HIV/Aids Linked To Social Media

Manila, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) recently released a study indicating the HIV/AIDS cases are escalating and it was found that social networking is a contributing factor to this increase in HIV cases.

The study, entitled “OSN (online social network) Use and Risks for HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) among men Having Sex with Men (MSM),” was done from Sept 1 t Nov. 4 by a team of epidemiologists from the DOH led by Dr. Jovin Maestro.

One of the objectives of the study was to determine the connection between OSN and MSM which became the most “predominant type of sexual transmission” starting 2007. Prior to this, commercial sex workers were the leading source of infections in the country.

By the way, HIV stands for human immune deficiency virus. It is the virus that can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. CDC estimates that about 56,000 people in the United States contracted HIV in 2006.

HIV damages a person’s body by destroying specific blood cells, called CD4+ T cells, which are crucial to helping the body fight diseases. HIV is spread primarily by:

- Not using a condom when having sex with a person who has HIV. All unprotected sex with someone who has HIV contains some risk. However:

- Unprotected anal sex is riskier than unprotected vaginal sex.

- Among men who have sex with other men, unprotected receptive anal sex is riskier than unprotected insertive anal sex.

- Having multiple sex partners or the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can increase the risk of infection during sex. Unprotected oral sex can also be a risk for HIV transmission, but it is a much lower risk than anal or vaginal sex.

- Sharing needles, syringes, rinse water, or other equipment used to prepare illicit drugs for injection.

- Being born to an infected mother—HIV can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, birth, or breast-feeding.

Now let me just say that the study is right, social media is contributing in the increase of HIV cases in the country, perhaps all over the world for that matter. But studies also shows that parties and events also contributes to the increase. Which means, social media just like parties and events – another venue for people to meet.

The study focuses on the danger of social media in connection to the escalating problems of HIV. But social media is a strong influencer as well.

With the study, it depicts in a way that social media is a disadvantage or it depicts the negative side of it. But social media can also be an advantage to our agencies – to further educate our youth.

What am trying to say is if people goes to social media sites to look for sex, why don’t we use the same venue to educate them? Post information about the danger of HIV or having casual sex. Post pictures or videos about the disease.

Tips on how to say NO to sex invitations. How to detect people with bad intentions. Information on how to prevent having HIV. In other countries, social media is also a contributing factor in lowering down cases of STD (sexuallly transmitted disease) through education.

Why don’t we setup pages where people can ask questions about the disease? Why dont we have experts there to answer these questions online? While the study shows the negative side of social media, we can do a lot of effective things to turn social media to be on our side.

Now that we have the results of the study, what are we going to do about it? What is our next course of action to prevent the further increase of HIV cases in the country?

Technology can do more good than bad is what I can say – read between the lines. I am logging off. Stay cool. God Bless! 

Source: http://www.tempo.com.ph/2012/11/hivaids-linked-to-social-media/#.UJjI0W_WI7o

12 Signs You May Have HIV

Within a month or two of HIV entering the body, 40% to 90% of people experience flulike symptoms known as acute retroviral syndrome (ARS).

But sometimes HIV symptoms don't appear for years-sometimes even a decade-after infection.

"In the early stages of HIV infection, the most common symptoms are none," says Michael Horberg, MD, director of HIV/AIDS for Kaiser Permanente, in Oakland, Calif. One in five people in the United States with HIV doesn't know they have it, which is why it's so important to get tested, especially if you have unprotected sex with more than one partner or use intravenous drugs. 

Here are some signs that you may be HIV-positive.

Fever 

One of the first signs of ARS can be a mild fever, up to about 102 degrees F. The fever, if it occurs at all, is often accompanied by other usually mild symptoms, such as fatigue, swollen lymph glands, and a sore throat. "At this point the virus is moving into the blood stream and starting to replicate in large numbers," says Carlos Malvestutto, MD, instructor of infectious diseases and immunology in the department of medicine at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. "As that happens, there is an inflammatory reaction by the immune system." 

Fatigue 

The inflammatory response generated by your besieged immune system also can cause you to feel tired and lethargic. Fatigue can be both an early and later sign of HIV. Ron, 54, a public relations executive in the Midwest, started to worry about his health when he suddenly got winded just walking. "Everything I did, I got out of breath," he says. "Before that I had been walking three miles a day." Ron had tested HIV positive 25 years before feeling so tired; fatigue during acute, or newly contracted, HIV might not be so obvious. 

Achy muscles, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes 

ARS is often mistaken for the flu, mononucleosis, or another viral infection, even syphilis or hepatitis. That's not surprising: Many of the symptoms are the same, including pain in the joints and muscles and swollen lymph glands. Lymph nodes are part of your body's immune system and tend to get inflamed when there's an infection. Many of them are located in your armpit, groin, and neck. 

Skin rash 

Skin rashes can occur early or late in the course of HIV/AIDS. For Ron, this was another sign that he might not have run-of-the-mill allergies or a cold. "They were like boils, with some itchy pink areas on my arms," Ron says. The rashes can also appear on the trunk of the body. "If [the rashes] aren't easily explained or easily treated, you should think about having an HIV test," Dr. Horberg says.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea 

Anywhere from 30% to 60% of people have short-term nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea in the early stages of HIV, Dr. Malvestutto says. These symptoms can also appear as a result of antiretroviral therapy and later in the infection, usually as the result of an opportunistic infection. "Diarrhea that is unremitting and not responding at all to usual therapy might be an indication," Dr. Horberg says. Or symptoms may be caused by an organism not usually seen in people with healthy immune systems, he adds.  

Weight loss 

Once called "AIDS wasting," weight loss is a sign of more advanced illness and could be due in part to severe diarrhea. "If you're already losing weight, that means the immune system is usually fairly depleted," Dr. Malvestutto says. "This is the patient who has lost a lot of weight even if they continue to eat as much as possible. This is late presentation. We still see a lot of these." It has become less common, however, thanks to antiretroviral therapy. A person is considered to have wasting syndrome if they lose 10% or more of their body weight and have had diarrhea or weakness and fever for more than 30 days, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Dry cough 

A dry cough was the first sign Ron had that something was wrong. He at first dismissed it as bad allergies. But it went on for a year and a half-and kept getting worse. Benadryl, antibiotics, and inhalers didn't fix the problem. Neither did allergists. This symptom-an "insidious cough that could be going on for weeks that doesn't seem to resolve," Dr. Malvestutto says-is typical in very ill HIV patients. 

Night sweats 

About half of people get night sweats during the early stages of HIV infection, Dr. Malvestutto says. These can be even more common later in infection and aren't related to exercise or the temperature of the room. Similar to the hot flashes that menopausal women suffer, they're also hard to dismiss, given that they soak your bedclothes and sheets. 

Nail changes 

Another sign of late HIV infection are nail changes, such as clubbing (thickening and curving of the nails), splitting of the nails, or discoloration (black or brown lines going either vertically or horizontally). Often this is due to a fungal infection, such as candida. "Patients with depleted immune systems will be more susceptible to fungal infections," Dr. Malvestutto says. 

Confusion or difficulty concentrating 

Cognitive problems could be a sign of HIV-related dementia, which usually occurs late in the course of the disease. In addition to confusion and difficulty concentrating, AIDS-related dementia might also involve memory problems and behavioral issues such as anger or irritability. It may even include motor changes: becoming clumsy, lack of coordination, and problems with tasks requiring fine motor skills such as writing by hand. 

Tingling and weakness 

Late HIV can also cause numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. This is called peripheral neuropathy, which also occurs in people with uncontrolled diabetes. "This is when the nerves are actually damaged," Dr. Malvestutto says. These symptoms can be treated with over-the-counter pain relievers and antiseizure medicines such as Neurontin (gabapentin). 

Menstrual irregularities 

Advanced HIV disease appears to increase the risk of having menstrual irregularities, such as fewer and lighter periods. These changes, however, probably have more to do with the weight loss and poor health of women with late-stage infection rather than the infection itself. Infection with HIV also has been associated with earlier age of menopause (47 to 48 years for infected women compared to 49 to 51 years for uninfected women). 










Source: Yahoo She