HIV and AIDS as everyone to date thinks and feels, is the last thing for him/her to get ever in their lives. It’s equivalent to being a living dead as many presume. To everyone’s acknowledgment, HIV is treatable. To have a better understanding on HIV, you have got to know what CD4 is in the first place. CD4 is a lymphocyte or in layman a form of immunity that destroys any form of external infection. A normal CD4 count ranges from 500 to 1500. In HIV patient, the CD4 count is less than 400 and AIDS is defined when the CD4 count is less than 200. You do not die of HIV but you die of opportunistic infections that come along when the CD4 count is low or better said as being immunocompromised (decreased level of immunity). So, HIV is the same as Diabetes Mellitus. It is not curable but is treatable.
So, here comes the question on how do we treat them. It is simple. Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy or simplified as HAART is the choice of treatment for HIV patients. It is given in the form of tablets and its objective is to increase the CD4 count in HIV patients. So, it is best if HIV is detected early as to prevent the CD4 count from falling drastically. The management of HIV is almost the same as to Diabetes Mellitus which is to be compliant to the medications. Only those whom are not compliant will get AIDS and eventually be infiltrated by opportunistic infections.
In the course of maintaining the CD4 count, a CD4 count which is more than 500 in a patient with HIV has a life span similar to normal healthy human being. There are even some HIV patients with CD4 count as much as 1500 and they are way more protected than any other ordinary healthy human being. So why the fuss of HIV and AIDS as this syndrome is almost the same as being diabetic? The stigma has to change and the world needs to know that HIV or AIDS is not the worst thing a human can get. And HIV is not only transmitted on those being promiscuous but also in those being blood transfused, drug abusers, vertical transmission from mother to fetus during pregnancy and also through needle prick injury. It is also only transmitted through blood and cerebrospinal fluid but never through saliva, tears, sweat, sputum or faeces. Everyone in this world needs to be drilled to the inner core of their souls with this knowledge on HIV and AIDS as to stop stigmatising this syndrome to being devilish.
The bottom line is, if someone has HIV just think that he has diabetes. It is just the same and the only remedy is to be compliance to the medications given.
STOP STIGMATISING HIV AS BEING A LIVING DEAD! IT IS TREATABLE!!
