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What is HIV/AIDS?

from: YOUNG EAGLES’ CHALLENGE: A Peer Education Training Manual for First Nations Youth on HIV/AIDS and Related Issues

HIV is a virus and has been in North America for over twenty years. It attacks the human immune system, which is what people need to fight off simple things like the cold or flu. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

When a person becomes infected with HIV, their immune system slowly begins to weaken. You start off with HIV and it eventually turns to AIDS. AIDS is when the body gets much sicker with different diseases and other infections can become major problems for the body. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

A human being has what is called T-Helper cells (T-4 and T-8), also known as CD4 and CD8 cells. These are like the Warriors inside our bodies, which attack any threat to our health. Once they sense something is inside us - like a virus that does not belong there it immediately begins to try and get rid of it.

With HIV it is different and instead, the T-Helper cells begin to die off. This leaves the body with no defense or no Warriors to protect itself. Most human beings have about 1700 T-Helper cells at any time. This number can go up and down depending on different things, like stress or poor nutrition. When someone catches HIV, the T-Helper cell counts begin to go down. This takes many years before it becomes serious. Today, people living with HIV are living much longer than before, mostly because Doctors know more and have new medications to help a person stay healthier. The issue though, is that AIDS is still a killer. As reported on Pride Vision TV, according to a BioChem and Glaxxo Wellcome Survey, a person living with HIV/AIDS can take between six (6) to ninety-six (96) pills per day to fight the disease. Many of these pills make you feel sick, with upset stomach or diarrhea, because of the side effects. It isn't fun or easy living with this disease. Some Aboriginal People living with HIV/AIDS (APHA's) live in poverty and misery.

The pills do not work for everyone with some people developing resistance to them and many (especially Aboriginal people) are still dying from AIDS related infections. It can often take many tries and combinations, with huge side effects before the Doctor finds the right one to help a person live longer. Remember, there is still NO CURE for HIV/AIDS. Once you have it - you have it for life! There is no pill you can take afterwards to get rid of it. There is no needle or vaccine to protect yourself against getting it. There is only PREVENTION which comes from knowing what it is, how it is spread and how to protect yourself. Nobody has to catch HIV and ONLY YOU can prevent yourself from getting it. The basics about HIV/AIDS do not take long to learn that HIV is a virus that is preventable and the virus is found in all body fluids. Some body fluids have more HIV than others. Contact with these fluids can lead to HIV infection and the risk depends on what type of contact and which fluid.

The real challenge though is to look at what behaviors you may be taking and change those behaviors so that you get rid of or lessen the risks that may be involved. For example, some people get involved in what is called bare-backing or sex without a condom. This is considered very high risk when you do not know your sexual partner(s). HIV can be spread through:

• unprotected anal or vaginal sex (less but still some risk for oral sex);
• sharing injection drug needles, that have not been cleaned properly with bleach and water mixture;
• sharing snorting equipment, used to snort drugs up the nose;
• blood-to-blood contact (like in a blood transfusion);
• mother-to-child, at birth, if the mother has HIV; and
• oral sex when certain conditions exist, like a throat infection, bleeding gums, etc.

One person must have HIV or be HIV-positive to infect another person. Because HIV is a virus, medical tests can show how much of the virus is in the body. This is called VIRAL LOAD, and over time, without medications, most people with HIV will have their viral load go higher. This is a major reason why people who are taking risks should try and find out if they have been infected. It lets Doctors treat you and keep the viral load down and keep the T-Helper cells up. The sooner someone finds out whether they have HIV or not is better, because you can do things to live longer. The other important reason is to not infect other people you care about or have sexual contact with - like your boyfriend or girlfriend.