Every year on December 1, according to the decision of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN General Assembly, adopted in 1988, World AIDS Day is celebrated. The emergence in the 80s of the twentieth century of AIDS caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has led to the massive spread of this infectious disease throughout the world and has created a threat to personal, public, and state security causing severe socio-economic and demographic consequences.
Ukraine ranks one of the first in the Eastern European region in terms of the spread of HIV/AIDS. During 10 months of this year, 10,239 new cases of HIV infection have been registered, and the Ministry of Health urges to take a free test.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus of the lentivirus genus that causes a slowly progressive disease - HIV infection. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) affects the immune system and weakens the defense against many infections that a healthy person's immune system can cope with. The latest stage of HIV infection is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Symptoms of HIV depend on the stage of infection. During the first few weeks after infection, patients may develop symptoms such as fever, headache, skin rash, sore throat, diarrhea, cough, enlarged lymph nodes, and weight loss. If left untreated, those infected can develop opportunistic diseases such as tuberculosis, meningitis, severe bacterial infections, and cancer.
HIV can be transmitted through the fluids of infected people such as blood, breast milk, semen, and vaginal secretions. Normal contacts such as kissing, hugging, shaking hands, sharing personal items, and eating food or water do not transmit the infection.
Factors that increase the risk of people becoming infected with HIV include unprotected sex; the presence of another sexually transmitted infection (syphilis, herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, bacterial vaginosis); sharing contaminated needles, syringes, and other injection equipment and drug solutions when injecting drugs unsafe injections, blood transfusions, tissue transplants, medical procedures involving non-sterile cuts or punctures; accidental needlestick injuries, particularly among health care workers.
Diagnosis: HIV can be diagnosed with rapid tests that provide results within minutes. People with positive test results should contact healthcare facilities to confirm the test.
It is important to know that after infection, most people develop antibodies to HIV within 28 days. The period during which antibodies to HIV are not produced in sufficient quantities to be detected by standard tests, symptoms are not yet detected, and HIV transmission is already possible is called the "seronegative window". But during this time it is possible to transmit HIV to a sexual partner, or children during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
HIV treatment consists in taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). Early access to ART and the provision of support for therapy are crucial to improving the overall health of people with HIV and preventing HIV transmission. HIV-positive people with viral suppression who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) mustn't transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
The main approaches to HIV prevention: Since there is no vaccine against AIDS, the only way to prevent infection is to avoid situations that carry the risk of infection, such as sharing needles and syringes or practicing unsafe sex. Use of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for preventive purposes. Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV infection.