- Diseases
- Common 
  Symptoms
- Specialties
- Communicable   Diseases
- Computer  
  Health Hazards
- Diagnostic Tests

- Complementary   Medicine
- Family Health &   Lifestyle
- Legalities &
  Informatics
- News & Updates
- Health  
  Resources
- Support Groups

 Home > Conditions & Concerns > Communicable Diseases > AIDS > FAQs Answered By Dr. Pujari 

FAQs answered by Dr.Pujari

Pages |1|2|

How do needles transmit HIV?

The problem of needles transmitting HIV is more common amongst IVDUs. Immediate sharing of needles and syringes during injecting drugs is a very common practice amongst this group. 

If one of the members in the group is infected with HIV, then transmission can occur through the needles/syringes they share. In health care practice if needles/syringes are used immediately between patients without proper sterilization, HIV transmission can occur.

Highlights

    IHO Project        Saheli

   Healing        Properties of 
       sleep

 Can boiling inactivate HIV?

HIV is a very fragile virus and it cannot survive for long outside the human body. Exposure to boiling water for 20 minutes is enough to inactivate HIV. It should be remembered that exposure time should be measured only after the water has started boiling.

Which disinfectants are effective against HIV?

Most disinfectants available in the market are effective against HIV. Even soap can inactivate HIV by denuding the virus of its external coat. Household bleach is one of cheapest and most effective disinfectant’s available against HIV.

What is a ‘needle exchange program’?

A needle exchange program is targeted at IVDUs to reduce their risk of acquiring HIV infection. Here fresh needles/syringes are provided to IVDUs in exchange of used syringes, so that sharing of the same is minimized.

What is the risk of mother to child transmission of HIV?

The risk of mother to child transmission of HIV varies from 15-40%. So, not all babies born to HIV infected mothers acquire the infection. The risk of HIV transmission to the baby increases if the mother has recently acquired infection or if she is in advanced stages of HIV infection.

During which part of pregnancy is HIV transmitted to the baby?

Almost 50-60% of HIV transmission occurs during labor and delivery. It is believed that exposure of the baby to maternal sexual fluids while passing through the birth passage leads to HIV infection.

Is HIV transmitted through breast-feeding?

HIV has been isolated in the breast milk of infected mothers. The risk of transmission of HIV through breast milk ranges from 14% to 29%.

Can the risk of mother to child transmission of HIV be reduced with drugs?

Yes. Various regimes are today available which can reduce the risk of transmission of HIV to the baby. A drug called zidovudine when given to the mother even for the last 4 weeks of pregnancy can reduce the risk of transmission of HIV by 50%.

Does a Cesarean section reduce the risk of mother to child transmission of HIV?

An Elective C-section (not an emergency C-Section) reduces the risk of transmission of HIV to the baby. This operation has to be carried out prior to rupture of membranes and onset of labor. By doing a C-section the exposure to sexual fluids during delivery is prevented.

When can one find out whether a child is infected with HIV?

An antibody based test (ELISA or WB) will be positive in most of the children born to HIV infected mothers irrespective of their infection status.

This is because of passive transfer of maternal antibodies into the baby, which is detected by the tests. Hence it is advisable to wait for 18 months and then do an ELISA/WB for finding out the infection status of the baby.

What is an HIV test?

After entry of HIV into the body antibodies are produced within 3 weeks to 6 months. There are tests available, which detect these antibodies against HIV. Two kinds of tests are commonly used for this purpose- 

	ELISA- preliminary test
	Western Blot- confirmatory test

After a preliminary ELISA and confirmatory test has to be performed for final diagnosis of HIV infection.

What are different kinds of HIV tests?

There are two kinds of antibody based tests in routine use – ELISA and Western Blot. After a positive ELISA confirmation of HIV infection can be done by another ELISA (using different antigen and different method) or a Western Blot.

What is window period?

As mentioned earlier it takes at least 3 weeks to 6 months for antibodies to develop after exposure to HIV. During this period an antibody based test may come negative in spite of a person being infected. This period is referred to as window period. 

Is it possible to diagnose HIV infection during window period by any other tests?

Some antigen based tests and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) may help in diagnosis of HIV infection during the window period. After exposure a PCR may detect the virus as early as 1 week and maximum by 3 weeks. However this is an extremely sensitive test and a positive result must be reconfirmed. Finally infection status should always be confirmed by serology at 3-6 months.

Where did AIDS originally come from?

The exact origin of AIDS is not known, however several theories have been proposed. One theory is that HIV recently evolved through the mutation of another human virus.

Scientists have dismissed this explanation because characteristics of HIV do not match up well with other human viruses. Another widely discussed hypothesis is that HIV has originated from certain types of African monkeys.

The explanation seems feasible because HIV is similar to viruses that infect monkeys living in areas of Africa where HIV-1 is common. However there is no explanation for how the monkey viruses got into humans. It is not important to know where the AIDS virus came from, but is important to know what we are going to do about it.

Can kissing transmit HIV?

HIV has been found in saliva of infected individuals. However its quantity is very low and therefore transmission does not occur. In fact there has been no documented case of HIV transmitted through kissing, apart from one instance in which both the couple had bleeding ulcers in their mouth. So, actually it was a blood related transmission. It is postulated that 20 buckets of saliva will be needed for transmission of HIV, which is practically impossible.

How long does HIV remain active outside the body?

HIV cannot remain active outside of the human body for very long. As soon as blood dries HIV is killed. Even soap and water, sunlight and common household bleach inactivates HIV. HIV also does not survive when exposed directly to air.

Is HIV restricted amongst lower socio-economic group?

This is a common misconception. HIV can infect everybody who practices high-risk behavior. Since majority of people in the community belong to lower socio-economic class, we get a false impression that HIV is restricted to only this group. However, percentage prevalence of HIV in all classes is similar.

How can you tell whether a person is infected with HIV?

People with HIV look perfectly healthy for years after they become infected. When the first symptoms do appear they are similar to many other diseases. The only way that one can know for sure whether a person is infected with HIV is through HIV testing.

Can a person get HIV if he or she only had intercourse one time?

The chance that HIV can get transmitted through unprotected sex is 0.5% -1% i.e. 1 in 200 intercourses. However, it may be the first or the 200th intercourse that may transmit HIV. Hence it would be wiser to protect oneself rather than taking chances with unprotected sex.

Can oral sex transmit HIV?

There are two types of oral-genital sex: 

Fellatio: mouth to penis sex where a man’s penis is stimulated by his partner’s mouth and lips, and Cunnilingus: mouth to vagina sex where a partner stimulates a woman’s genitals. 

The risk of HIV from either forms of oral sex is low. The riskiest kind of oral sex is when a woman performs fellatio on a man who has HIV, getting his semen into her mouth. This act involves the greatest amount of exposure of HIV to the oral mucus membranes.

Can a person get HIV if someone who has HIV or AIDS bites them?

Studies have shown that HIV and HIV infected immune cells can exist in saliva. However, it is unlikely that a sufficient dose of HIV would be exposed to infectable cells during a human bite, even if the skin were opened and bleeding. One study followed 13 people bitten by someone with HIV, and none of them became infected with HIV.

Can one get HIV by shaving at a barber’s place?

Unless and until razors tinged with HIV positive blood are immediately used and this also leads to a cut and bleeding, transmission of HIV is impossible. However for hygienic purposes it is always better to insist on changing blades at the barber’s shop or to avoid sharing razors at home, irrespective of HIV status.

Why doesn’t a mosquito bite transmit HIV?

There are many reasons for mosquitoes not transmitting HIV. 

	HIV cannot survive in a mosquito’s digestive system.
	After a bloody meal mosquitoes do not bite other people immediately.
	When mosquitoes bite they inject their saliva and not blood. It is believed that for transmission of HIV, 2000 mosquitoes will be needed to bite an HIV positive person and then immediately fly over to bite another uninfected individual.

How long after a person may have been exposed to HIV should they wait to get a test?

Before a person can get tested for HIV, they must wait until their body has had a chance to react against the virus by producing antibodies. Almost all individuals infected with HIV develop antibodies within 3 to 6 months after being infected. To be sure that test results are accurate, people are often advised to get tested twice, at least three months apart.

Pages |1|2|