HIV/AIDS - The Basics

Download AIDS booklet

Around the world, 40 million people are currently estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. The global epidemic has claimed over 20 million lives. An estimated 5 million people worldwide became infected with HIV last year. Most of them are under the age of 25, and most are unaware that they have the virus.

India's first case of HIV was confirmed in Chennai in 1986. The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) now estimates that more than 5 million people in India are living with HIV/AIDS. By far the greater number of HIV cases in India are a result of sexual transmission.

It is estimated that four out of every ten Indian with HIV/AIDS are women. In six states, the number of adults living with HIV/AIDS is above 1% of the total population. This is seen as indicating that the epidemic is spreading from high risk groups such as sex workers and injecting drug users into the general population, and from urban to rural areas.

NACO is stepping up its campaign to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS and promote prevention by encouraging abstinence, sexual fidelity and condom usage. It is also scaling up testing facilities, and the care and treatment of those living with HIV as well as combating discrimination against those who have the virus.

In January 2005, our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that in the absence of HIV/AIDS vaccine, the social vaccine of education and awareness was the best preventive tool available for HIV/AIDS. "It is appropriately said that prevention begins with information", the Prime Minister declared. "Media which conveys information and moulds public opinion must remain at the heart of our campaign to help people make informed choices."

AIDS FAQ

What are HIV and AIDS?

How will I know if I have HIV/AIDS?

How is HIV transmitted?

What makes women more vulnerable to acquiring HIV?

What should I do if my test is HIV positive?

Is there treatment available for HIV?

Which type of sexual activity puts me most at risk of HIV and STI?

What are Sexually Transmitted Infections?

How will I know if I have an STI?

Is masturbation bad for you?

What are HIV and AIDS?

HIV, or Human Immuno-deficiency Virus, is a virus that enters the human body, slowly attacking and weakening the immune system. The immune system controls the body's ability to fight diseases and infections. This means that a person infected with HIV is more susceptible to diseases and illnesses.

Someone who has HIV is said to be "HIV+" or "HIV positive." Only a blood test can detect if you have HIV.

HIV is the virus that leads to AIDS.

AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is not a disease on its own. It is a group of diseases that shows that the body has reached the stage at which it can no longer fight infections because HIV has weakened the immune system.

For a person with HIV, minor infections can become very serious and can lead to death. People with HIV can live for many years before the body's immune system breaks down and reaches the stage of AIDS. This is especially the case when people living with HIV are taking good care of themselves to remain fit. It can take up to 8-10 years before the stage of AIDS is reached. Note however that at all stages of infection, someone living with HIV can transmit the virus to others.

How will I know if I have HIV/AIDS?

You cannot tell just by looking at someone if they are infected with HIV. People can live with HIV for years without knowing it. Someone with HIV may look and feel healthy and may be infecting others through unprotected sex without knowing it. It is therefore very important to know your HIV status. Blood tests are the only way to know your HIV status.

If you have the slightest doubt that you may have HIV, please visit a doctor and get yourself tested. This test can be done at most government-run health centres or private laboratories. In India, there are also places called Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centres (VCTC) that can perform HIV tests. VCTC provide confidential advice and counselling as well as testing.

You can access the VCTC nearest to you, at almost all medical colleges in District Hospitals. A complete list is available at www.nacoonline.org/directory_vct.htm

How is HIV transmitted?

HIV can be transmitted in 4 ways

1. Through the sexual route

Someone who has HIV can pass the virus to another person through vaginal, anal or oral sex. This is called sexual transmission through unprotected sex. It is the most common way HIV is spread in India.

2. From mother to child

A woman infected with HIV can pass the virus to her baby during pregnancy, during child birth or by breastfeeding. It is important for all pregnant women to be tested for HIV.

3. Through infected needles and syringes

HIV can be spread through sharing injection needles and syringes with someone who has HIV. This is because HIV is present in blood. During an injection the needle sucks up a small amount of blood that can then easily be injected into somebody else. This danger includes needles and instruments used for tattooing and piercing.

4. Through blood transfusions

In India, all blood available at government and licensed blood banks will be tested for HIV before transfusion.

What makes women more vulnerable to acquiring HIV?

Because their sex organs (vaginas) can get damaged and tear more easily than a man's during sex, which makes it easier for HIV to enter their bodies. Girls and young women are especially at risk. Anal sex can cause even more tearing, making it yet easier for the virus to enter the body.
Women and girls are often given less information about sex, reproduction and sexually transmitted infections. This means they do not always know how to keep themselves safe from HIV and other infections.
It is often difficult for women and girls to talk to men about sex and using condoms.

What should I do if my test is HIV positive?

People feel a whole range of emotions from shock to denial, guilt, shame and anger if there HIV test is "positive." But you will not be alone. You will be offered advice, help and counselling at the centre where you have been tested. You can also get in touch with other people who have HIV. There are people who can help you come to terms with your status and give you advice on how to lead a good quality life with HIV. A major decision you will have to make is whether to tell other people that you have the virus. This is a very personal decision, but it is always better to share this with someone you trust and can support you in difficult times and under difficult circumstances.

Because your body's ability to fight disease is weakened by HIV, it is important that you remain healthy. Eat healthy foods and have a nutritional diet. Try to avoid catching common illnesses and infections, such as colds and flu. Always use condoms while having sex. Do not share needles with others. Consult the doctor if you are planning to have a baby. As mentioned before, HIV can infect the baby during pregnancy, while giving birth and through breast feeding.

Is there treatment available for HIV?

There is NO CURE for HIV. There are indeed medicines available, called anti-retro-virals (ARVs). These can help to keep a person's immune system strong so they can continue to fight illnesses and delay the start of AIDS.

ARVs are available free from some district hospitals in India. If you have HIV, you should talk to your doctor about whether you need to take them.

Some things to know about ARVs

When you start taking ARVs, you have to take them every day for the rest of your life.
ARVs can cause unpleasant side effects, such as diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, weight gain or weight loss.

Many of the infections and illnesses that HIV positive people can get because of their weak immune system can be treated with easily-available medicines. Common diseases that people who are HIV+ commonly get include tuberculosis, pneumonia and skin infections.

If you are HIV positive and become ill, see your doctor immediately, so you can get the right treatment for your illness. This will help you to get healthy again.

Which type of sexual activity puts me most at risk of HIV and STI?

Vaginal sex (where a man's penis is put into a woman's vagina), anal sex (where a man's penis is inserted into the anus of another person) and oral sex (licking, kissing or sucking another person's sex organs) without using a condom all carry a risk of HIV.

Anal sex is the most dangerous because there is a good chance that the person who is receiving the penis will be torn or cut which makes it easier for HIV to pass from one person to another.

Oral sex is the least dangerous. But it is still risky, so always wear a condom.

What are Sexually Transmitted Infections?

Infections that are spread through sexual intercourse and mainly affect the sexual organs of men and women are known as gupt rog or sexually transmitted infections (STI).

STI can be spread by having unprotected sexual intercourse (sex without a condom) with someone who has an infection. HIV is one of many sexually transmitted infections.

How will I know if I have an STI?

There are some common signs that show you may have a sexually transmitted infection

Unusual fluid or discharge from the penis or vagina. Some fluid is normal, but if the colour changes, or the smell is unpleasant, or the discharge looks like curd, you could have an infection.
Boils, pus, ulcers on the sexual organs.
Burning sensation while urinating.
Swelling or itching of the sexual organs.
Pain while having sexual intercourse.

Many STI do not show any symptoms, especially in women, so you may not know if you or your sexual partner has an infection. That is why it is important to use a condom every time you have sex.

Is masturbation bad for you?

No! It is perfectly normal for men and women to masturbate. Masturbation is a way of pleasuring yourself that carries with it no risks of HIV, sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy. Masturbating is totally harmless it will not make you blind, or give you spots or stop you from growing. There are no bad side effects.