Ask the Expert

HIV is transmitted by following ways:

A. Penetrative Sex without Condom.

B. HIV infected parents to new born babies.

C. Blood transfusion if donor is HIV positive. Usually before blood transfusion, transfusion medicine specialist checks blood for infectious diseases like hepatitis B, hepatitis C,VDRL and HIV. But if donor has acquired HIV infection recently (window period) then HIV can't be detected by routine screening test. these are instances and cases where HIV can be transmitted by blood transfusion.

D. Unsterilized skin piercing devices like ear piercing and tattooing machines.

A. No Sex No risk. Every Sexual act (penetrative) is Risky. Hence we can rightly reduce the risk of acquiring HIV infection. If more sexual partners then please reduce the number of partners and always have a sex with condom. It's better to tell your partner that this is your sexual health and you do sex this way (using condom). You can't trust anybody that he or she is not having HIV. If you go on looks or status of a person then you are dead wrong.

B. Insist doctor to always use disposable syringes and needles.

C. In case of blood transfusion then go to government recognized blood bank.

Latex Condoms are safe. But if condom is slipped, broken or not used correctly then it's risky and then it's better to start Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). This PEP works when medicines are taken immediately after the sex and PEP works better if taken within 3 days of sex. For PEP consult HIV Specialist immediately.

Every penetrative sex is risky however transmission risk is less than vaginal and anal intercourse.

Yes it is very risky than vaginal and oral Sex, because anus is tight and has thin mucosa that ruptures easily during penetration.

Least risky. There are no reported cases.

No. HIV is not transmitted by mosquito bites.

Yes.

No. donor can't acquire HIV infection however recipient of blood transfusion is at risk of acquiring HIV infection.

No. Always ask doctor to use New disposable syringes and needles for every patients.

No. If person who has condom less sex with HIV infected person and have sexually transmitted diseases like herpes simplex, gonorrhea or genital ulcerative disease etc are likely to acquire HIV infection.

There is no fix time that HIV infected person will progresses to AIDS. It depends up on many factors like age and other diseases in HIV infected patient. Older people are Immuno compromised because of age and suffer from hypertension, diabetes, heart, liver and kidney diseases and are at risk of progressing to AIDS early. People infected with HIV staying in slums develop malaria or dengue and rapidly progress to AIDS. Typical HIV infected patients and untreated with Antiretroviral therapy (ART) progresses to AIDS in 7­9 years and from AIDS to death 18 months. But with the advent of ART known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) No patient can die of AIDS early. People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) now live near normal and healthier life. AIDS now has become chronic manageable disease which was earlier known as a killer disease.

you don't have to tell anybody that you are HIV infected. You may disclose your status to your best friend who can be of great help to you at the time of medical emergency. You have to use condom with your partner always so you should not transmit the HIV infection.

Weight loss, recurrent diarrhea, T.B. of lymph nodes, pneumonia, oral ulcers and shingles are some of common diseases.

Screening test ELISA is recommended and if report is positive then it is to be confirmed with either western blot or HIV­ RNA­PCR tests. Screening test can done at any pathology laboratory.

This is called window period. This is usually 12 weeks. Maximum it can be 6 months. However other tests like P24 antigen test, RNA­PCR for HIV­1,RNA­PCR for HIV­2 can detect HIV infection after 3 weeks of sexual act.

you have to visit specialist who works in the field of HIV/AIDS. check his credentials on Google because no patient tells people that he is the good doctor as still great stigma is attached to this disease. Government run ART centers are providing free counseling, testing and ART in municipal and government hospitals in every city.

Typical HIV infected patients and untreated with Antiretroviral therapy (ART) progresses to AIDS in 7­9 years and from AIDS to death in 18 months. But there are rapid progressors who progress to AIDS in 3 years and there are slow or non­progressors who don't progress to AIDS. But with the advent of ART known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) No patient can die of AIDS early. People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) now live near normal and healthier life. AIDS now has become chronic manageable disease which was earlier known as a killer disease. Now with the help of ART, Treatment as Prevention (TasP) transmission of HIV infection is brought under control. People Living with HIV/AIDS now can marry HIV negative partners (after disclosing his/her HIV status). He/She will not transmit HIV infection to his/her uninfected partner and can conceive and deliver HIV negative baby.

There is no cure for AIDS till date.

There are no preventive or therapeutic vaccines till date