World AIDS Day is commemorated on December 1. HIV, the virus that leads to Aids, has affected the world for more than four decades now. Although preventable, people continue to be infected with the virus. Some still die from AIDS-related illnesses.
The World Health Organisation says last year an estimated 39,9 million people were living with HIV globally, about 630 000 people died from HIV‑related causes and close to 1,3 million people acquired HIV.
Zimbabwe has been successful in reducing both the incidence of HIV infection and prolonging the lives of those infected by making anti-retroviral treatment readily available. However, new infections continue to occur.
According to UNAIDS, last year an estimated 1,3 million people were living with HIV in Zimbabwe. There were an estimated 15 000 new infections. There were about 19 000 deaths attributable to AIDS. There were about 480 000 children orphaned as a result of AIDS.
The WHO believes the world can end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 if everyone’s rights to preventative and treatment measures are adhered to.
Stigma and discrimination are two issues that weaken the fight against AIDS. Protecting rights means healthcare services should be availed to everyone, without any discrimination, regardless of their HIV status, behaviour, background, gender or where they live.
Priority should be given to vulnerable and key populations, especially those who are living with, are at risk of or affected by HIV. These include children, people who use drugs, sex workers and people in prisons and other closed settings.
According to UNAIDS statistics about 95 percent of people living with HIV in Zimbabwe know their status. About 1,2 million of those living with HIV (95 percent) are on anti-retroviral treatment.
Despite these impressive statistics, with an estimated 15 000 new infections last year, the fight against AIDS in Zimbabwe is far from over.
Transmission
HIV is spread when infected bodily fluids, such as the blood, semen or vaginal secretions of someone with HIV, enter your body and come in contact with your own bodily fluids. This most commonly occurs during unprotected sex or through sharing needles used for drug injections.
It can also be transmitted through blood transfusions, where blood that has not been screened for the virus is infected with it. Blood supplied by Zimbabwe Blood Transfusion Services is screened. It is, therefore, safe.
Mothers who are HIV positive can pass on the virus to their unborn babies or to the baby during birth, unless they have taken medication prescribed to prevent this.
Risk Factors
The main risk factors are having sex or sexual contact with someone who is HIV positive or sharing needles used during drug injections.
Promiscuity, that is having many sexual partners, is a big risk factor. It is a risk factor not only for you but for your spouse, if you are married, since if you become infected you may also infect the person you are married to.
Having another sexually transmitted infection increases the risk of infection, particularly if you have genital sores as a result.
Injection with a needle or syringe that has already been used by someone else is another risk factor.
It is in everyone’s interest to avoid the risk of infection with HIV and of transmitting it to others.
Prevention
The best method of prevention of sexually transmitted HIV is to only engage in unprotected sex with a person you know to be free from HIV and to remain faithful to that one sexual partner.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to know for sure whether your sexual partner is HIV positive or negative unless you are both tested for the virus. However, you may both be negative when you are tested but unless both of you remain faithful to each other the risk remains.
If you have engaged in behaviour that could have exposed you to HIV, find out your HIV status. The only way to know your HIV status is to be tested. Knowing your status can help you make good decisions about your own health and avoiding transmitting HIV to others.
Get tested and treated for other STDs and encourage your partners to do the same. Some STDs increase your risk of HIV. STDs can also have long-term health consequences.
Using a condom during sexual intercourse reduces substantially the risk of infection.
HIV positive pregnant women can take medication prescribed by a doctor to prevent the transmission of HIV to their unborn baby.
Avoiding sharing an injection needle or syringe with anyone else is a means of preventing HIV infection that could occur, if the person who used it before you could have the virus.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medicine that people at risk of HIV can take to prevent infection with the virus during sexual intercourse. If taken as prescribed, it is generally effective in preventing HIV from sex. It is less effective if not taken as prescribed.
PrEP may be recommended if you do not have HIV but you have a sexual partner with HIV, especially if the partner has an unknown or detectable viral load.
PrEP is also recommended for people who inject drugs and have an injection partner with HIV, or have shared needles, syringes or other injection equipment.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is a medicine taken to prevent HIV after possible exposure to the virus. It should be taken within 72 hours after the possible exposure.
The sooner you start PEP the better. Every hour counts. If you are prescribed PEP, you will need to take it daily for 28 days.
Keep in mind that you are unlikely to become infected with HIV from your HIV-positive partner, if he/she is taking HIV medicine as prescribed and his/her viral load is undetectable. Encourage your HIV-positive partner to obtain and stay on HIV treatment. This is the most important thing your partner can do to stay healthy and to protect you from infection.
Complications
HIV weakens our immune system, making those infected with it susceptible to many other infections.
Treatment
There is no cure for HIV but antiretroviral medication can reduce the HIV viral load in the blood to a low level. If taken as prescribed, HIV antiretroviral medicine reduces the amount of HIV in the blood, known as the viral load, to a low level. This is called viral suppression.
The medication can also make the viral load so low that a standard lab test cannot detect it. This is called having an undetectable viral load.
Early diagnosis and consistent antiretroviral therapy can help people living with HIV live long, healthy lives similar to HIV-negative people.
Taking antiretroviral medication as prescribed by your doctor can help achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load. This means zero risk of transmission, empowering individuals and protecting communities.
