HIV: a real threat to humanity or a myth? AIDS: symptoms, treatment and prevention Why AIDS is scary

Today, every schoolchild has heard about diseases such as HIV and AIDS. Everyone understands the difference between them.

HIV is a virus that provokes the development of human immunodeficiency, which, when introduced into the body, causes serious changes in it, which leads to the inability of the immune system to resist various viruses, pathogenic bacteria and mutating cells.

AIDS is an immunodeficiency disease, the final stage of development of HIV infection. It is at this stage that patients develop severe illnesses that ultimately end in death.

What is the difference between HIV and AIDS:

1. HIV is a virus, and AIDS is a stage of the disease.
2. The life expectancy of an HIV-infected person can last 10-15 years after diagnosis, and an AIDS patient can expect death within a few months.
3. Therapeutic measures for HIV infection are aimed at maintaining the condition protective forces body, and AIDS therapy is reduced to the treatment of serious diseases caused by impaired immunity.

To combat pathogens, the human immune system uses macrophages and T-lymphocytes. Once in the body, the immunodeficiency virus begins to destroy these cells.

It is worth noting

This virus can only live inside human body. IN environment he dies within a few minutes.

Initially, the virus attaches to the membrane of immune cells, after which it penetrates inside them. There, with the help of reversease, it begins to synthesize DNA and is eventually integrated into the genetic apparatus of the cell. In some cases, the virus remains in the cell in an inactive state for life.

When the virus is activated, new viral particles accumulate in the affected cell. After some time, the infected cell ruptures, and the virus infects new ones. If we look at HIV and AIDS in detail, the difference for the body will be immediately clear.

After viral particles enter the blood, the body goes through 3 stages of pathological changes:

1. Incubation period, that is, the time from the moment of infection until the patient develops the first symptoms of the disease. Depending on the initial state of immunity, this period can last from several days to several weeks. At the first stage of the disease, a person develops retroviral syndrome - a condition similar to common cold. That is why retroviral syndrome is usually mistaken for acute respiratory infections or mononucleosis.
2. Installation stage. After infection with the virus, many years may pass, during which the patient will not have any symptoms of pathology. In some cases, patients may return to symptoms that were present during retroviral syndrome, but, as a rule, they are so vague and insignificant that they are simply not paid attention to. These symptoms include fatigue, constant fatigue, painful sensations throughout the body.
3. Final stage. In the final stage, the disease progresses to AIDS. During this period of time, the carrier of the infection may complain of constant fatigue, chills, weight loss, abnormal bowel movements, profuse sweating at night, candidiasis. At the same time, a person can very easily “catch” any disease, such as pneumonia or tuberculosis. At the last stage of infection development, patients often develop oncological processes. This is exactly what happens when the immune system is severely weakened.

It is important to note

In the absence of therapy for 12-13 years after infection, patients develop AIDS. By treating the infection, the onset of AIDS can be significantly delayed, or even prevented altogether.

At the moment, treatment of HIV infection is a serious problem, since there are no drugs that could radically solve the problem. Therefore, the essence of therapy is to slow down the progression of the disease, which will lead to prolongation of life. Antiretroviral, pathogenetic and symptomatic therapy. In some cases, medications may be used to treat an opportunistic infection. Antiretroviral therapy is a treatment method in which a specialist prescribes a combination of at least three antiretroviral drugs to the patient.

Currently, HIV therapy uses drugs that slow down the production of HIV protease, as well as some drugs that slow down the production of HIV reverse transcriptase. Doctors evaluate the effectiveness of treatment based on the results laboratory tests indicating the patient's viral load. If treatment is not effective or is insufficiently effective, the treatment regimen is adjusted. There is a clear answer to the difference between HIV and AIDS: with the virus, a person can live for several decades, but when entering the stage of the disease, only a few months.

Is it possible to become infected with HIV through saliva, and what preventive measures exist?

In order to answer the question of whether HIV is transmitted through saliva, it is worth understanding the main methods of transmission of the virus:

1. Unprotected sexual contacts. This is the most common method of infection. The risk of infection is highest during anal sex. This is due to microdamage to the intestines that usually occurs during the process. The “receiving” partner is at greater risk of becoming infected in this way. With oral sex, the likelihood of infection is lower. In this case, infection can only occur if there are bleeding wounds in the person's mouth. Usually, the “receiving” partner is also infected.
2. Carrying out injections. This is the second most common way of contracting HIV. In Russia from 1996 to 1999, this was the No. 1 route of infection. It is important to say that infection in this way can occur not only in drug addicts, but also in healthy people, if the doctor or nurse did not properly disinfect the working tools.
3. From mother to newborn. The likelihood of an HIV-positive woman transmitting the virus to her fetus during pregnancy is extremely low. In this case, infection occurs during childbirth or during breastfeeding.
4. Transplanting organs from a sick person to a healthy person or using donor blood.
5. Professional route of infection. In such a situation, infection can occur through contact medical worker with the blood of a sick patient.

People often wonder whether it is possible to become infected with HIV through saliva. This question cannot be answered unambiguously. To infect a person with HIV through saliva, you need at least 2 liters of it. This is due to the fact that the number of viral particles in this liquid is very small.

Therefore, when kissing someone with HIV infection, there is virtually no risk of infection. In this case, a natural question may arise: is HIV transmitted through saliva if a person’s cheek, gum or lip bleeds? The likelihood of infection may increase slightly if the kissing partners (both) have lesions in the mouth that bleed. However, even in this case, infection will occur only if there is a dangerous concentration of the virus in the blood, and the kiss continues long time and is deep.

That is why today there is not a single known case of HIV infection through a kiss. For the same reason, you should not be afraid of infection when sharing utensils and cigarettes with a patient. Even if there were drops of blood on the dishes (although it is unlikely that anyone will use bloody dishes), there is no need to be afraid, since the virus very quickly loses its abilities in an open space.

For this reason, there is no need to be afraid of dried biological fluids that contain HIV infection.

And although the question of whether HIV can be infected through saliva has been answered, there is no need to relax. Hepatitis B, papillomavirus, cytomegalovirus, herpes and syphilis can be transmitted through saliva. Despite the fact that HIV is a real threat today, you should not avoid any contact with patients. The virus is not transmitted through bedding, hugs, handshakes, sharing clothing, or insect bites.

To prevent HIV, you must adhere to the following rules:

• use condoms with partners whose health you are not sure of;
• promptly treat any STDs;
• stop using drugs;
• use disposable medical instruments.

Unfortunately, today there is no vaccine against HIV infection, which is explained by the genetic variability of the virus. That is why, in addition to the question of whether it is possible to become infected with HIV through saliva, people are interested in many other things regarding this disease.

Ways of contracting AIDS and measures to prevent the disease

Infection with AIDS, the path from HIV to the final stage of the disease:

1. The incubation period, that is, the period from the moment of infection to the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease. The duration of this period ranges from two weeks to six months. During this period, the disease cannot be detected even with the help of laboratory research However, the carrier of the infection can already infect others.
2. The acute period is asymptomatic. In some cases, patients may complain of a slight increase in body temperature, enlarged lymph nodes, and the appearance of a rash on the skin, formation of small ulcers in the mouth, inflammation of the pharynx, diarrhea. Very rarely, inflammation of the lining of the brain and an increase in the volume of the spleen may occur.
3. Latent period. At this stage, HIV infection may also not manifest itself in any way, but the concentration of the virus in the blood is constantly increasing. Wherein the immune system becomes unable to produce T lymphocytes in large quantities. The latent period, as a rule, lasts from 2 to 20 (and in some cases more) years.
4. Stage of development of secondary diseases. The patient experiences opportunistic infections, but since his body cannot produce enough T-lymphocytes, he becomes unable to resist them.
5. AIDS is the last stage at which the number of T-lymphocytes decreases to a critical level. The patient's immunity is no longer able to fight infections, as a result of which they quickly deplete the body. Pathogenic microorganisms can affect any organs in human body, including vital ones. The result of this stage is death.

Today, 3 ways of contracting AIDS are reliably known:

• during intimacy;
• from pregnant women to fetus;
• through blood.

There is a high likelihood of contracting the infection among prostitutes, drug addicts, patients who need blood transfusions, and homosexuals.

Each person should carefully ensure that health workers and specialists in the manicure room use only disinfected instruments, and even better, disposable ones. You should not use shared razors and scissors, or buy medications containing donor blood of dubious origin. Pregnant women must donate blood for HIV. At positive results the patient will be recommended C-section And artificial feeding. This is necessary to prevent one of the ways a child can become infected with AIDS.

In this case, tests for infection must be taken both in the first and second half of pregnancy. During sexual intercourse, as a preventive measure, we can recommend the use of condoms and water-based intimate lubricants (they do not destroy latex). If you frequently change sexual partners, you need to regularly get tested not only for HIV, but also for other STDs.

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a late manifestation of infection of the body with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS is not a disease, but a complex reaction of the body to a developing infection; you cannot become infected with AIDS, only with HIV infection. According to doctors at the University of Oxford, the development of the syndrome indicates an overly acute reaction to HIV: groups of people have been identified with a significant number of viral particles in the blood, who have not undergone antiretroviral therapy and do not have symptoms of AIDS. The causes of AIDS, its development in HIV-infected people, and methods of treatment are still under study. Today, there is scientifically proven information about methods of infection, stages of development of the syndrome and methods of prevention.

What is HIV?

The human immunodeficiency virus was isolated from a patient's lymphocytes in 1983 by a group of scientists led by Luc Montagnier. At the same time, a similar virus was obtained in a US laboratory. In 1987, the disease was named “HIV infection.”

There are two serotypes of the virus: HIV-1 and HIV-2. The first type plays the most significant role in an infectious pandemic, including in Russia. HIV infection -systemic disease organism, provoking a gradual decline in the general immunity of a person. With a decrease in immunity, the body cannot resist the effects of numerous pathogenic microorganisms and fight the development of malignant neoplasms.

The main diseases that arise in the body of an infected person can also affect healthy people, however, as a rule, the dynamics of their development are much more restrained. Some diseases (so-called opportunistic) occur exclusively due to immunodeficiency due to HIV infection, since they are normally inhibited by the immune system.

Why is HIV infection incurable?

The causative agent of HIV infection after penetration into the human body cannot yet be destroyed. Also, despite numerous studies and programs, an effective vaccine against HIV has not yet been created.

This phenomenon is associated with the virus’s high capacity for genetic variability: the microorganism changes at the same moment when the immune system begins to produce antibodies. Moreover, if someone infected with one strain of the virus experiences a secondary infection with a virus with an altered genotype, the two strains “carry out” recombination, exchanging gene sections, which leads to the appearance of superinfection. The third reason for the virus’s resistance to drugs is its ability to “hide” in the intracellular space, becoming latent.

Causes of AIDS

It is possible to get AIDS only if you are infected with HIV and the body reacts appropriately to the pathogen. Despite the strengthened opinion that only drug addicts or homosexuals can get AIDS, this has long ceased to correspond to the real situation. HIV infection no longer serves as a marker solely for the use of narcotic drugs, the presence of promiscuous hetero- and homosexual relationships: the prevalence of the virus is detected among various social strata of the population, age groups, regardless of sexual preferences and harmful inclinations.

According to the World Health Organization, about 80% of new HIV infections were detected in the territory of Eastern Europe, 18% in Western European countries, 3% in Central Europe. Russia accounts for 81% of Eastern European countries and 64% of all cases reported in the European region.

At the same time, the routes of infection differ by territorial basis: in Europe, homosexual sexual contacts take first place (42%), slightly ahead of heterosexual ones (32%), infection among drug addicts does not exceed 4%.

Russia today is the only country in the world where infection among drug addicts accounts for more than half common reasons spread of HIV infection (51%). In second place are heterosexual contacts (47%), and only 1.5% is infection among homosexual persons.

It is worth noting that in Russia it is not accurate enough: according to experts, every 100th person, that is, 1% of the population, is HIV-infected in our country, not counting illegal migrants. Experts warn: in a country with so many infected people, where only every third sick person receives free antiretroviral therapy, a large-scale epidemic could begin by 2021.

Routes of transmission

In world statistics, HIV infection comes first through sexual contact with an infected person, and through any type of sexual contact. If the carrier of the infection follows the rules of specific therapy, the probability of infection is 1%.

Traumatic sexual contacts, during which cracks may form on mucous surfaces, as well as the presence of erosions, damage to the internal and external integuments due to existing diseases, increase the likelihood of virus penetration. In women, the virus is present in the blood and vaginal secretions, in men - in the blood and semen. Infection when particles of blood or other biological fluid containing an infectious agent enter the body of a healthy person also occurs when invasive procedures, most often associated with the use of reusable syringes without appropriate treatment. Infection is also likely during medical and dental procedures, visits to nail salons, tattoo studios and other places where an instrument may intentionally or accidentally come into contact with an injured surface. Before the introduction of control of donor fluids (blood, plasma) and organs, there were cases of infection from donor to recipient.

The vertical route of infection is the transmission of infection from mother to child during pregnancy, during childbirth or during breastfeeding.

There are no other methods of infection that are not associated with contact with blood, vaginal secretions or seminal fluid. The infection does not spread through the use of the same dishes, hygiene items, visiting swimming pools, bathrooms and toilets, and is not transmitted through blood-sucking insects, etc. The human immunodeficiency virus is extremely unstable in the external environment and quickly dies outside the body.

Symptoms of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)

The disease, AIDS syndrome, develops as a late complication of HIV infection. Immediately after infection, during the incubation period (an average of 3 weeks - 3 months), no symptoms or manifestations are observed, although antibodies to the pathogen are already beginning to be produced.
The stage of primary manifestations, which replaces the incubation period, can also be asymptomatic or manifest itself as an acute HIV infection, which depends on the general health of the person and the state of his immune system.

The clinical picture of the disease is quite extensive. Early symptoms may include:

• feverish condition;
• rash on the skin and mucous membranes;
• enlarged and/or painful lymph nodes;
• catarrhal manifestations, cough, rhinitis, pharyngitis;
• weight loss;
• persistent or intermittent diarrhea;
• enlargement of the liver and spleen.

Such symptoms, including all of the above manifestations, are observed only in 15-30% of patients, in other cases there are 1-2 symptoms in different combinations.
Next comes the latent asymptomatic stage, the duration of which ranges from 2-3 to 20 years (on average 6-7 years). At this stage, there is a significant decrease in the number of lymphocytes in the blood. A drop in the level of lymphocytes, indicating the onset of severe immune deficiency, can lead to the stage of secondary diseases. Among the most common are:

• tonsillitis;
• pneumonia;
• tuberculosis;
• herpes;
• fungal infections;
• intestinal infections;
• oncological diseases;
• infections caused by protozoa and others.

The next stage, terminal, is characterized by acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. At this stage of AIDS, severe symptoms lead to the destruction of vital body systems. This stage is lethal, despite active antiviral therapy.
Modern drugs make it possible to prolong the stages of infection and more effectively combat opportunistic and general infections that lead to the death of patients.

AIDS and HIV - diagnostic methods

Photo: Room's Studio/Shutterstock.com

The diagnosis is never made based on symptoms of AIDS or other stages of HIV infection. However, the disease may be suspected based on the following diagnostic signs:

• treatment-resistant diarrhea for 2 months or more;
• prolonged unmotivated fever;
• skin rash in various variations;
• development of Kaposi's sarcoma at a young age;
• loss of body weight by more than 10%, without obvious reasons.

Confirmation of the diagnosis is made using two tests: a screening test (the most common enzyme immunoassay test) and a confirmatory test that assesses the presence of the virus and the viral load.

Treatment and prevention of the disease

The basis of therapy is control of virus reproduction and treatment of concomitant diseases. By following the prescriptions of specialists and taking modern medications, it is possible to curb the development of HIV infection.

Treatment should begin immediately after diagnosis. In Russia, centers for the treatment and prevention of HIV infection have been created, which prescribe and dispense medications for HIV-infected people. Additional treatment is aimed at combating cancer and opportunistic infections that arise as a result of decreased immunity and stimulation of the immune system.

Preventive measures consist of observing safety precautions during sexual intercourse, medical and cosmetic procedures, regular blood tests for infection, and following the prescriptions of specialists.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 42 million people on Earth are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Every day another 14 thousand people are added to this terrifying figure. And every second on the planet one person dies from AIDS. The majority of HIV-infected people are young people under the age of 30. Over the past 25 years, about 25 million people have died from AIDS, more than one and a half million of them were children. AIDS is called the plague of the 20th century.

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is the final phase of the disease. First comes HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. Having penetrated the human body, it affects the immune system, which, as a result of defeat by a retrovirus, weakens to such an extent that a common runny nose can bring a person to the grave in the shortest possible time.

Research has shown that the virus is especially active in the first weeks after infection. It can manifest itself as a slight cough, slight fever, headache, sweating, diarrhea and simply feeling unwell. And a person, unaware of the seriousness of the disease, is in no hurry to see a doctor. The virus, meanwhile, continues its destructive work of suppressing the immune system's ability to fight disease and ultimately causing severe illness. This may be untreatable pneumonia, blood poisoning, skin lesions or cancer.

Many people are concerned about how one can become infected with AIDS?

The virus is transmitted from one person to another through unprotected sexual contact, especially often during homosexual sex; from a sick mother to her child during childbirth and when feeding with contaminated milk. But the main route of transmission of infection remains intravenous drug use, when several drug addicts use the same syringe.

What are the measures to prevent HIV/AIDS?

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, choosing a permanent sexual partner, preventing injection drug use. To prevent infection of newborns from HIV-infected pregnant women, the main measure is to receive chemoprophylaxis for pregnant women, for which it is necessary to register in a timely manner at the antenatal clinic.

Can AIDS be cured?

Unfortunately, AIDS still cannot be cured. All available drugs only slow down the course of the disease and prolong the lives of patients by several years.

To more effectively combat the spread of infection, it is necessary for each person to take personal responsibility for their health and be committed to healthy image life, give up alcohol and drug use.

It is difficult to describe all the consequences of HIV infection. This is a complex process of finding a compromise, where much depends on who the message is addressed to. But how not to get stuck in these quicksands and, moreover, how to get out of them without lying, maintaining trust and principles?

When communicating with a person who has just learned of his diagnosis, we emphasize that even with HIV it is possible to lead a normal life, that a 20-year-old person who has been diagnosed with HIV may well live to be 70 years old or even longer. We tell you that modern treatment does not cause any particular inconvenience and has practically no side effects. The tone of the conversation is lively, as if nothing special is happening, along the way we tediously and repeatedly remind you of the need to adhere to treatment and disclose information if required by law.

At the same time, communication with an HIV-negative person is completely different; we explain that HIV is a disease that must be avoided at all costs.

To those who allocate funds for our activities, we say that HIV remains a terrible epidemic and a threat that must be fought to the bitter end at all costs.

We argue among ourselves about whether HIV is a “chronic, manageable disease.” We debate whether the stigma situation is better or worse than before.

How serious is it?

There are even those who consider HIV to be a common disease, which is fundamentally untrue. For example, World organization health care says: “Due to long-term incubation period, multiple modes of transmission, most often sexual, and the ability to thwart our enormous efforts to develop a vaccine and find a definitive cure, HIV is one of the most complex, serious, and perhaps the most devastating infectious diseases ever encountered. humanity".

In addition, HIV is one of the few diseases that is criminalized and is associated with a range of social problems, which contributes to the further spread of HIV infection and aggravates its consequences. When we talk about HIV, we inevitably encounter questions about inequality and injustice. About shame and self-stigmatization. About difficulties with work and housing, about gender and racial problems, about the availability and inaccessibility of treatment. HIV is undoubtedly a complex, multifaceted disease.

Given its complexity, I would say that there is plenty of room for different opinions about the consequences of infection and the impact of HIV on a person's life. There is a place for those who have come to terms with their HIV infection. There is also a place for those who climb the barricades and, with varying success, but always ardently and desperately fight the system - that is, HIV.

Personal experience

Our view of HIV is, of course, shaped by our own experiences. In my case everything was simple. I was diagnosed in 1993, and at the same time I became friends with a guy who had AIDS late stage, and tried to take care of myself by attending several support groups. Although I remained calm in this valley of death, the feeling of my own mortality followed us relentlessly. To get an idea of ​​what was going on in support groups in the 80s and 90s, just turn on the musical “La Boheme” (Rent). “Will I lose my dignity? Will anyone care? Will I wake up from this nightmare tomorrow? I remember once asking if a dog would be allowed at my deathbed when the time came.

Everything will be ok

Whatever you say, living with HIV in 2018 is much easier compared to those terrible times. Indeed, we survivors have scars - both on our bodies and on our souls - but we are alive. And we have the right to instill optimism in those who have recently been diagnosed. We can strive for a normal life. And the campaign helps us with this

Despite, or perhaps because of this, my own experience in to a greater extent supports the view of HIV that we tell newly diagnosed people: “You'll be fine, you'll be able to live a normal life.” If we wear T-shirts that say “HIV is not a crime” or “I'm not ashamed of having HIV,” we mean we are striving for a normal life. There is nothing wrong with this, even if someone can only dream about it.

HIV is a threat to humanity

At the same time, there are moments that cannot be considered normal. It is not normal for the world to be faced with an infectious disease that kills 1 million people a year and which, 35 years after its discovery, we still cannot cure. There is no room for complacency when the world experiences 1.8 million new infections every year. We need to continue to act and talk about this with all seriousness. And if we manage to live a relatively normal life with HIV, remember that this is rather the exception to the rule and that few - too few - can boast of this. We also need to convey to funders that HIV is still a threat and an insult to humanity, in which case we emphasize how serious the situation is, not how controllable it is.

Ultimately, we must make life with HIV as normal as possible by emphasizing the abnormal nature of the epidemic. This is a difficult process of finding a compromise, but there is no other way. Our community has accumulated solid experience - and in general, we are doing well so far.

HIV is not a barrier to living a full life!

IN modern world With sufficiently developed medicine, there are diseases that cannot be cured. The most common disease that has claimed a large number of lives is HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). In Russia alone, about 800 thousand people are carriers of this infection. Among the infected people there are men, women and children. This virus is scary for everyone, but it is most dangerous for women, since they have a higher risk of infection and can pass the infection on to their child.

Symptoms of HIV in women appear with some differences.

Therefore, at the first doubt about your health, you should immediately consult a doctor and get tested.

Is it possible to become infected with HIV through household methods?

Another frequently asked question Is HIV transmitted through a kiss? Doctors give a negative answer. The likelihood of contracting an infection in this situation, in the absence of wounds in the mouth and tongue of both partners, is zero.

Groups at risk of contracting the virus

• drug addicts who use drugs by injection (through a syringe needle);
• women and men during unprotected sexual intercourse, as well as those practicing oral and anal sex;
• children whose mothers are HIV positive;
• doctors who, in their specialization, come into contact with infected people or tissues (diagnostic laboratory assistants, gynecologists, obstetricians, surgeons);
• persons in need of blood transfusion;
• people leading an immoral lifestyle.

Symptoms of having a virus

If a circumstance has occurred that causes you to doubt your HIV status, you should take a blood test (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detects the presence of antibodies to the virus). But by nature, HIV does not manifest itself in the first days. Most people develop antibodies 3 months after infection, others - 6 months later. Therefore, 100% results will be achieved only in six months.

Before this period expires, you should pay attention to your well-being. Symptoms can be detected after a few weeks, or you may not feel any deviations from the norm for 10 years. The first symptoms appear as:

• enlarged lymph nodes;
• excessive sweating at night;
• lethargy, drowsiness and fatigue;
• lack of appetite;
• severe depression for no reason;
• the presence of constantly elevated body temperature.

• vaginal infections;
• presence of abnormalities in smear analysis;
• the appearance of herpes, warts, ulcers on the labia majora;
• red spots on the body;
• white spots on the oral mucosa.

During the six-month period, from the date of suspected infection or the onset of symptoms, you should avoid sexual and other contacts in which you can transmit the infection to a healthy person, you should not be a donor, and it is advisable to delay pregnancy.

Life after infection

A woman who does not have children must understand all the responsibility. Having HIV does not prevent you from having a child. And HIV patients give birth to healthy children, and, in addition, scientists are looking for a way to cure HIV in newborns.

During pregnancy, women are prescribed antiretroviral drugs. They reduce the viral load to such a level that during a normal pregnancy and uncomplicated childbirth, the child is born healthy. Women are prohibited from giving birth on their own, since the highest percentage of children becoming infected is during childbirth. They undergo a caesarean section. Also, mothers should not breastfeed their children for the same reason.

A person with such a diagnosis needs to communicate correctly with healthy people. You can't put others in danger. If a woman decides to become pregnant naturally, she must inform her partner about her situation. Otherwise, this is a crime in Russia, it is criminally punishable (Article 122 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

The path from HIV to AIDS

If HIV is left untreated, it develops into acquired human immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This is the last stage of the disease. Against the background of AIDS, others develop infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, meningitis, herpes. Any infection (even a cold) in AIDS patients leads to serious consequences, since their immune system is not able to cope with bacteria and viruses. AIDS can lead to fatal outcome, there are more than 100 thousand such cases in Russia.

HIV is one of the most dangerous diseases of the 21st century. A cure for it still cannot be found. Therapy only slows down and stops the development of infection. Therefore, you need to take care of yourself and your health.

Avoid contact with drug addicts, try to have an intimate life only with regular and trusted partners, sex should be protected. There is no need to be embarrassed to ask your partner to get tested for HIV or AIDS. Don’t do rash things that you will regret for the rest of your life. Your health is in your hands. Take care of yourself.