The impact and consequences of AIDS/HIV in India
“Whenever AIDS has won, stigma, shame, mistrust, discrimination and apathy have been on its side. Every time AIDS has been defeated it has been thanks to trust, openness, dialogue between individuals and communities, family support, human solidarity and human perseverance to find new paths and solutions.– Michel Sidibe, Executive Director, UNAIDS
What are AIDS and HIV?
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by a virus called HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Illness changes the immune system, making people very vulnerable to infection and disease. This vulnerability worsens as the syndrome progresses, sometimes with fatal results.
HIV is a virus: Specifically, HIV is the virus that attacks T cells (CD-4 cells) in the immune system.
AIDS is a medical condition: AIDS is the syndrome that appears in an advanced stage of HIV infection.
HIV infection can cause the development of AIDS, but it is possible to be infected with HIV without developing AIDS. However, without treatment, HIV infection can progress and eventually develop into AIDS in most cases. Once an AIDS diagnosis is made, it will always be part of the patient’s medical history.
What causes HIV and AIDS?
A retrovirus that infects vital organs and cells of the human immune system, HIV thrives in the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART), a drug therapy that slows and can prevent the growth of new HIV viruses.
The rate of virus progression in various individuals differs widely, depending on many factors including:
- age
- The body’s ability to defend itself against HIV
- access to health care
- Other infections the patient may have
- The genetic inheritance of the person.
- Resistance to certain strains of HIV
- other factors
How is HIV transmitted?
Sexual transmission: contact with infected sexual fluids (rectal, genital, or oral mucous membranes) by having unprotected sex with someone infected with HIV
Perinatal transmission: a mother can transmit the infection to her child during childbirth, pregnancy and lactation
Blood transfusion: HIV transmission through blood transfusion is extremely low in developed countries, thanks to meticulous screening and precautions. This is often not the case in the developing world.
The first symptoms of HIV infection
Many people with HIV do not have symptoms for several months, or even years, after being infected. Others may develop flu-like symptoms, usually two to six weeks after being infected with the virus. Symptoms of early HIV infection can include fever, chills, joint aches, muscle aches, sore throat, sweats (particularly at night), enlarged glands, red rash, tiredness, general weakness, and weight loss.
Myths and facts about HIV and AIDS
There are many misconceptions about HIV and AIDS that are not based on scientific and medical facts. The virus CANNOT be transmitted by:
- shake hands
- hugging
- casual kiss
- sneezing
- touch intact skin
- using the same bathroom
- sharing towels
- sharing cutlery
- mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or other forms of “casual contact”
Is there treatment for AIDS and HIV?
There is currently no vaccine or cure for HIV, but certain treatments have evolved that are much more effective and better tolerated -considerably improving the general health and quality of life of patients- with just taking one pill a day.
Certain treatments can slow the course of the condition, allowing most infected people the opportunity to live long and relatively healthy lives. Starting HIV antiretroviral treatment early is crucial. According to the World Health Organization guidelines, issued in June 2013, early treatment improves quality of life, prolongs life expectancy, and reduces the risk of transmission.
How can HIV be prevented?
To prevent HIV infection, medical professionals recommend taking the following precautions:
Avoid the dangers of unprotected sex: Having sex without a condom can put a person at risk of becoming infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Drug misuse and needle sharing: Intravenous drug use is a major factor in HIV transmission, especially in developed countries. Sharing needles can expose users to HIV and other viruses, such as hepatitis C.
Exposure to Bodily Fluids: Exposure to HIV can be prevented by taking precautions to reduce the risk of exposure to contaminated blood. Healthcare workers must use barriers (gloves, masks, goggles, face shields, and gowns).
Pregnancy: Some treatments can harm the fetus. To protect the health of the baby, a cesarean delivery may be necessary. HIV-infected mothers should not breastfeed.
The importance of education: This is an important factor in reducing risk behavior that results in HIV/AIDS.
Social stigma associated with AIDS
The fear surrounding the growing HIV epidemic in the 1980s persists even today. At the time, because so little was known about HIV and how it is transmitted, the disease scared people away for fear of becoming infected.
This fear, to this day, means that many people still believe that HIV and AIDS:
- still ends in death
- The association of the syndromes with behaviors that large numbers of people still disapprove of, such as homosexuality, drug use, sex work, or infidelity.
- That the syndrome is transmitted through sex, which is a taboo subject in some cultures.
- The infection is due to personal irresponsibility or moral faults that deserve to be punished
- False information about how the virus is transmitted, leading to irrational behavior and misconceptions about personal risk.
What is the level of AIDS awareness in India?
According to a comprehensive survey conducted by UNDP after 2005, “HIV and AIDS are a serious challenge for both the developing and developed world. India, with an estimated 5.206 million people living with HIV in 2005, accounts for nearly 69 percent of HIV infections in the South and Southeast Asia region. This is despite being a low-prevalence country with an overall adult HIV prevalence rate of 0.91 percent.”
“India has six high prevalence states: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Nagaland. Of these, Andhra Pradesh has recorded the highest prevalence of two percent among antenatal clinic attendees and 22.8 percent among STD clinic attendees in 2005. Given Due to the overall low prevalence of HIV, the focus so far has been on studying the impact of HIV/AIDS at the individual and household levels.“, emphasizes the survey.
In conclusion, we cite studies conducted by the World Bank Group in 2012, “The Government of India estimates that around 2.40 million Indians are living with HIV (1.93-3.04 million) with an adult prevalence of 0.31% (2009). Children (<15 years) account for 3.5% of all infections, while 83% are in the 15-49 age group. Of all HIV infections, 39% (930,000) are women. India's highly heterogeneous epidemic is largely concentrated in a few states: in the industrialized south and west, and in the north-east. The four high prevalence states of southern India (Andhra Pradesh - 500,000, Maharashtra - 420,000, Karnataka - 250,000, Tamil Nadu - 150,000) account for 55% of all HIV infections in the country. West Bengal, Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are estimated to have more than 100,000 PLHIV each and together account for another 22% of HIV infections in India.“