Frequently Asked Questions:
[/vc_column_text][dt_gap height=”25″][vc_accordion active_tab=”false” collapsible=”yes”][vc_accordion_tab title=”What is AIDS?”][vc_column_text]AIDS is the acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.Syndrome is a cluster of signs and symptoms constituting a disease.
Immunodeficiency is a weakness in the defense system (immune system) of our body that fights diseases.
Acquired means you contract it during life, or rather it is not genetically inherited.
AIDS is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). If you are infected with HIV, your body will try to attack the infection and develop antibodies (special molecules that fight foreign microorganisms that enter our body, in this case, HIV). By doing a blood test to see if you are HIV positive, the test detects these antibodies. If there are antibodies in the blood that means you are infected with HIV. A person who has HIV antibodies is called “HIV positive” or person living with HIV.
Being HIV positive or being infected with the virus does not mean the same as having AIDS. Many HIV positive people live well for years without symptoms of the disease. There is a progressive and steady attack on the immune system that occurs when living with HIV. When the immune system is weakened (immunosuppression), viruses, parasites, protozoa, fungi and bacteria that usually do not cause any problems can cause disease. These diseases are known as “opportunistic infections”.[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title=”How can you contract HIV?”][vc_column_text]The blood, vaginal fluid, pre-semen (seminal fluid), semen and the breast milk of people with HIV have enough of the virus to infect other people. You can get HIV from an infected person, even if she is not sick, or even further, before she is diagnosed as HIV positive. Most people contract HIV from the following:
• By having unprotected sex, without using a condom, with an infected person;
• Sharing the same needle or syringe with infected person while injecting drugs
• An infected mother to a child. The baby can be infected before, during or after childbirth, for example through the breast milk of and HIV positive women.
• Previously, another form of AIDS was contamination by transfusion (receiving) of blood from an infected donor, but now the blood supply is carefully examined. Even so, be sure to check that the blood you, someone in your family or a friend will receive, was tested for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis (A, B and C), HTLV and Chagas disease (transmitted by Barber insect). The same goes for cases of organ transplantation.
No documented cases of HIV transmission by tears or saliva exist.
In the early 1990s, AIDS came to be among the leading causes of death. The “cocktail”
– however, developed in 1996 was a new treatment with a combination of three drugs, called highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This treatment reduced the mortality rate around 50% and reduced the hospitalizations for opportunistic infections by 80%. In addition, new treatments for opportunistic infections also contributed to the reduction in mortality from HIV/AIDS.[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title=”How do I know if I am HIV positive?”][vc_column_text]It is very difficult to know when you are infected with HIV because most of the early symptoms of the infection can be confused with other diseases. Some people get fevers, headaches and stomachaches. The muscles or joints are affected and swelling of the lymph glands (buboes) or rash (reddening of the skin) can occur for one or two weeks. Most people may think it’s the flu. Other people do not feel any symptoms. Therefore, HIV testing is the only effective way to know if you are HIV positive or not.
The virus multiplies in your body for weeks or even months before your immune system responds effectively. During this time (the window), the test result may be negative for HIV, but you are now able to infect others. When your immune system begins to respond and to make antibodies (and your test result is positive), you become HIV positive (seroconversion).
While not even showing the first symptoms (seroconversion syndrome), some people feel healthy for many years. But during this time, HIV continues multiplying progressively and damaging the immune system.
One way to measure how much is damage your immune system has suffered is doing a count of the CD4+ cells. These cells, also known as “T-helper” cells, are important parts of your immune system. Typically, the “HIV negative” person has between 500 and 1500 CD4 cells per cubic millimeter of blood.
Without treatment, the amount of CD4 + cells will gradually decrease, and you may develop signs of illness such as fever, weight loss, night sweats, diarrhea, or swelling in the lymph nodes (buboes) which are in the head, neck, armpits, genital region, etc. When diagnosed, immediately seek out a physician experienced in the care of patients with HIV/AIDS.[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title=”How do I know if I have AIDS?”][vc_column_text]HIV infection becomes AIDS when an examination of CD4 + defense cells come back with a result below 200 cells per cubic milliliter of blood, or when you develop an opportunistic infection. There is a list of opportunistic infections that is published by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
The most common are:
• Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia or PCP, a lung infection (PCP);
• Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a cancer that most commonly attacks the skin, but can affect other organs (abbreviation, KS);
• CMV (Cytomegalovirus), an infection that usually affects the eyes, but can also attack other parts of the body;
• Candidiasis, an infection that can cause white patches in the mouth, throat, vagina and penis.
AIDS also causes weight loss, brain tumors (in the advanced stages) and other health problems in addition to opportunistic infections. Without treatment it can lead to death. Keep in mind that since 1996, highly active antiretroviral therapy reduced around 50% of the number of deaths from AIDS.
The syndrome manifests itself differently in each infected person.[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title=”Is there a cure for AIDS?”][vc_column_text]Currently there is no cure for AIDS. There are drugs called antiretrovirals (ARVs) that can slow the progress of the disease and slow the damage to your immune system. These drugs reduce viral replication but cannot take the virus from your body.
There are also medications to prevent and treat opportunistic infections. These medications work well in most cases.[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title=”What is the HIV test and where can I get one?”][vc_column_text]You can request an HIV test at your doctor’s office, but it can also be performed in many public health services and counseling and testing centers (CTA). Here in Brazil, you can find out the locations of anonymous and free testing navigating by the Ministry of Health website: <http://www.aids.gov.br>. Click prevention, then AIDS test or do a search with the word CTA.
In the city of Rio de Janeiro, There are CTAs in:
- Botafogo (2295-2295 R: 234)
- Center (2293-2255)
- Tijuca (2569-9615)
- Madurai (3390-0180 R: 225)
In the state of Rio de Janeiro, there are CTA in:
- St. Johns Wood (2756-8504)
Duque de Caxias (2671-7659 R: 204) - New Delhi
- Niterói
- Volta Redonda
- Campos
- Macaé.
Test results in these locations are available, on average, three to four weeks after blood collection. With private health specialists, the wait is less. The most common HIV test is a blood test. However, there are now new test that can detect HIV antibodies in saliva and urine (rapid test). But these tests are not available in Brazil for the general population.[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title=”What does a positive result mean?”][vc_column_text]If you have a first positive result, there will be a second blood test to confirm the diagnosis of seropositivity. If your first test is negative and you have not engaged in risky behavior up to three months before the test, you probably are not infected, but only a second test can provide greater certainty.
If your test is negative, it means you have not come in contact with HIV or you have correctly adopted preventive measures during sexual intercourse and/ or other situations of potential risks including drug use, interaction with blood, etc. If you have engaged in risky behavior and received a negative result, you may be in window period: when the body is still producing antibodies to HIV that are not in sufficient quantity to be detected by the test quantity. Furthermore, a negative result does not mean you are immune to the virus, so keep protecting yourself from HIV infection.
Two positive blood tests indicate that you have HIV antibodies and are infected. A professional will give you the result and inform you where you can find health and emotional support services.
A positive HIV test result does not mean that you have AIDS. Many people who have HIV live full lives in good health for years and not all newly diagnosed people need to immediately start anti-HIV (antiretroviral therapy) treatment. Remember that AIDS is a disease of slow evolution and a slow process whose progression to death is marked by a series of diseases called opportunistic infections.[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][vc_accordion_tab title=”Are the tests reliable?”][vc_column_text]HIV test results are reliable in 99.5% of cases. Before a patient receives final and conclusive positive result, testing is done four times in two blood samples. The first and second tests, known as “ELISA” (1 and 2) are less specific as they can detect antibodies and other infections, which are not necessarily HIV. Early versions of this test were very slow and often gave false positive results. The new versions are much faster and accurate.
Before confirming a diagnosis of HIV seropositivity after positive ELISA results, there are two other types of confirmatory tests, which are more reliable and specific: the “Western blot” to detect specific HIV antibodies and the “Immunofluorescence”. Persisting doubts, another procedure to confirm HIV seropositivity is using the PCR (polymerase chain reaction), which is very specific and also very expensive. However, there are two special circumstances that may lead to false results:
A: children born to HIV positive mother can receive false positive results. This is because mothers give their newborn children their antibodies to fight these infections. Even when children are not infected with the virus, they have the HIV antibodies that were passed on to them by the mother. Since the test detects antibodies, these children have positive test results, but it does not mean they have the virus, but rather the antibodies from their mother are still present. Therefore, one must use different tests for the diagnosis of HIV infection in children. A child of 24 months (2 years) who presented positive results in two samples tested, by the following methods, will be considered to be infected, according to the National STD/AIDS standards: cultivation of virus, detection of viral RNA or DNA or antigenemia acidification with 24 p. These tests must be performed after the child has reached two weeks old. The technique of antigenemia p 24 with acidification can only be used as a diagnostic criterion and is associated with one of the other methods mentioned.
Two: People infected for less than three months when given an HIV test can get a false negative result. Our bodies require three weeks to three months to produce antibodies against HIV. During this period of uncertainty (the window) the person may receive a negative result but is capable of transmitting the virus to others. Knowing about your HIV status can be an important and valid measure, as today there are resources for early diagnosis to treat and control the virus and offer a better quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Other cases of false-negative results may occur due to the sensitivity of the tests and technical factors: exchange of samples, use of reagents beyond the expiration date, use of improper equipment, incorrect pipetting or inadequate storage and transport of samples or kits.[/vc_column_text][/vc_accordion_tab][/vc_accordion][dt_gap height=”40″][dt_gap height=”25″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][dt_banner target_blank=”true” bg_color=”#000000″ bg_opacity=”35″ text_color=”#ffffff” text_size=”normal” border_width=”2″ outer_padding=”5″ inner_padding=”0″ min_height=”220″ animation=”fade” bg_image=”http://abianovo.hospedagemdesites.ws/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Cartilha-Tudo-em-Cima-site.jpg” link=”http://abianovo.hospedagemdesites.ws/_Img/media/Cartilha%20Tudo%20em%20Cima%21%20%28site%29.pdf”][/dt_banner][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][dt_banner target_blank=”true” bg_color=”#000000″ bg_opacity=”35″ text_color=”#ffffff” text_size=”normal” border_width=”2″ outer_padding=”5″ inner_padding=”0″ min_height=”220″ animation=”fade” bg_image=”http://abianovo.hospedagemdesites.ws/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/guia-superpositivo1.jpg” link=”http://abianovo.hospedagemdesites.ws/_Img/media/guia.pdf”][/dt_banner][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][dt_banner target_blank=”true” bg_color=”#000000″ bg_opacity=”35″ text_color=”#ffffff” text_size=”normal” border_width=”2″ outer_padding=”5″ inner_padding=”0″ min_height=”220″ animation=”fade” bg_image=”http://abianovo.hospedagemdesites.ws/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Coleção-ABIA-Criminalização-site.jpg” link=”http://abianovo.hospedagemdesites.ws/_Img/media/Cole%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20ABIA%20-%20Criminaliza%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20(site).pdf”][/dt_banner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][dt_gap height=”15″][vc_column_text]Alinhada com a sua Missão, a ABIA disponibiliza o download de todas as publicações sobre os temas HIV e a AIDS. Nosso objetivo é produzir conhecimento e promover a democratização do acesso à informação sobre as várias dimensões da epidemia.[/vc_column_text][dt_gap height=”25″][dt_gap height=”15″][/vc_column][/vc_row]