Are you afraid of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)? Among many viruses and illnesses, there is a category of virus that spreads not through air, water, or normal contact but by sexual contact, mixing of blood, or coming in contact with saliva or genital discharges. One such virus is HIV. In this post, we will be looking deeply at what is HIV and what are the causes of HIV. The symptoms of HIV will also be looked at. Many people have misconceptions about HIV that it is similar to coronavirus and that it spreads through contact and therefore people avoid communicating with HIV patients. These people are isolated and treated badly. Therefore, the article seeks to clear the myths about HIV and explain what it is.
What is HIV?
Let’s begin with what is HIV. HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is also referred to as HIV/AIDS which means Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. As the name suggests it is an acquired immune deficiency virus. It attacks the immune system of the body and weakens it resulting in the degradation of the body’s immune system and making it prone to other illnesses. It interferes with the body’s ability to fight diseases. Some of the symptoms of HIV can be fever, fatigue, skin rash, nausea, headache, mouth ulcer, and muscle ache. Any illness will take a very long time to get cured or even remain the same. You are likely to fall ill again and again. Therefore it comes under the fear of sex in female or male. The HIV aids causes are mainly sexual contact, injecting uncleaned or used needles, coming in contact with semen or vaginal fluids, etc. The query of what are the causes of HIV is discussed in detail in the next section.
What Are The Causes of HIV
Apart from sexual contact, there are many reasons HIV happens. Usually, HIV AIDS is considered only to be a sexually transmitted disease however apart from being an STD it also spreads by other contacts which directly comes in contact with the internal body system. Let’s have a look over what are the causes of HIV and understand it precisely and clearly to be able to avoid it.
1. Using Common Needles
One of the causes of HIV AIDS is the use of common needles. Many times when you have an addiction to drugs, the body goes into a state where you use whatever you get and you often use shared needles. This can lead to HIV infection if the other person has it, there are even chances of acquiring other infections. You should first get addiction counseling so that HIV infection does not spread to you. There are also times when in hospitals you are treated with used injections or the tattoo needles are not sterilized, etc These are some of the HIV aids causes and consequences and are even the main cause of HIV. There is a need to ensure that you use fresh, cleaned needles for any purpose.
2. Unprotected Sex
Among other reasons HIV happens is having numerous unprotected sex with different people. There are times when you wonder: is going to a sex worker a wrong thing. The main cause of HIV is unprotected sex which leads to HIV/AIDS and many other STDs. When you have numerous unprotected sex with different people the chances of acquiring HIV increases 10 times. You need to get yourself when you suffer slight inconvenience to ensure that it is not HIV if proper medications are not taken HIV becomes worse and fatal to life as it impairs the body’s defense system.
3. Blood Contact
Another main cause of HIV is coming in contact with infected blood. It does not mean that you touch the blood and you are infected, NO! But if the infected blood mixes with the blood in your body by any means like blood donation, through wounds, injections, or any other ways by which the infected blood comes in contact with your inner system it can lead to HIV. Even if a pregnant woman is HIV positive there are full chances that the unborn baby might also be HIV positive. The HIV aids causes are mainly related to sexual and blood contact. Blood transfusion can also lead to HIV.
4. Contact With Semen or Vaginal Discharge
Another main cause of HIV is contact with semen or vaginaldischarge. One of the reasons why do sexual problem happen in male and females is unprotected sex. The causes of HIV AIDS include getting infected because of infected semen and vaginaldischarge. Doing unprotected sex or having sex with random people can become the cause of HIV/AIDS. The use of condoms here is very important as it reduces the chances of STDs as it prevents seminal and vaginaldischarges from getting into your body and thus reduces the chances of STDs or other sexual infections. Also, you must take care of sexual hygiene to avoid the risk of HIV AIDS.
5. Contact With Infected Saliva
Another HIV aids causes among all is contact with infected saliva. This is usually not among the common reasons HIV happens and it cannot be. HIV does not spread by sitting together or having lunch together but yes if your internal body system comes in contact with infected saliva then there might be rare chances that you get HIV. Like sharing the same spoon, or food, eating together, hugging each other, playing or roaming around or even kissing won’t get you HIV as the antibodies in saliva prevent new cells from getting infected. The rare transmission can occur through wounds, broken skin, etc. But saliva rarely causes any infection.
6. Oral Sex
Another causes of HIV AIDS is oral sex. Although it is a rare scenario and does not happen, one must be cautious while doing oral sex. You must wonder: does oral sex cause aids. Let us tell you that you can get HIV but the chances are relatively low. The main HIV aids causes are seminal discharges, vaginalfluids, and even menstrual fluids can cause HIV/AIDS. Oral sex means that you use your mouth on the genitals of your partner. The chances of acquiring STDs are low yet there is a risk. You can use condoms and other preventive measures to further reduce the risk.
What is The Treatment For HIV And How to Avoid HIV
There are different symptoms of HIV and it can be quite difficult to guess whether you are infected with HIV or not until it is diagnosed and confirmed HIV your body’s immune system is attacked and your body becomes likely to get infected with other illnesses as well. You can get any disease and its cure will take a lot of time because there is little WBC left in your body. HIV treatment is not yet found. Therefore HIV/AIDS is incurable but proper medications and other treatments can help you decrease its effect and increase your lifespan. It can help in controlling the progression of the disease. Though you can cure HIV, you can learn about how to avoid HIV.
You must get yourself tested for HIV if you even have slight doubts. Don’t go in for risky sexual behaviors and you must use condoms every time you have sex. If your condom breaks, look for why condom break and get a good one. Further, you must avoid using used needles as it is one of the main causes of HIV. Ensure that every time you use a needle in your body it is fresh and clean. This will help you reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS. HIV spreads through vaginal fluids, blood, semen, breast milk, etc. So avoid risky sex methods that might cause transmission.
Conclusion
There are many reasons HIV happens and there is no permanent HIV treatment as well. Therefore you must know what are symptoms of HIV are and understand clearly the causes and how to avoid it. HIV patients are often treated very badly similar to someone who is treated like an untouchable. People have different myths regarding what are the causes of HIV and how it spreads. They often end up speculating that HIV spreads by physical contact or even sitting together and they end up being isolated and rejected. The body is also not in good health as HIV attacks the WBC of the body weakening the body’s immune system. Creating awareness about STDs is very important.
FAQ’S
1. Is HIV incurable?
There is no permanent HIV treatment as of now anywhere. Therefore HIV is incurable but yes with medications and treatment, you can slow down and even control the virus progression and reduce the weakening effect of the virus on the immune system of the body. In HIV usually, the body’s immune system weakens and completely gets destroyed by the end. You must seek proper medications so that you can have a little longer life span and be a little bit fit to carry yourself.
2. What to do to avoid any STDs?
To avoid any of the STDs you must practice safe sex. You must seek sex counseling and understand completely all these things. Use condoms and other safe aids while performing sex. Avoid any kind of risky sexual behavior like having sex with random people. Practice sexual hygiene both before and after doing sex and that also each time you do sex. Contact the doctor if you face any sexual issues. This will relatively lower the risk of any STDs.
3. What are the different categories of STDs?
There are different types of STDs. Here are some of the most common sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia, Genital Herpes, etc. These STDs usually transfer by unprotected sex, anal sex, oral sex, vaginal fluids, through mouth, semen, etc. These are bacterial infections that spread sexually from an infected partner to another and usually infect the genitals, uterus, penis, and other organs.
4. How to avoid HIV?
To know how to avoid HIV you must first understand how it spreads and it is the only way to avoid HIV. Knowing about what is HIV and things to do after sex also helps in reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS. You can avoid HIV by practicing safe sex, using condoms, avoiding risky sexual behaviors, and ensuring that you use fresh and new needles every time you get yourself injected. These are some precautionary measures you can take to avoid HIV.
5. What are symptoms of HIV?
To know what are symptoms of HIV you must know about it. Some of the symptoms of HIV are fatigue, muscle aches, there can be pain in the abdomen area, there is dry cough, loss of appetite, nausea, fever, sweating, and swelling in lymph nodes. You may have difficulty in swallowing, and witness skin rash or issues in your genital areas. Some of the first signs are diarrhea, sore throat, oral infection, headache, etc. The symptoms of HIV/ AIDS can be confusing as during this your immune system is very weak and you are easily prone to other illnesses.
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