Frequently Asked Questions About Aids

AIDS is a topic that many people are too frightened to even think about. Consequently, many people have distorted views of the disease or have a lack of general information regarding it. In this article, we’ll attempt to demystify some of the questions that people commonly have regarding the disease so that you’ll have a better idea of exactly what the HIV virus and AIDS are and what the disease can do to you.

Question: I have recently contracted the HIV virus. How long does it take for the virus to cause AIDS?
Answer: While the exact length of time does tend to vary from individual to individual, it generally takes between eight and eleven years for a case of AIDS to be diagnosed after becoming infected with the HIV virus. Many of the medications that are available to treat AIDS work to slow down the progress of the HIV virus, so it is important to diagnose the problem early so that you can get a good head-start on the virus before it progresses too much.

Question: Where did AIDS come from?
Answer: While we don’t have all of the answers regarding the origin of the AIDS disease, there is a widely believed hypothesis that the disease was passed from a species of chimpanzee to humans. The disease probably crossed the species boundary by blood contact that occurred while hunting the animals.

Question: How is AIDS transmitted?
Answer: This is a question that many people wonder about but fail to learn about. The HIV virus can be transmitted from person to person by contact with the blood, semen, vaginal secretions or breast milk of the infected individual. Blood transfusions and sharing needles may cause one to develop AIDS, as well as many forms of sexual contact. Saliva, tears, sweat, feces, and urine do not carry the HIV virus, a fact that few people realize. The risk of transmitting the HIV virus during oral sex is low, yet still possible. Consequently, the risk of transmitting the virus through kissing is low, but generally not recommended. Mothers may spread the disease to their children, with the rate of infection being roughly 25 percent.

Question: How widespread is AIDS throughout the world?
Answer: Estimates that were made in the year of 2000 showed that approximately 36.1 million people throughout the world were living with AIDS. At that point, research had also shown that approximately 21.8 million people had died from the disease since it began spreading. The same study also showed some results for the number of AIDS cases present in the United States. Between eight hundred thousand and nine hundred thousand was the approximate range of people in the United States afflicted with the disease.
Hopefully, this article taught you some useful information regarding the origins of the disease and the rates of infection across the world, as well as how you can avoid contracting the disease and how long it takes for the disease to progress from the HIV virus to full-blown AIDS.

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