HIV: Things To Know About One Of The World's Deadliest Virus

Despite the fact that Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is arguably the deadliest virus in the modern world, a lot of people still do not know what this virus is all about.

While the mere mention of HIV still makes a lot of people nervous, there are some people who choose to believe that the virus is a sham. Research reveals that over 32 million people have died from this virus since it was first recognized in the early 1980s.

HIV infection in humans came from a type of chimpanzee in Central Africa which was probably passed to humans when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came in contact with their infected blood. 

Dr. Tolu Binutu, a medical expert has listed what people need to know about this popular virus. According to him, HIV should not be misconstrued to have similar characteristics with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Other things to know about HIV includes;

HIV is transmissible while AIDS is not.

HIV attacks the immune system and makes it unable to fight off infections effectively.

HIV is commonly transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected person, sharing sharp objects, or from an infected mother to child.

The introduction of HIV into the body causes a flu-like symptom that eventually disappears. HIV may go quiet for many years, while silently destroying the immune system without showing any symptoms whatsoever. When symptoms start to show, the immune system may already be crippled, leading to a collection of life-threatening illnesses called AIDS.

Medical experts recommend that the key to proper treatment is early detection and treatment.

According to Dr. Binutu, it is important to know that there is a window period for the virus when testing for HIV. In other words, HIV will not show up on tests immediately after infection.

"Positive and negative HIV tests may need to be repeated up to 3 times after potential exposure to the virus," he added.

Currently, HIV has no known cure and can only be treated with strict adherence to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). The aim of ARV treatment is not to eradicate the virus but to reduce the virus content in the body to the extent that an HIV test will not detect the virus in the body.

HIV is no longer a death sentence with early detection and treatment. People living with the virus are able to live healthy lives, get married, have HIV-free children, and pursue their dreams.