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What is HIV? |
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HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It
is the virus that causes AIDS. It weakens the body's ability to fight infection.
But a person may be infected for many years without feeling or appearing ill. |
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What is AIDS? |
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AIDS is Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome. When HIV develops into AIDS, the immune system, the body's disease-fighting
system, is functioning very poorly, so the body can develop many different types
of illness at once. AIDS is fatal. |
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How can you get HIV? |
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There are only four ways to contract HIV: |
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Unprotected sex |
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Sharing needles |
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Exposure to HIV infected blood |
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Mother-to-child transmission. |
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What are some of the ways you can NOT get HIV? |
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It is important to understand that HIV is spread
only through contact with intimate body fluids like semen, vaginal secretions,
blood, or a mother's placenta. So you can NOT catch HIV through: |
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Coughing or sneezing |
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Shaking hands |
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Hugging or kissing |
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Sharing food or drinks, plates or cups |
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Sharing toilets |
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Sharing beds or clothing |
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Swimming pools or baths |
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Animal or insect bites |
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More information about HIV and AIDS, such as comprehensive
FAQs, are available:
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(National Aids Control Organization) |
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(The
Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS) |
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(The European Union-India
Media Initiative on HIV/AIDS) |
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What is the situation of HIV/AIDS in India? |
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India now has the highest number of people infected
with HIV of any country in the world, at an estimated 5.7 million ().
One in five of those cases are in Maharashtra state, and of the 49 high prevalence
HIV/AIDS districts in India, 14 are in the state ().
Overall, HIV prevalence in India is estimated at 0.9%, approaching the World
Health Organization's epidemic mark of 1% (). |
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What treatment is available to people with HIV/AIDS
in India? |
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Since 2004, the Indian government
has had a policy of providing free antiretroviral therapy (ARVs or ART) to people
with HIV. ARVs are combinations of drugs that can greatly extend the healthy
life of HIV-infected people. However, in 2006 civil society groups sued India's
National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) for its tardiness in implementing
the policy. Only 10% of India's HIV-infected people are receiving free drug therapy.
The drugs are free only to those whose CD4 count, a measure of immune system
health, is below 200, indicating full-blown AIDS. And many people, including
many of Sahara's clients, are not able to afford the CD4 test to qualify in the
first place. |
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| For more information: |
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