Modes of HIV Infection

Before going to see the modes of HIV infection it would be better to know about HIV. The word HIV represents Human Deficiency Syndrome. It is virus that assaults on immune system. The immune system is composed of CD4 cells. These cells can be described as soldier cells as they protect the immune system from various infections and diseases. The virus exists in the CD4 cells and keeps reproducing itself till it gets hold of immune system completely. CD4 cells can not resist the virus as it grows gradually and replicates itself. The virus damages the immune system badly and allows the opportunistic infection to attack on the body. Opportunistic infections take advantage of the damaged immune system. As HIV infection develops in the body, the immune system gets decreased day by day. There are four stages of HIV infection. Every stage has its symptoms and consequences. At the end CD4 cells' count decreases and a person succumbs to AIDS

Modes of HIV infection are given below:

HIV can be spread out through the bodily fluids like semen and vaginal secretion. It can be spread out through the infected blood. Unprotected sex with infected person, using needles that are used by the infected person, through the breastfeeding these are the ways of transmission of HIV. Urine, tears, and saliva have not been associated with the transmission of HIV. There is one case which was investigated by CDC where HIV infection had occurred due to the kissing. However, the transmission of HIV was connected with blood rather than saliva.

The process of the development of the AIDS takes several years. However it can be divided into the four stages. These stages include primary, asymptomatic, symptomatic, and AIDS. These stages lead a person to AIDS. Every stage has certain symptoms and they develop stage by stage. AIDS that is a final stage is an advanced stage of the HIV infection. Once a person leads to a stage he/she never come back to the HIV infection. WHO has given the certain criteria for diagnosing the stages and it is used all over the world. The criteria are based on symptoms instead of viral load. The reason behind it is that many countries are not able to perform these tests because of the lack of facilities.

HIV Infection

As reported by CDC there were 612,078 people suffering with AIDS in 1997. State and territorial health departments had given this information to CDC. Out of the figure eighty-four percent were adult/ adolescent men, fifteen percent were adult/ adolescent women and one percent were children who were under the ages of thirteen.

Modes of HIV infection would help you to understand the ways through which a person can get infected with HIV. Moreover, it will give some HIV infection related data that can be used to understand the statistics of HIV.