1.What is AIDS?
AIDS is an infectious disease with a high death rate caused by the AIDS virus. After HIV invades the human body, it destroys the body’s immune system, causes damage to tissues and organs, causes various opportunistic infections, tumors, etc., and finally leads to death. At present, there is no vaccine to prevent AIDS and no medicine to cure AIDS.
2.What are the main ways of transmission of AIDS?
AIDS is mainly spread among men who have sex with men through unprotected anal sex, oral sex, and other sexual intercourse in which blood and semen are exchanged. In addition, multiple sexual partners, commercial sex, use of new drugs and sexual abuse (SM) can increase the risk of HIV infection.
3.How long can I live with HIV infection?
Scientific research proves that early detection and discovery of HIV infection and timely antiviral treatment under the guidance of a doctor can effectively inhibit virus replication, and when CD4 immune cells are maintained at normal levels, the same life expectancy as that of uninfected people can be achieved.
4.How long is the window period in general?
The window period refers to the time when antibodies, antigens or nucleic acids can be detected after the HIV virus enters the body. Different detection reagents and methods have different times to detect HIV. At present, the widely used rapid test reagents of the third and fourth generations are from two weeks to six weeks after infection.
5.Why is anal sex more likely to be infected with HIV?
The risk of HIV infection is highest during unprotected anal sex. The mucous membrane of the inserted and inserted parties is damaged (including the damage not visible to the naked eye) causing mutual infection, especially the anal mucosa is a single layer of columnar epithelium, thin and delicate, under which there are abundant capillaries and HIV target cells, and it is easy to cause mucous membrane damage during anal intercourse causing pathogens to invade from the anal and rectal breaks and enter the blood directly, causing infection.
AIDS epidemic
6. How far is AIDS from men who have sex with men?
Data show that from January to October 2015, 97,000 new cases were reported, and transmission through the route of men who have sex with men has accounted for 27.2%, and the proportion of transmission by men who have sex with men has increased significantly, and men who have sex with men is currently the highest rate of HIV infection among all types of people. That is, for every 100 men who have sex with men surveyed, 8 cases of HIV infection are likely to be found.
HIV high-risk behavior
7.Can I get HIV from oral sex?
The risk of HIV infection from oral sex is lower than from anal sex. The risk of HIV infection from oral sex is only when there is a break in the oral mucosa. In real life, it should be noted that many times the oral mucosa is not easy to detect due to the small incision, in order to minimize the risk of HIV infection, it is recommended to use condoms during oral sex.
8.Can I get HIV if I shoot semen on my face?
HIV alone will not invade the body through unbroken skin on the face causing infection, but there is a risk of HIV infection if the facial skin is broken (such as acne, pimples, scrapes, etc.) or if the mucous membranes of the eyes come in contact with semen, etc.
9.Does the use of psychoactive substances (Rush, capsule zero, methamphetamine) increase the risk of HIV infection?
The use of psychoactive substances (new drugs) can cause irreversible damage to the body’s nervous system and cardiovascular system, and can also reduce risk awareness and condom use, greatly increasing the risk of HIV infection. For your health, stay away from psychoactive substances and new drugs.
HIV prevention
10.What should I do if a condom breaks during anal sex with an HIV-positive partner?
If you are an HIV-uninfected partner, you should seek HIV risk assessment as soon as possible from an HIV-positive hospital doctor, disease control agency or HIV counselor from a social organization, and use post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for interruption if needed under medical supervision.
11.How to choose lubricant?
Since men cannot secrete enough body fluids in the anus to lubricate, lubricants are needed in anal sex. However, oil-based substances can cause condoms to become brittle during sexual intercourse, thus causing condoms to break easily during anal intercourse, so it is not recommended to use oil-based substances (such as petroleum jelly, baby oil, bath gel, massage oil) as anal sex lubricant. Water-soluble lubricant is suitable for men who have sex with men to use in anal sex.
12.How reliable are the results of the self-test?
The result of self-test is affected by many factors, mainly.
1, the quality of the testing reagent (whether it is a regular product, whether it is within the expiration date, etc.).
2, the normality of the operation of the self-testers, the integrity of the sampling.
3, the time and accuracy of the interpretation of the test results.
4, the storage conditions of reagents (temperature, humidity, etc.).
13, if the treatment of self-test results?
Self-test results can be used as a reference method to understand the status of their own infection. For self-test results, because of the many factors affecting them (see “Reliability of self-test results”), after the self-test, whether negative or positive, it is recommended to go to the CDC or relevant social organizations for further consultation and testing.
14.How do I know I am infected with HIV?
HIV testing is the only scientific method to know if you are infected with HIV. It requires three steps: initial screening, retesting and confirmatory testing.
15.What does “positive rapid test” mean?
A positive fast test is a positive result of the initial screening for HIV antibody testing, and requires two more steps, retesting and confirmatory testing, to complete the final diagnosis.
16.How to treat HIV test results correctly?
Testing can help you understand your infection status in time, take measures to reduce the risk of infection and transmission, and better protect yourself and your sexual partners. If the test result is positive (HIV infection), antiviral treatment should be carried out in a timely manner; if the test is negative (no HIV infection), you should continue to take measures to prevent infection such as condom use and regular testing.
17.Where can men who have sex with men usually go for HIV testing?
The ways that men who have sex with men can get tested for HIV include: 1? CDC; 2? Medical facilities; 3? Local MSM community organizations; 4? Self-testing. All testing facilities have a responsibility and obligation to protect the privacy of the results of those who are tested.
HIV Treatment
18.What is the latest standard of treatment in China?
Since 2016, the standard of antiviral treatment in China has been adjusted to “treatment upon detection”. That is, regardless of the CD4 count, as long as the HIV infection is confirmed, the designated hospital can provide standard antiviral treatment.
19.Can I still have sex with my partner after HIV infection?
According to the HIV Prevention and Control Regulations, “HIV-infected persons are obliged to inform the person with whom they have sexual relations of the fact of their infection or disease in a timely manner. Therefore, when HIV-infected people have sex with their partners, both parties must give their informed consent and take appropriate preventive measures (insist on using condoms, regular testing, etc.).
20.What is CD4?
CD4 cells are an important immune cell in the human immune system and are also the target cells for HIV attack. Its test results have an important role in determining the degree of impaired immune function and treatment effect of patients.
21.What is viral load?
Viral load (VL) is simply the amount of virus per milliliter of blood in HIV-infected patients. After systematic and standardized treatment, the viral load in the infected person’s body will be lower than the detection limit, indicating that the virus is effectively suppressed, and the risk of virus damage to the infected person’s body and HIV transmission through sexual means is greatly reduced.
22.Do I need to take medication for life after infection?
The current antiviral treatment can effectively inhibit the replication of the virus, but it cannot achieve the purpose of eradication, and requires long-term adherence to medication. Frequent omissions and frequent changes of medication are likely to make HIV resistant and lead to treatment failure.
23.How long can I live if I am not treated in time after HIV infection?
If HIV infection is not treated in time, after 5-10 years of incubation period, it will develop into AIDS stage and serious opportunistic infections, tumors and other serious diseases, which will eventually lead to death. For men who have sex with men, the incubation period of AIDS may be even shorter.
24.Where do I go for treatment and medication after I get sick?
After being diagnosed with HIV infection, you can go to the local designated hospital for antiretroviral treatment, where a special doctor will make antiretroviral treatment plan according to the test results, and receive antiretroviral treatment drugs at the nearest designated hospital or CDC, and then take the drugs according to the medical prescription.
25.Can I live like a healthy person after treatment?
After being infected with HIV, if you start antiviral treatment as soon as possible under the guidance of a doctor and insist on taking the medication on time and correctly, so that the virus is in a suppressed state, your body will remain healthy and your life will not be affected too much.
26.What should I do if I have side effects from taking antiviral drugs?
Before taking the drugs, you should explain your drug allergy history and physical condition to the antiviral treatment doctor so that the doctor can accurately prescribe the drugs; in the process of taking the antiviral drugs, if there is obvious discomfort and symptoms such as high fever, rash, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, etc., you should feedback the situation to your treatment doctor at the first time and deal with it according to the doctor’s suggestion, not to stop or Do not stop or change medication without permission.