Transmitted by- Sexual contact.
- Sharing blood, semen or other body fluids.
- Breast milk.
- Sharing hypodermic needles used intravenously (blood transfusions, IV drug use, etc.)
- Mother to infant at birth.
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Symptoms- No symptoms at first.
- Rapid weight loss.
- Fever.
- Tiredness.
- Diarrhea.
- Yeast infections.
- Pneumonia.
- Some Cancers.
- More serious infections.
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Prevalence |
Treatment- HIV/AIDS is caused by a virus. There is no cure.
- Treatment with combinations of medication can increase the time before full-blown AIDS develops by 8 to 10 years. After that, treatment with medications may increase lifespan by 3 to 5 years, though quality of life may be severely compromised.
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w/o Treatment- Increasingly frequent and more severe opportunistic infections that lead to rapid deteriotion of organ systems, swift physical decline, malnutrition and death.
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Notes | Human Immunodeficiency Virus is an STI that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). HIV destroys cells in an infected persons immune system. If the virus is allowed to progress, a weakened immune system will not be able to fight off other infections and diseases. Once that occurs, the HIV-infected person will develop the full array of symptoms that characterize AIDS. |
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