What is HIV?

Understanding what is HIV is a huge part of managing HIV and perfecting HIV treatment. Particularly in New York, HIV is taught, researched, and treated moreso than anywhere else. New Yorkers recognize that by being aware of what is HIV in general, how to prevent it, and how to treat it, some of the stigma of the disease will be relieved.

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is spread through the transfer of body fluids, such as during sexual contact or blood on a shared needle. HIV is not spread through casual contact, like kissing or high-fives, unless there is an open sore coming in to contact with another open sore (the chances of that happening are very rare). HIV treatment involves taking medication daily, monitoring your immune system, and taking care of yourself to keep your immune system strong. Since HIV attacks the immune system, managing HIV in this way is important. There is currently no cure for HIV.

What is HIV: What the disease does

Once HIV is in the body, the HIV disease cells infect the healthy T cells, or cells that assist the immune system. The disease cells take over the healthy cells in order to avoid being detected by the immune system. It is considered healthy to have between 500-1200 T-cells, but that count begins to go down as the HIV cells take over. Having fewer than 200 T cells is considered a danger zone for the disease. The disease thrives because it isn’t killing anything—just changing repurposing.

What is HIV and how are doctors handling it?

Managing HIV is getting easier and easier with the help of doctors. They study HIV history and how the disease has evolved in order to get a handle on how to treat it. HIV treatment has come a long way, but there still is no cure. Doctors are doing studies and research to find the best treatments and hopefully a cure so that people with HIV can lead lives that are as normal as possible. This drive and ambition to understand what is HIV and how to best handle it is going to lead to a cure one day.

Until then, HIV treatment methods are getting better and better. Understanding how the disease works will help doctors get to a cure faster; knowing what is HIV and what it affects is so important for your well-being. Treatment and prevention can only come from understanding. They are learning new things about HIV every day. Managing HIV is no longer such a challenge thanks to the advancements that doctors have made in HIV treatment methods.

• What is HIV?Read More
• Finding an HIV specialistRead More
• Treatment and prevention of HIVRead More