HIV/AIDS FACT SHEET
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| WHAT IS HIV?:
HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus
- Human: found only in humans
- Immuno: the immune system
- Deficiency: a reduction of immune system cells
- Virus: type of organism; other examples of viruses are dengue, malaria, hepatitis, herpes
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EFFECTS OF HIV:
- Decreases the body's ability to fight off infections
- Easily become very sick from simple infections, for example, a cold or tuberculosis
- There is no cure
- Treatment is to take drugs, for the rest of one's life to stop the virus from reproducing
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FACTS OF HIV:
- No vaccine as of yet
- Can never get rid of the virus once infected
- Cannot tell if a person has HIV by looking at them: blood test is required
- Is transmitted only through body fluids
- May remain dormant for many years
- Will lead to AIDS if left untreated
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WORLDWIDE ESTIMATE HIV & AIDS, 2008
- GLOBAL TOTAL: 33.6 million
- Sub-Saharan Africa" 22 million
- North Africa and Middle East: 380,000
- South & Southeast Asia: 4.2 million
- Oceania: 74,000
- Latin America: 1.7 million
- Caribbean: 230,000
- Eastern Europe and Central Asia: 1.5 million
- East Asia: 740,000
- North America: 1.2 million
- Western and Central Europe: 730,000
UNAIDS/WHO 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic
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| WHAT IS AIDS?:
AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Acquired: you must become infected
- Immuno: affects the immune system
- Deficiency: causes a decreases in immune system
- Syndrome: physical effects (symptoms) of virus
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FACTS OF AIDS:
- Is caused by the HIV virus
- May develop within months after infection, but may NOT develop for 15 or more years
- Anti-Retroviral Drugs are necessary to delay death
- Death is caused by other "opportunistic" diseases due to non-functioning immune system
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MODES OF TRANSMISSION:
Through bodily fluids
- Sexual intercourse: most common way
- Drug users sharing needles
- blood transfusion
- Babies born from mothers infected with HIV from child delivery, breast feeding, amniotic fluid from child delivery
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MODES OF PREVENTION:
- Abstain - do not have sex (100% effective)
- Have sex with only one faithful partner
- Use a condom if you (or your partner) have had other sexual partners. Using a condom reduces the risk of getting or giving HIV/AIDS
- Don't have sex with persons who have many sex partners or persons who inject illegal drugs
- Don't receive any injection unless you are sure the instruments are sterilized first
- Safely & appropriately handle blood products-only if necessary
- Help educate & raise awareness
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WHO IS AT RISK?
Individuals at high risk include:
- Overseas foreign workers
- Seafarers
- Sex workers
- Drug users
- Unborn babies with mothers infected
- Persons having sex:
- unprotected
- with multiple partners
- with an HIV positive person
No one is secure or invincible from getting the virus
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IN THE PHILIPPINES
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CUMULATIVE # of REPORTED HIV-AIDS CASES
- 1984 - 1st case identified in the Philippines
- January 1984 - July 2008
- 3,358 HIV (+) cases
- 2,562 (75%) - asymptomatic
- 798 (25%) - AIDS
- Of the 3,358, 1,142 (34%) are OFWs, of which:
- 1,119 (33%) - seafarers
- 162 (17%) - domestic helpers
- 81 (9%) - employees
- 72 (8%) - entertainers
- 58 (6%) - health care workers
- Majority of the cases are in the 25 - 39 age group
- 74% infected are males
- Sexual intercourse is the leading mode of transmission of the infection (94%)
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- Hidden & Growing: due to increasing high risk behaviors and practices
- All the ingredients for an HIV-AIDS explosion: Less than 1% of the population is infected, yet...
- Active sex industry
- Expanding tourism
- Increasing numbers of OFW's
- False sense of security and invincibility
- Attitude of complacency, "it won't happen to me"
- Actual numbers of HIV infections unknown
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FILIPINO YOUTH SEXUALITY (15-27yrs)
- Increase in proportion of young people engaging in premarital sex
- 34% reported having multiple sex partners
- Unprotected sex: young men 70%; women 68%
- 60% of the young believe there is no chance for them to get HIV-AIDS
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