Home

HIV/AIDS Main Page

 


HIV/AIDS Frequently Asked Questions & FAQs
______________________________________

RWhat is AIDS?

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. A diagnosis of AIDS is made by a physician using certain clinical or laboratory standards.

RWhat causes AIDS?

AIDS is caused by infection with a virus called human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This virus is passed from one person to another through blood-to-blood and sexual contact. In addition, infected pregnant women can pass HIV to their babies during pregnancy or delivery, as well as through breast feeding. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection. Most of these people will develop AIDS as a result of their HIV infection.

RWhat body fluids transmit HIV?

These body fluids have been proven to spread HIV:

  • blood

  • semen

  • vaginal fluid

  • breast milk

  • other body fluids containing blood

These are additional body fluids that may transmit the virus that health care workers may come into contact with:

  • fluid surrounding the brain and the spinal cord

  • fluid surrounding bone joints

  • fluid surrounding an unborn baby

RHow does HIV cause AIDS?

HIV destroys a certain kind of blood cells--CD4+ T cells (helper cells)--which are crucial to the normal function of the human immune system. In fact, loss of these cells in people with HIV is an extremely powerful predictor of the development of AIDS. Studies of thousands of people have revealed that most people infected with HIV carry the virus for years before enough damage is done to the immune system for AIDS to develop. However, recently developed sensitive tests have shown a strong connection between the amount of HIV in the blood and the decline in CD4+ T cell numbers and the development of AIDS. Reducing the amount of virus in the body with anti-HIV drugs can slow this immune destruction.
 

 

International Statistics
 ________________

According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, as of the end of 2002, the following trends of the worldwide epidemic (or pandemic) of HIV are evident:

Today, 42 million people are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. Of these, 38.6 million are adults. 19.2 million are women, and 3.2 million are children under 15.

An estimated 5 million people acquired the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 2002, including 2 million women and 800,000 children under 15.

During 2002, AIDS caused the deaths of an estimated 3.1 million people, including 1.2 million women and 610,000 children under 15.

Women are becoming increasingly affected by HIV. Approximately 50%, or 19.2 million, of the 38.6 million adults living with HIV or AIDS worldwide are women.

 

 

RHow is HIV passed from one person to another?

HIV transmission can occur when blood, semen (including pre-seminal fluid, or "pre-cum"), vaginal fluid, or breast milk from an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person.

HIV can enter the body through a vein (e.g., injection drug use), the anus or rectum, the vagina, the penis, the mouth, other mucous membranes (e.g., eyes or inside of the nose), or cuts and sores. Intact, healthy skin is an excellent barrier against HIV and other viruses and bacteria.

These are the most common ways that HIV is transmitted from one person to another:

  • by having sexual intercourse (anal, vaginal, or oral sex) with an HIV-infected person
     

  • by sharing needles or injection equipment with an injection drug user who is infected with HIV
     

  • from HIV-infected women to babies before or during birth, or through breast-feeding after birth

HIV also can be transmitted through transfusions of infected blood or blood clotting factors. However, since 1985, all donated blood in the United States has been tested for HIV. Therefore, the risk of infection through transfusion of blood or blood products is extremely low. The U.S. blood supply is considered to be among the safest in the world.

Some health-care workers have become infected after being stuck with needles containing HIV-infected blood or, less frequently, after infected blood contact with the worker's open cut or through splashes into the worker's eyes or inside their nose. There has been only one instance of patients being infected by an HIV-infected health care worker. This involved HIV transmission from an infected dentist to six patients. (For more information, see "Are health care workers at risk of getting HIV on the job?" and "Are patients in a dentist's or doctor's office at risk of getting HIV?")

RWhere can I get tested for HIV infection?

Many places provide testing for HIV infection. Common testing locations include local health departments, offices of private doctors, hospitals, and sites specifically set up to provide HIV testing. To find a testing site near you, visit the CT Department of Public HealthLink Leaves the DHAP Internet Site web site or the  National HIV Testing Resources Link Leaves the DHAP Internet Site web site.

It is important to seek testing at a place that also provides counseling about HIV and AIDS. Counselors can answer any questions you might have about risky behavior and ways you can protect yourself and others in the future. In addition, they can help you understand the meaning of the test results and describe what AIDS-related resources are available in the local area.

The CDC National AIDS Hotline can answer questions about testing and can refer you to testing sites in your area. The Hotline numbers are 1-800-342-2437 (English), 1-800-344-7432 (Spanish), or 1-800-243-7889 (TTY).

(Information on this page was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov.)