HIV 101

The following is an excerpt from a currently-unpublished pamphlet I wrote in 2016, educating people about HIV in an attempt to eradicate AIDS and lower HIV contraction rates among Black American men and women. Sadly, the stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS often gets in the way of outreach efforts and productive conversations. I urge all readers to read, share, and discuss the following material with your loved ones. Our greatest defense against the virus is education.

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus attacks important cells that fight infection and disease, destroying the immune system in the process. There’s no cure (yet), but, due to the advancement of medicine, research, and treatment, HIV is treated as a chronic disease (like diabetes) and not a terminal illness. There are three stages of possible progression.

Acute HIV Infection — This refers to the first 1–4 weeks of contracting the virus, when seroconversion takes place. During this time, there may be physical symptoms attributed to HIV. Symptoms include — but are NOT limited to: swollen glands, persistent fever, headache, and rash. It is also during this time that the person with the virus is highly infectious, making them vulnerable to transmitting HIV to others. This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to GET TESTED REGULARLY! CDC suggests annual testing (more frequent testing is suggested for those in high-risk categories).

Clinical Latency Stage — During this stage the virus appears dormant. It slows down producing copies of itself, and leaves few — if any, physical symptoms of its presence. However, HIV will continue to multiply in the system. When left untreated, the virus can remain dormant in the system for as long as ten years and as little as two.

According to a 2014 report from UNAIDS, 36.9 million people were living with HIV worldwide, with 2 million people infected across the world (50,000 new cases here in the states).

• For more information on HIV testing and treatment, go to aids.gov

AIDS

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is the most advanced,

progressive stage of HIV (often referred to as late-stage HIV). Depending on which report you read (I’m going with AVERTing HIV and AIDS ), studies show that individuals can live roughly 10 to 15 years with untreated HIV before the virus progresses to AIDS. By this time, the immune system has suffered extensive damage, and the body is vulnerable to different infections and illnesses.

People living with AIDS are vulnerable to tuberculosis, pneumonia, and other opportunistic infections. The CDC classifies an AIDS diagnosis as any HIV+ patient who develops one or more OI, regardless of their viral load or CD4 count.

Viral Load

According to AIDS.gov, the term viral load refers to the amount of HIV in a sample of blood. A viral load test is a lab test that measures the number of HIV virus copies (particles) in a milliliter of your blood. A viral load test helps provide information on your health status and how well antiretroviral therapy is controlling the virus. A high viral load means that there’s a high level of HIV present in the body; a low viral load means that the HIV is being controlled and suppressed.

In other words, there is a degree as to how much of the virus is in the blood stream. The higher the degree, the higher the risk of contracting an infection or illness, spreading the virus, and getting AIDS. In addition to reducing the amount of HIV in the body, HIV medicines greatly reduce the risk of transmitting to others.

Undetectable Viral Load

“… When an HIV-infected person takes antiretroviral therapy that keeps the virus suppressed, the treatment is highly effective at preventing sexual transmission of HIV to an uninfected heterosexual partner.” Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Undetectable means that after a series of tests, results show that a person living with HIV no longer shows traces of the virus. However, ven though ART’s and a healthy lifestyle have suppressed the virus to untraceable levels, it’s still there. Without ART’s, copies of the virus will most likely resurface and multiply in the blood. No drug holiday’s for poz patients.

It may seem like a drag for *serodiscordant couples to rely on condoms as a sole mean of protection. Especially since there is no 100% guarantee against contracting HIV or any other STD/STI when it comes to shared-needle usage or sexual contact. However, there are ways to further protect and intervene HIV transmission.

*Serodiscordant is a term used to describe couples with differing HIV status; one partner is HIV+ and the other is negative. Such couples are also referred to as magnetic or mixed-status. In the event that both partners are HIV+, they are then in a seroconcordant relationship.

The correlation between preventing those who are negative from contracting the disease, and keeping those who test positive undetected cannot be overstated. Keep the patient healthy and undetected and they are likely to live long, productive lives with little-to-know risk of transmitting HIV. Keep negative patients negative with regular testing and proper prevention. It’s that simple! Or, so it would seem…

Only about 25 percent of people living with HIV in the U.S. have achieved viral suppression. African Americans are least likely to have controlled HIV in this manner, with 21 percent achieving viral suppression, compared to 26 percent of Hispanics and 30 percent of whites.

data retrieved from Illinois HCC

Antiretroviral Treatment (or therapy)

HIV/AIDS-related deaths has dropped dramatically since it’s inception in 1981. The reason is ART. This form of treatment has been a key factor in viral suppression, as well as increased lifespan of HIV+ patients.

ART is a combination of medicines used to fight HIV. The combination, dosage, and amount differs for each person. Some people have to take a few pills in the morning and a few pills at night. Others take much more (I have a few friends who take a single pill once a day). There’s a variety of contributing factors; prescriptions, dosage, existing medical condition, cost, etc.

For more information on antiretroviral treatment, go to advent.com

PEP

Post-exposure prophylaxis is the usage of ART’s to prevent HIV from making copies of itself and spreading in an HIV negative body after a single high-risk event. PEP must be started as soon as possible to be effective, and always within 3 days of possible exposure.

You read it right. The same drugs used to suppress HIV can prevent you from getting it. While its inception is news to most, PEP has been around for well over a decade, used to prevent seroconversion in rape victims and many in the medical field who’ve been exposed to HIV.

When you think PEP, think the morning-after pill. The only exception is that PEP requires 28 days of continuous use to work, and has little affect if taken improperly or outside the 3-day window of exposure.

PrEP

PrEP (re-exposure prophylaxis) is the controversial practice of using antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV infection before exposure. When used correctly, *PrEP can build up to a 92% immunity against HIV.

Condomless sex outside of primary relationships or marriage happens with regularity. While an undetectable status reduces risk of transmission — dramatically, because of the virus’ presence, it still poses a miniscule risk. For that reason, doctors will always advice PrEP users to proceed with condoms.

Truvada is currently the only medication available for PrEP use. It’s only been on the market since 2012, but there is much hype, stigma, and gossip surrounding the prophylaxis.

When you think of Prep, think the birth control pill. It doesn’t work right if you don’t take it every day, and it’s not necessary to take it if you’re not active or no longer fall in the high-risk category. However, if you find yourself involved with someone who’s positive, PrEP is an amazing option that would allow you and your partner to engage in the safest sex possible.

• Depending on which source you go by, the effectiveness of using Truvada for PrEP will vary. prepfacts.org gives it a 92–99% rating in effectiveness. Other sources give it approximate percentage rates — all ranging past 90%. However, there are those in the medical field, as well as the HIV/AIDS community who both question the effectiveness of prophylaxis as well as the intention of it. There will be a more detailed post on PrEP to come.

Tamela J. Gordon is a writer, community organizer, and creator of the women’s empowerment group, Sisters with Aspiration, as well as SWA’s Book Club. Support Tamela’s work and gain access to exclusive content by FOLLOWING HER ON PATREON and joining SWA’s Book Club! Contact: shewritestolive@gmail.com