Help Fight The HIV Scourge – There Are Ways

The number of people living with sexually transmitted diseases ( STDs) is on the rise with more than a million STDs acquired everyday globally. This certainly is a whopping figure and a cause of concern.

It is also alarming that many people still do not know their sexual health status.

“ Some people are reluctant to go to their doctor to get tested”, says a doctor at a HIV testing Washington DC clinic. “ The reasons can be several including stigma, anxiety and life’s commitments”.

Thanks to availability of home testing kits, now it has become more convenient to check your health status in the privacy of your home.

HIV/ AIDS is a silent epidemic in case you do not know. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, and AIDS for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It kills more than 600,000 people each year and is a leading cause of death globally, especially among women of reproductive age.

Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic slowed down the world’s progress in fighting the HIV pandemic. In the United States, HIV testing rates declined as Covid-19 spread because the resources were diverted to focus on corona virus patients.

What about development of a vaccine?

This did make a good progress, to start with. But there was only one vaccine against HIV that was being tested in late-stage trials – and sadly, the news is, it has proved ineffective.

Experts say the latest setback has put progress towards a vaccine back by at least three to five years.

For people in well-off nations, HIV is not a death sentence. Very effective powerful drugs can suppress the virus in infected individuals. Moreover, there are numerous options available like oral pills, and a shot every 2 months.

“ The problem however is, these medications must be taken for life”, says a physician in charge of STD testing Washington DC. “ These are not easily accessible for people who need them most. Truly, a vaccine is the most ideal solution”.

The best strategy of course is prevention, These include,

• Abstinence
• Not sharing needles
• Using condoms, the right way

You can also leverage prevention medication such as PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis and PEP, post exposure prophylaxis.

Protect others if you have HIV

A good approach to do this is by taking a medicine called antiretroviral therapy or ART. This reduces the viral load in the blood. People with a very low or undetectable viral load can live long healthy lives. But keep in mind that having a low viral load does not eliminate the chance of HIV transmission by modes such as

• Sharing needles, syringes or injection equipment
• Breast feeding

HIV does affect mental health.

• It can be a source of constant mental stress
• Complicates existing mental health conditions
• Can affect your nervous system and cause changes in your behavior.

Till today there is no effective cure for HIV. But with right medical care HIV can be controlled.

Do not neglect checking your health status, especially if you suspect you have indulged in risky behavior.