1 Dec 2009, World AIDS Day, celebrated in India with lots of gung-ho; The Government of India’s health ministry patted his back for a reduction in the overall number of HIV positive people in the country – around 400,000, while the decline in new HIV cases fell to 100,000 per year ,.
While this news is encouraging, the question is is India in an AIDS safe zone? India is the third largest country with HIV AIDS after South Africa and Nigeria, being home to 2.3 million AIDS victims.
How can we fight this debilitating disease?
What are the facts about this deadly condition called AIDS that we should know.
AIDS, the abbreviated form of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is an advanced stage of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus.
AIDS is a global pandemic, and countries around the world are fighting it.
How AIDS spreads: You can catch the infection by having unprotected sex with an infected partner, transfusing infected blood, or sharing infected needles. It can transmit to the unborn child of a pregnant woman, who has tested positive for the HIV virus; or after delivery through breastfeeding;
AIDS signs and symptoms may not appear immediately after a person has contracted the HIV virus infection; in fact, it may take as much as ten years for the HIV virus to manifest into AIDS, and destroy the immune system completely.
Can AIDS be completely treated?
No, it can’t be. But it is possible to survive if detection is early by giving antiretroviral therapy as recommended by the doctor.
After testing positive for the HIV virus, the victim must have contact with the ICTC (Integrated Counseling and Testing Center).
