Learn more
about HIV
What is HIV?
HIV, for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that weakens the immune system and makes it vulnerable to disease by attacking the cells responsible for defending against infection, the CD4 cells (immune system cells).
What's the difference
between HIV and AIDS?
HIV
HIV is a virus that enters the body and gradually multiplies. It attacks the infected person’s antibodies and immune system :
the person lives with HIV.
AIDS
AIDS, on the other hand, occurs when the infected person’s immune system is too weakened to defend itself against opportunistic diseases. The person reaches the stage of HIV infection known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS.
Is there a cure
against HIV?
For now, there is no cure for HIV. Once infected, a person remains so for the rest of his or her life.
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV is transmitted from a person living with HIV to an uninfected person :
Through blood or unprotected sexual intercourse with semen, seminal fluid (precum), vaginal secretions or anal fluid.
When taking intravenous drugs with an infected syringe.
During pregnancy, from mother to child or through breast milk.
More rarely, by non-sterile equipment (tattoo / piercing needles)
However, it is not possible to transmit HIV through saliva, sweat, tears, vomit, coughs, sneezes, insect bites or urine.
What are the symptoms
of HIV?
The onset of symptoms is not systematic with HIV infection: they can appear as early as 2 weeks after infection, or as late as several months.
The most common symptoms are:
- Flu-like symptoms fever, headache, muscle/joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea;
- Swollen lymph nodes;
- Skin rashes;
- Ulcerations of the mouth or genital mucosa;
- Sudden weight loss.
These symptoms may disappear after a few weeks, although the virus remains present in the body and continues to weaken the infected person’s immune system.
If treatment is not taken promptly, HIV will multiply in the body and the immune system will deteriorate to the stage of AIDS.
Screening test ·
Symptoms alone do not provide a precise diagnosis.
How
can you find out
if you are a carrier
of HIV?
The only way to find out if you have HIV is to get tested.
A blood test gives result 6 weeks after the risk of contamination, and a self-test gives result 3 months after the risk of contamination.
Screening test
How do you protect yourself
against HIV?
There are several ways to protect yourself effectively against HIV.
CONDOM
The most widespread means of protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections is the condom (male or female). Used correctly, this material barrier is 100% reliable.
PREP
Another way to protect against HIV is PREP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). This is a tablet-based antiretroviral treatment that enables an HIV-negative person to protect themselves from potential infection during unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person with a detectable viral load.
It can be taken daily (known as continuous dosing) or before and after a risky sexual episode (discontinuous or “on-demand” dosing).
Unlike condoms, PrEP is only effective against HIV: it does not prevent infection by other STIs.
THE TREATMENT
There is also a way to protect yourself in an emergency: PEP or PPE (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). This is an antiretroviral treatment to be taken within a maximum of 72 hours of potential exposure to HIV, with the aim of preventing its transmission to the body of the HIV-negative person.
We can also add the treatment of an HIV-positive person to the list of protection against HIV: in effect, this treatment helps to render the viral load of an infected person undetectable. An undetectable viral load means that the virus is untransmissible, hence the expression U=U (Undetectable = Untransmissible).
Finally, intravenous drug users should use new and/or sterile equipment to prevent HIV contamination.
