VIH

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a chronic infectious disease transmitted through contact, progressing slowly and characterized by damage to the immune system with the development of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, when due to a weakened immune system, a person becomes defenseless against any infection and certain types of cancer. The danger comes from so-called opportunistic infections – diseases caused by opportunistic or non-pathogenic flora: viruses, bacteria, fungi, which in healthy individuals do not lead to serious consequences or easily occur and heal on their own. With AIDS, they overlap, have a prolonged course, are difficult to treat, and can lead to death.

HIV Prevalence
Every day, 4,000 people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), of which 25% are young people aged 15 to 24 years old.

Causes of HIV

The source of infection is a person infected with HIV at any stage of the disease. The virus is transmitted through blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk.

People at risk of HIV infection also include:

• Blood donors and recipients;
• Medical personnel who come into contact with the blood and other biological fluids of patients (including surgeons, procedural nurses, hemodialysis service employees, dentists);
• Law enforcement personnel who may be injured while apprehending criminals (e.g., bites, scratches);
• Employees of beauty salons performing manicures and pedicures;
• Tattoo artists;
• Permanent makeup artists.

Sexual intercourse (unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected partner) is the dominant factor in the spread of HIV infection.

Ways of transmission include:

• Anal sex without a condom;
• Sharing needles and other medical instruments for drug use;
• Mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding (if a woman treats HIV throughout pregnancy and afterward, maintaining a low viral load in the blood, the risk of infecting the child does not exceed 1%);
• Oral sex: infection is possible if the virus concentration in an infected person’s body is very high, as well as in the presence of wounds on the mucous membrane of the mouth and genital organs (there are usually always microtraumas in the oral cavity, and microfissures on the lips);
• Blood transfusion and its components, organ and tissue transplantation from donors (all biological materials are carefully checked, but the human factor is not excluded);
• Any invasive procedure (surgeries, gynecological manipulations, aesthetic interventions by injection, etc.);
• Rarely – deep kissing (if both partners have mouth wounds).

You must understand that using a condom does not offer 100% protection against HIV: for example, latex condoms have pores up to 5 microns in diameter, and the size of HIV viral particles is 0.1 micron. The protective properties of polyurethane condoms are roughly the same.