HIV/AIDS Symptoms

Some people may experience a flu-like illness within 2-4 weeks after contracting HIV.

Flu-like symptoms can include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Rash
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes

These symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. It is important to remember that HIV infection may not show up on an HIV test by this time, but people who have it are still highly infectious and can spread the infection to others. Keep in mind that some people can end up not showing any symptoms for up to 10 years! 

After the early stage of HIV infection, the disease moves into a stage called the clinical latency stage (also known as “chronic HIV infection”). People in this stage may still not have any HIV-related symptoms or only slight ones.

For people who aren’t taking medicine to treat HIV, at this point it can last a decade or longer, but some may advance through this phase faster than others. People who are taking medicine to treat HIV and are taking it the right way, can end up being in this stage for many decades because treatment helps keep the virus minimal. 

If you have HIV and you are not taking medication, the virus will eventually weaken your body’s immune system and it will advance to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), also known as, the late stage of HIV infection.

Symptoms can include but are not limited to:

• Extreme weight loss
• Recurring fever
• Unexplained tiredness
• Long-term swelling of the lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck
• Pneumonia
• Red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids
• Memory loss, and other neurologic disorders.

Remember that these symptoms can also mean that you have contracted a different illness, so do not just assume that you have HIV or AIDS. Get tested if you are worried about it, and if you test positive GET YOUR MEDICATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The sooner you start treatment, the better you will feel in the long-run. There is no cure, but it is imperative that you take medication, and take it the correct way if you want the best prognosis possible. 

Reference:

Symptoms of HIV. (2015, December 31). Retrieved October 10, 2016, from https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/signs-and-symptoms/

People Living with HIV/AIDS

Before, I discussed a bit about the history of HIV/AIDS so that you could get a better understanding of what it is, exactly. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that about 1.2 million people had died from AIDS related illness by 2014, and 1 in 8 people don't even know that they have HIV (2016).

A few celebrities who have said that they have HIV/AIDS include:

Charlie Sheen, actor, who stated on Nov. 17, 2015, that he is HIV-positive.

Former NBA Player Earvin "Magic" Johnson stated in 1991 that he was diagnosed with HIV.

Freddie Mercury, lead singer for Queen, died when he was 45 on Nov. 24, 1991. (CBS News).

A lot of people, particularly celebrities are afraid of announcing that they had HIV/AIDS. It's a shame because that can lead to people not getting treatment fast enough, and having the disease get worse. Contracting HIV/AIDS may reveal certain behaviors that some people may have wanted to keep private. For example, homosexuality or infidelity may be details that a person may not be ready to disclose about their personal lives (AAMFT).

It is important to stress the fact that people who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS should not be too embarrassed about it to seek help. The disease affects many aspects of their lives and they will need support from family and friends. If you know someone who has been affected by HIV/AIDS it is vital that you tell them that you still love them and care about them so that they feel ready and comfortable enough to seek treatment. It's up to those around them to let them know that they are not alone. 

(aids.gov 2014)


References

Statistics Overview. (2016, March 21). Retrieved October 02, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/

Celebrities with HIV/AIDS. (n.d.). Retrieved October 02, 2016, from http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/celebrities-with-hiv-aids/

Families Living with HIV. (n.d.). Retrieved October 02, 2016, from https://www.aamft.org/iMIS15/AAMFT/Content/Consumer_Updates/Families_Living_with_HIV.aspx

U.S. Statistics. (2014, December 2). Retrieved October 02, 2016, from https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/statistics/

The Beginning of HIV/AIDS in the U.S.

Research shows, that the origins of HIV go all of the way back to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century in west-central Africa. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), weakens the immune system, making people who have it more susceptible to other illnesses and infections. HIV/AIDS was first identified and recognized in the early 1980's. HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through unprotected sex, blood transfusions, sharing of needles, through a mother and her baby during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Without treatment, HIV advances in stages, and can get worse over time. There are three stages of HIV which include the following: acute HIV infection, clinical latency, and then developing into AIDS (2015).

When AIDS was first really talked about in the 1980’s, there was a stereotype that came along with it. The first few patients that were diagnosed with it were gay men, and cases were found in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco. On June 5, 1981, five young and previously healthy gay men were diagnosed with PCP (Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia), which is a very rare lung disease. There were also other indications that their immune systems were not working properly. During that same time, there were a few cases of Kaposi’s Sarcoma (KS), a rare and aggressive cancer, reported in gay, young, previously healthy males. By July 3rd, there were 26 cases of PCP and KS and the label “gay cancer” started to show up in society (2016). It took way too long for people to realize that anyone could get HIV/AIDS, and that there needed to be more done to try to prevent it when it first became a problem. 

The term AIDS was first used in 1982 and the definition was “a disease at least moderately predictive of a defect in cell-mediated immunity, occurring in a person with no known case for diminished resistance to that disease.” It wasn’t until 1985, that the FDA (US) approved the first HIV antibody test. Blood products then began to be tested in the US and in Japan. Along with that, the first International Conference on AIDS was held in Atlanta GA, and President Ronald Reagan mentioned the word "AIDS" in public for the first time while answering questions from reporters. By the end of 1985, 6,584 people of all different ages, races, sexualities and health statuses had died due to AIDS (1999).

HIV/AIDS is still a big deal in society today. There is no cure, so people have to be really careful not to contract this disease. The best ways to prevent yourself from contracting HIV/AIDS is by steering clear from any situation that allows HIV/AIDS-infected fluids like, blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk, into your body. My next post will talk about real life people who have had to deal with this disease in their lives and how it has impacted them, as well as those around them. 

References

(1999). The AIDS Epidemic: 1981-1987. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://partners.nytimes.com/library/national/science/aids/timeline80-87.html

 (2016). A timeline of HIV/AIDS. Aids.gov. Retrieved from https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/aids-timeline/

(8/27/2015). Stages of HIV infection. Aids.gov. Retrieved from https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/hiv-in-your-body/stages-of-hiv/ 

Introduction

Hey! My name is Claire Overland & I'm a sophomore at EIU majoring in health studies with a concentration in healthcare administration.

I chose to write a blog about HIV/AIDS Prevention because I recently watched a documentary called Age of AIDS that really sparked my interest about this topic. This has always been very interesting to me, but now I am excited to learn more about it and to share the information that I learn, with others.