It is only due to HIV, which causes AIDS, which was first seen in the early 1980s and became an epidemic in 1982, the source of which is still unknown. Last year 680,000 people diedof which 460,000 lived in Africa.

In Turkey, 32,376 people are HIV positive, 26,000 of them are men. It is estimated that there are approximately 70,000 people who do not know they are HIV positive.

AIDS stands for ‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’ and means ‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’. As the name suggests, it describes a syndrome. HIV stands for “Human Immunodeficiency Virus” and means “Human Immunodeficiency Virus” and refers to a pathogen. Good The pathogen called HIV is the leading cause of AIDS.

HIV = death, being HIV positive = having AIDS. (WRONG)

HIV in humans weakens the cells of the immune system and prevent HIV infections. The advanced and fatal form of these infections is called AIDS. If an HIV-positive person takes their antiretroviral medications (ARV) every day without fail, the risk of developing AIDS is very low. This person can therefore live a healthy life like anyone else.

The reason the disease seems so frightening is that until recently it claimed twice as many lives as World War I, but with the virus The thirty-year adventure of the struggle is now paying off.

Unfortunately, the situation is bad for those living in countries that have difficulty accessing ARVs. In Central and West African countries 75% of living HIV-positive people (5 million people) are doomed to a slow and painful death because they do not have access to ARVs. 90% of the 730,000 HIV-positive children living in poor countries do not have access to ARVs.

Touching and kissing transmits HIV. (WRONG)

For example, by sitting next to someone with HIV or touching him The virus is not transmitted. As we mentioned above, adequate treatments allow people with HIV to continue their lives in a healthy way.

HIV most commonly affects gay men. (WRONG)

This is generally the case in Western countries, but when we look at the world in general, it seems that women generally suffer from it. HIV-positive people in Sub-Saharan Africa 59% are young women. The risk of HIV transmission is eight times higher for girls aged 15 to 19 living in South Africa than for boys.

The baby of an HIV positive person cannot be healthy. (WRONG)

The possibility that a pregnant woman receiving ARV treatment will transmit the virus to her baby It is less than 2%. Thanks to this treatment, the number of HIV-positive children has decreased by 60% over the past twenty years. In Cuba, for example, mother-to-child HIV transmission has fallen to zero, a first in this regard.

However, we should not forget that in some regions only 39% of pregnant women have access to this treatment. Therefore, HIV positive women about half of it She gives birth to HIV-positive babies. Because these babies, like their mothers, do not have access to treatment, a third of them die before they are one year old. A fifth of them do not even reach the age of 5.

Using condoms is the only way to prevent the transmission of HIV. (WRONG)

It is of course a very important way of protection, but it is not the only option. The risk that an HIV-positive person receiving ARV treatment will transmit HIV to their partner It dropped by 96%. Unfortunately, it is not possible to completely stop this global epidemic as there are still people who do not have access to this treatment.

The more HIV-positive people there are in a country, the more deaths there are from AIDS. (WRONG)

For example; The number of HIV-positive people in South Africa, which ranks first in the world by number of cases, is 6.8 million, and the number of deaths from AIDS is 140,000. Although the number of cases in Nigeria is lower, the number of HIV-positive people who cannot receive treatment stands at 6.8 million. half He dies due to AIDS. While 25% of people in Nigeria can get treatment, 45% of people in South Africa can get treatment.

In addition to the well-known misconceptions about HIV and AIDS, the issue of ‘stigma’ is also important.

Unfortunately, people living with HIV are often subjected to stigmatization and labelling. There are rumors about them, They face verbal intimidation and threats. These people can be fired for their ignorance about HIV and AIDS.

For people living with HIV wrong identifications It can also be done often. The term ‘HIV patient’ should not be used; because HIV is the name of the virus, not a disease. The expression “AIDS virus” is also incorrect, because AIDS is a syndrome and refers to a spectrum of diseases.

“person with HIV” And “HIV positive person” It would be correct to use the expressions. Usage such as AIDS patient, AIDS infected, HIV infected, HIV carrier, AIDS carrier is also incorrect.

To prevent this stigma and discrimination, the Ministry of Health does not collect information such as the name, surname and TR ID number of HIV-positive people; It reports the data of these people with a code.

Last year, good news was also announced: it was stated that the vaccine developed in Japan against the HIV virus that causes AIDS was effective in monkeys.

As part of the study, the team injected the HIV virus into 7 macaques and found that 4 tested monkeys were infected with the virus, but after a short time. determined that the virus was no longer detectable. Experts noted that the immune system stimulated by the vaccine causes HIV to lose its effect, and announced that human trials will begin in about five years.

In August last year, the vaccine developed by the American pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson failed in its tests in Sub-Saharan Africa. The vaccine, which was tested on 2,637 women, did not provide sufficient protection. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Testing of the vaccine, also supported by , was halted after the results.

On the other hand, the other vaccine trial, called Mozaïeko, which is expected to be completed in 2024, will be conducted in men in the US and Europe. experiments continue. Previously, a vaccine trial against HIV, called Uhambo, was started in South Africa, but was stopped in 2020 after failure.

We hope that a vaccine will soon be found that can easily reach all countries.

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