HIV and AIDS: Protecting Yourself, Protecting Others David Lee, Mollie Williams, and Andrew Frankart

What is HIV? Human Immunodeficiency Virus

HIV vs. AIDS HIV ◦Infection itself ◦Multiple stages AIDS ◦Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ◦Last stage of HIV infection ◦Defined by HIV diagnosis, cell counts, and presence of specific diseases

Ways to Spread HIV Body fluids containing virus ◦Semen ◦Vaginal fluids ◦Breast milk ◦Blood Methods of transmission ◦Sexual contact ◦Breastfeeding ◦Pregnancy and birth ◦Blood transfusions ◦Injection drug use

Risk of Spread by Method Sexual intercourse: Female-to-male transmission1 in 700 to 1 in 3,000 Male-to-female transmission1 in 200 to 1 in 2,000 Male-to-male transmission1 in 10 to 1 in 1,600 Blood exposure: Needle stick (with AZT PEP)1 in 200 (1 in 10,000) Needle sharing1 in 150 Transfusion of infected blood95 in 100 Mother-infant transmission: Without AZT treatment1 in 4 With AZT treatment<1 in 10 Combination antiretroviral therapy<1 in 50 Royce, Sena, Cates and Cohen, NEJM 336: , 1997

Symptoms of Infection Acute Infection ◦70% of infected people experience symptoms similar to the flu or mononucleosis  Fever  Sore throat  Headaches  Swollen lymph nodes ◦Lasts one to four weeks Asymptomatic HIV Disease Stage ◦Untreated people can seem healthy for a range of 0.5 to 11 years

Symptoms of Infection Chronic Symptomatic HIV Disease Stage ◦Wide range of effects  Fever  Weight loss  Fatigue  Abdominal issues AIDS ◦Numerous types of patient experiences ◦Severely damaged immune system ◦Susceptible to many diseases

Opportunistic Infections Range of conditions that may appear more often in people with damaged immune systems, including: ◦Kaposi’s sarcoma ◦Tuberculosis ◦Pneumonia ◦Candidiasis ◦Invasive Cervical Cancer

Preventing the Spread of HIV Abstinence Being faithful Condoms

Testing 97% chance of detecting HIV after three months Types of HIV Testing: ◦Antibody Tests (Blood, Oral Fluid, or Urine Sample)  Enzyme immunoassays (Up to 2 weeks)  Rapid HIV Antibody (10 – 20 minutes) ◦Antigen Tests (Blood Sample)  From 1 – 3 weeks after possible infection ◦Polymerase Chain Reaction Test  Identifies genetic material of HIV in blood within 2-3 weeks of infection

Where to Obtain Testing HIV Tests are available at: ◦Local health department ◦Public health clinics  Elm Street Health Center (0.59 miles)  Price Hill Health Center (1.26 miles) ◦Doctor’s office ◦AIDS service organizations ◦Planned Parenthood

Treatment Despite the lack of a complete cure, HIV can still be treated. Treated with combination drug therapies, also known as “cocktails.” Functions of drug therapies include: ◦Inhibiting HIV from entering and infecting white blood cells. ◦Prevent HIV from replicating and creating new HIV viruses.

Treatment ◦Most HIV treatment consists of taking 3 different antiretroviral medications, from 2 different classes of drugs  Protects against drug resistance  Will control the amount of virus in your body and protect your immune system  The various drugs will act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle.

Where to Obtain Treatment University of Cincinnati Infectious Disease Center ◦Provides primary and consultative care University Hospital Center for Emergency Care, HIV Early Prevention Program ◦HIV testing and counseling programs for both walk-in and registered patients STOP AIDS ◦Provides outreach, education, and medical case management services for HIV-positive patients