OF HIV AND AIDS BEING DIFFERENT THINGS

HORRIFIED BY IGNORANCE OF HIV AND AIDS BEING DIFFERENT THINGS


I have been quite amazed and even shocked by the number of people who still do not know the difference between HIV and AIDS.

I AM ALSO SHOCKED TO THINK THAT 25% OF PEOPLE WITH HIV ARE WALKING AROUND NOT KNOWING THEY HAVE IT!


Even otherwise highly intelligent people get these two things very mixed up. So allow me, in my own non-doctor way try and explain:

What Is HIV?

To understand what HIV is, let’s break it down:


HHuman – This particular virus can only infect human beings.
IImmunodeficiency – HIV weakens your immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. A "deficient" immune system can't protect you.
VVirus – A virus can only reproduce itself by taking over a cell in the body of its host.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a lot like other viruses, including those that cause the "flu" or the common cold. But there is an important difference – over time, your immune system can clear most viruses out of your body. That isn't the case with HIV – the human immune system can't seem to get rid of it. Scientists are still trying to figure out why.


HIV transmission can occur when fluids containing HIV from an infected person enter the body of an uninfected person. These fluids include: Blood, Semen (cum), Pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum),Vaginal fluid, Breast milk

HIV can enter the body through: Lining of the anus or rectum, Lining of the vagina and/or cervix, Opening to the penis, Mouth that has sores or bleeding gums, Cuts and sores,Needles (syringes)

We know that HIV can hide for long periods of time in the cells of your body and that it attacks a key part of your immune system – your T cells or CD4 cells Your body has to have these cells to fight infections and disease, but HIV invades them, uses them to make more copies of itself, and then destroys them.


Over time, HIV can destroy so many of your CD4 cells that your body can't fight infections and diseases any more. If that happens, the infection can lead to AIDS.


What Is AIDS?


To understand what AIDS is, let’s break it down:

AAcquired – AIDS is not something you inherit from your parents. You acquire AIDS after birth.
IImmuno – Your body's immune system includes all the organs and cells that work to fight off infection or disease.
DDeficiency – You get AIDS when your immune system is "deficient," or isn't working the way it should.
SSyndrome – A syndrome is a collection of symptoms and signs of disease. AIDS is a syndrome, rather than a single disease, because it is a complex illness with a wide range of complications and symptoms.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is the final stage of infection. People at this stage of disease have badly damaged immune systems, which put them at risk for opportunistic infections (OIs). You will be diagnosed with AIDS if you have one or more specific OIs, certain cancers or a very low number of CD4 cells.

Antiretrovirals:

As noted above, when used consistently, ART prevents the HIV virus from multiplying and from destroying your immune system and becoming AIDS. And there are other treatments that can prevent or cure some of the illnesses associated with AIDS, though the treatments do not cure HIV itself. The earlier you detect your HIV infection and start treatment, the better.

But not everyone is diagnosed early. Some people are diagnosed with HIV and AIDS concurrently, meaning that they have been living with HIV for a long time and the virus has already done damage to their body by the time they find out they are infected. These individuals need to seek a health care provider immediately and be linked to care so that they can stay as healthy as possible, as long as possible.

In 1987, a drug called AZT became the first approved treatment for HIV disease. Since then, approximately 30 drugs have been approved to treat people living with HIV/AIDS, and more are under development. You may have heard these drugs called many different names, including:
  • "The Cocktail"
  • Antiretrovirals (ARVs)
  • Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART or ART)
"Class" Action

There are currently five different "classes" of HIV drugs. Each class of drug attacks the virus at different points in its life cycle—so if you are taking HIV meds, you will generally take 3 different antiretroviral drugs from 2 different classes.

This regimen is standard for HIV care—and it’s important. That’s because no drug can cure HIV, and taking a single drug, by itself, won’t stop HIV from harming you. Taking 3 different HIV meds does the best job of controlling the amount of virus in your body and protecting your immune system.
Taking more than one drug also protects you against HIV drug resistance. When HIV reproduces, it can make copies of itself that are imperfect—and these mutations may not respond to the drugs you take to control your HIV. If you follow the 3-drug regimen, the HIV in your body will be less likely to make new copies that don’t respond to your HIV meds.

Each HIV medication is pretty powerful by itself—and the key to treating your HIV disease successfully is to pick the right combination of drugs from the different classes of HIV meds.
Antiretrovirals are separated into different classes by the way an individual drug stops HIV from replicating in your body. The classes include:

Nucleoside/Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs): Sometimes called "nukes." These drugs work to block a very important step in HIV’s reproduction process. Nukes act as faulty building blocks in production of viral DNA production. This blocks HIV’s ability to use a special type of enzyme (reverse transcriptase) to correctly build new genetic material (DNA) that the virus needs to make copies of itself.

Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs): These are called "non-nukes." They work in a very similar way to "nukes." Non-nukes also block the enzyme, reverse transcriptase, and prevent HIV from making copies of its own DNA. But unlike the nukes (which work on the genetic material ), non-nukes act directly on the enzyme itself to prevent it from functioning correctly.

Protease Inhibitors (PIs): When HIV replicates inside your cells, it creates long strands of its own genetic material. These long strands have to be cut into shorter strands in order for HIV to create more copies of itself. The enzyme that acts to cut up these long strands is called protease. Protease inhibitors (stoppers) block this enzyme and prevent those long strands of genetic material from being cut up into functional pieces.

Entry/Fusion Inhibitors: These medications work to block the virus from ever entering your cells in the first place. HIV needs a way to attach and bond to your CD4 cells, and it does that through special structures on cells called receptor sites. Receptor sites are found on both HIV and CD4 cells (they are found on other types of cells too). Fusion inhibitors can target those sites on either HIV or CD4 cells and prevent HIV from "docking" into your healthy cells.

Integrase Inhibitors: HIV uses your cells’ genetic material to make its own DNA (a process called reverse transcription). Once that happens, the virus has to integrate its genetic material into the genetic material of your cells. This is accomplished by an enzyme called integrase. Integrase inhibitors block this enzyme and prevent the virus from adding its DNA into the DNA in your CD4 cells. Preventing this process prevents the virus from replicating and making new viruses.

Fixed-dose combinations: These are not a separate class of HIV medications but combinations of the above classes and a great advancement in HIV medicine. They include antiretrovirals which are combinations of 2 or more medications from one or more different classes. These antiretrovirals are combined into one single pill with specific fixed doses of these medicines.

Your provider will take many things into account when considering which HIV medications to prescribe for you. These will include your preferences (number of pills, once a day versus twice, etc.), the general state of your health (including your CD4 count) possible side effects, your medical and psychiatric history, etc. You should talk with your provider about the choice of medications, including possible side effects and how you should take them.

Sometimes your HIV medications may be only a part of the whole package of meds you may take. If you are at risk for opportunistic infections, your healthcare provider may also put you on daily or weekly medications to prevent your getting sick with a specific kind of infection. This type of treatment is known as prophylaxis.

In addition, you may take other medications to prevent side-effects. These can include meds to prevent diarrhea, nausea, or pain. If you have other health problems (like high blood pressure or diabetes), you may also need to take medications to treat those conditions. All of these medications work together to keep you as healthy as possible while complementing your treatment for HIV.


CONCLUSION:

1. While HIV not treated can lead to AIDS - HIV IS NOT AIDS.

2. Do not refer to people with HIV as having AIDS. The two words are NOT interchangeable. Don't be ignorant.

3. HIV when diagnosed and treated well need never become AIDS.

4. People with HIV are now living normal, full length lives into their 70s and 80's. HIV is no longer, if detected and treated early, a TERMINAL ILLNESS. It is often just a CHRONIC ILLNESS.

5. HIV sufferers, with proper medical care will more likely die of cancer, heart attack or stroke.

6. People with terminal cancer have told me that they would prefer to have HIV.

7. If you or your partner (s) have behaved riskily with sex or injected drugs make sure to get a HIV test.

8. Do not be one of the 25% of people walking around with HIV and not knowing - the earlier detection the earlier the successful treatment.



17 comments:

  1. Crisis Within Catholic Church - As a priest in the US I can say with some degree of authority that the amount of Catholic clergy with HIV in the US is at CRISIS point!!

    The ignorance of which you speak is more so among the clergy!!

    G

    ReplyDelete
  2. gawker.com/hiv-positive-priest-arrested-for-soliciting-sex-and-mas-1444..

    Worth a read in order to al least think about this crisis.

    G

    ReplyDelete
  3. A priest has a public life, a private life and his secret life. Any Gay man who has infiltrated the Roman Catholic priesthood is usually smart enough to "pass" as a chaste celibate. However, a disobedient priest who is sexually active should know better by engaging in safe sex to avoid STDs or HIV (unless the priest is a hopeless alcoholic, stoner, drug abuser, sociopath or sexually compulsive).
    In the gay community of Cherry Grove on Fire Island NY, Catholic priests swarm there each Summer -- rumor has it that Brooklyn has a diocesan retreat house for them! During this past August, a priest army chaplain -- recently returned from Baghram Afghanistan -- was all hugs and kisses with his boyfriend in public displays of intimate affection.

    USA reader

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  4. A catholic priest caught with his pants down, hands on his monkey and asking for help getting off.

    Just another typical day in the world of Catholicism.

    Apols lol - Jessie

    ReplyDelete
  5. And you all think gay marriage is an issue.... Good luck.
    This is what happens when religion persecutes people for expressing their sexuality. NO ONE is supposed to sexually "give themselves up for God." It goes against human sexual instinct. Now you have terribly defunct churches with sexual predator priests. A disgust.

    Jim

    ReplyDelete
  6. www.oikoumene.org/.../hivaids/.../partnerships-between-churches-and-p..

    An excellent article by the world council of churches.

    Frank

    ReplyDelete
  7. HIV belongs to a subset of viruses called retroviruses or slow virus and it is grows in strength over time. HIV is entered through the body through the mucous membranes or through blood to blood contact.

    Once you get the virus it slowly begins to attack the immune system, killing off healthy immune system cells. The deterioration and destruction of immune function leads to AIDS, but this could take anywhere between months and years. AIDS is the final stage of the HIV infection.

    People with AIDS can get many different kinds of diseases which a healthy person's body would normally fight off quite easily. The body’s immune system is slowly being attacked until it is destroyed and can't fight off infections.

    On a personal note, well done for living and functioning with your health issues.

    Medic - Waterford

    ReplyDelete
  8. In 1992, Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha, an Anglican priest in Uganda, became the first African religious leader to openly admit to being HIV-positive. Following his disclosure to the public, he began to speak widely to other leaders about the need to reduce stigma associated with the disease. In 2000 he founded the Africa Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS. In the following discussion between Rev. Byamugisha and Thomas Bohnett, he describes his ongoing work to combat stigma. He comments that such stigma plays a major role in discouraging infected individuals from seeking treatment, thus contributing to the disease's spread. Rev. Byamugisha feels that Africa suffers from a form of fatalism that blinds the population to the possibility of reducing malnutrition, death by preventable disease, and maternal and infant mortality.

    Excellent and holy man.

    Maria

    ReplyDelete
  9. According to the latest figures, 320 people were diagnosed with HIV in Ireland in 2011. That means that around 6 people are diagnosed every week with HIV. Globally, there are 34 million people currently living with HIV.

    I am very ignorant as well.

    Mary - Newry

    ReplyDelete
  10. God loves you and me and all of us, and comes to tell us of this love in whatever way will get our attention and meet us where we are. It's too bad the church you belonged to didn't communicate the depth of God's love to you, as happens all too often. I am not a Roman Catholic for many reasons, but I have seen my own church fail to show the depth of God's love, also, too many times. Often those of us who call ourselves Christians are pretty poor ambassadors for the Lord. I'm glad the 12 steps have done their work well for you and brought God's love and acceptance into your life. They have done that for me, too, in a far deeper way than I had ever experienced before.
    You are one of God's kids, chosen and beloved, and I believe your life is somehow to be a witness to someone else who needs to hear that message. God bless you, my brother. Thank you for sharing your story with the rest of us.
    It's true that, when we find the solution, our own experience can benefit others. Today I am able to share my story with others at our local regional jail and at our state prison, and there I make wonderful friends. I spent 31 years in full time parish ministry and had a lot of good experiences during that time. But none of it really compares with the joy of seeing a brother come alive with new hope in the process of working the steps. I'm certainly no Mother Teresa. But she found Jesus in the poorest of the poor and served him there. I find Jesus in my incarcerated brothers, and sharing my life with them is what gives that life meaning today. And you and I can keep passing on the blessing. Thanks be to God!

    God Bless you Bishop

    Bob

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  11. This document is the outcome of three workshops held during the assembly of the ReformedEcumenical Council from 12 - 25 July 2005 in Utrecht in the Netherlands. During theworkshops, each focussing on HIV/AIDS, three main topics were introduced by Dr Arnau vanWyngaard, namely:

    Towards a Theology of HIV/AIDS,The Social Circumstances Conducive to the Spreading of HIV/AIDS,

    and

    The Social Consequences of HIV/AIDS

    .This led to further discussions within smaller groups which eventually led to the formulationof this document.Most Christian churches, along with many other governmental, non-governmental andreligious organisations have realised that a response is needed to the challenge of HIV/AIDS,a disease which is threatening not only to depopulate many countries – mostly the poorestcountries in the world – but which is also causing the dehumanisation of millions of children,women and men, breaking up families as well as destroying the economy within households,within communities and ultimately within entire countries. Despite the horror of this disease,many Christians and churches reacted with compassion and love, bringing hope to the dyingand those left behind after death had taken its toll.

    AN excellent document - a must read!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hello my friends please do not see this strange cause it my life story
    about my healing, i was having HIV for good 6yrs. Things were not working
    fine for me due to my health status i know longer have friends know lover
    it even takes time before my family co-operate with me due to this i tried
    all possible means i can to get this devilish sickness out of my body i
    went to hospitals churches and other heath organization but all remains the
    same still yet i never gave up cos i was not born with this illness so i
    decided to take it over to the internet to see if i could get remedy, on my
    search i saw a testimony of a woman, she said she was also having a
    terrible sickness for over 3yrs but now she is healed i was surprise at
    first when i saw her test so she wrote a name Dr Salumbo and also
    gave his email
    address so i mailed him which is (herbalhealingtemple@gmail.com) i told them
    about my problem and after the processes he told me that am healed but i
    never believed he told me to go and confirm it from the hospital were i
    have been taking treatment still i never believed also although he gave me
    evidence that the sickness was gone.
    Finally i decided to go for check up and to my surprise my doctor said the
    sickness was know longer there with thought of joy i started shearing tears.
    My friends today am now married bless with 2kids, so if you have any
    sickness kindly email (herbalhealingt@gemplemail.com) sir i will forever
    remain in you debt.
    Thank you Bis am grateful

    Henry

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello" thankGod for the wonderful healing spell power which smart render to my life which oracle support, i was been diagnosed with HIV-AIDS over 7years now which has lead me to unemployment and loosing my relationship with my fiance after he heard that i am suffering from the VIRUS, i tried begging him to allow me stays with him, but he still insist on letting me out of his home, until a friend of mine on Facebook from SOUTH AFRICA told me more about smart the great healer, that he is going to help restore and healed my diseased with his powerful healing spell, she send me of smart email address and i quickly contacted him, and he replied to after 30mins of my message that my disease is a little and minor disease, that he will solved the disease immediately only if i can accept all he requested from, i told him yes, because truly i know that " HIV-AIDS IS A WICKED AND DEADLY DISEASE I EVER KNOWS ". so i did all he want from me and surprisingly on Friday last week smart called me that my problems is solved that i should hurry up to the hospital for a checkup, which i truly really did, i confirm from my doctor that i am now HIV-NEGATIVE AND NOT LONG +, I jump up and was crying heavily because truly the disease drive alot of things away from my life, my friends, my cousin, my fiance and relatives, but now since i was confirm NEGATIVE- my lost friends and fiance has been back to me begging for forgiveness, i have forgiven them and now we are now best of friend. again i will say to smart that he is blessed and may the almighty God which i serve raise him and his family to the higher level in life. Thank and god bless. Please email smart for healing and solution now at = destinysmart11@gmail.com or call +2348104933655.
    FROM U.S.A






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  14. my names are vera akus am from southafrica, my story goes like this i traveled out to USA to look for jobs from there i contaminated HIV which was in my body for the past three years, because of that i loose my jobs and my husband run away from me and even my children run away from me. i looked for a solution out but no one can help me, i went to some different churches herbalist but no solution came out, until i met a friend who directed me to a doctor called dr.Arugbo so i message him an all he told m the steps to follow then i respected him and follow the procedures so now as am telling you now i am being healed from hiv sickness the dr is specialized in all types of sickness so if you are heartbreak on and you don't have hope in life anymore so it is now your opportunity for you to also email him at alaanuspiritualtemple@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete


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  16. I THOUGHT THE PHYSICIANS SAY NO CURE FOR HIV/AIDS AM TELLING YOU TODAY THAT DR OZI CURE HIV/AIDS WITH HIS HERBAL MEDICINE AND ONCE YOU GET CURED YOU ARE FOREVER CURED IT IS NEVER REVERSABLE.

    MY NAME IS WILSON KITA JOYCE FROM THE UNITED STATE OF AMERICA,I AM USING THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE LIFE BY SHARING MY TESTIMONY THAT THERE IS A CURE FOR HIV/AIDS BECAUSE I AM A LIVING TESTIMONY,I SUFFERED FOR HIV/AIDS FOR GOOD ONE YEAR AND TWO MONTHS AFTER LOOSING HOPE THAT I CAN NEVER GET THE CURE BEACAUSE THE DOCTORS SAID THERE IS NO CURE FOR IT,BUT THANKS BEEN TO THIS GREAT MAN CALLED DR OZI WHOM I READ A TESTIMONY ABOUT ON HOW HE CURED HIV/AIDS WITH HIS HERBAL MEDICINE,I NEVER BELIEVE THIS BUT I DECIDED TO CONTACT HIM THROUGH THE STATED EMAIL,(droziherbalcurehome@gmail.com) and he send to me a herbal medicine and ask me to drink and bath with the herbal medicine for 3 weeks but to my greatest surprises, i went for a medical test after two weeks and my status was negetive till today i cant keep sharing this testimony please brothers and sisters there is a cure to hiv/aids, contact this man for what ever you are going through, what ever sickness you are suffering from, like
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    (5) CANCER,
    (6) IMPOTENCE,
    (7) BARENESS/INFERTILITY
    (8) DIARRHEA
    (9) ASTHMA
    (10)SIMPLEX HERPES AND GENITAL HERPES
    11) HE ALSO HAVE SPELL TO BRING BACK YOUR EX
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    ReplyDelete
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