FAQ - HIV Saliva Test Questions

What is HIV and how it spreads?
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome).

This virus may be passed from one person to another when infected blood, infected syringes, needles, semen, or vaginal secretions come in contact with an uninfected person's broken skin or mucous membranes (mucous membrane is wet, thin tissue found in certain openings to the human body. These can include the mouth, eyes, nose, vagina, rectum, and opening of the penis).

In addition, infected pregnant women can pass HIV to their baby during pregnancy or delivery, as well as through breast-feeding. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection. Some of these people will develop AIDS as a result of their HIV infection.

What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

Acquired - means that the disease is not hereditary but develops after birth from contact with a disease causing agent (in this case, HIV).

Immunodeficiency - means that the disease is characterized by a weakening of the immune system in body of HIV infected person.

Syndrome - refers to a group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease. In the case of AIDS this can include the development of certain infections and/or cancers, as well as a decrease in the number of certain cells in a person's immune system.

How HIV converts to AIDS ?
At initial stages of the disease was first discovered, researches were only concentrating on the end result i.e. AIDS (Acquired Immuno-Deficiency syndrome). They were unaware and were missing out on an entire stage leading to the development of AIDS following the initial infection. Now, the concentration should have been on the infection causing HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) itself. As found out later, AIDS is the end stage of HIV infection. A person can be infected by the HIV virus, without having AIDS. Once HIV infects an individual, the virus alters the genetic makeup of the white blood cells (CD4), binding it's self to the cells, and then lies dormant. After a period ranging from 7 to 10 years (depending on immunology of the person) following the initial infection, the HIV virus tricks the infected cell into producing viral proteins, which results in the formation of a huge number of viral particles inside the white cell eventually causing the cell to burst, releasing thousands of new viruses within the blood. These new viruses will now function as a mean to infect new white cells. This cycle goes on and on, and eventually the immune system of the body is overwhelmed and is no longer capable of fighting the infections.

Eventually the infected person may lose weight and become ill with diseases and infections like persistent severe diarrhea, fever, pneumonia, or skin cancer. At this point, the patient is considered to have developed AIDS. Patients with AIDS can be helped with medicines for the different infections. However, sooner or later, because of a lack of cure for the HIV, it is almost certain that individual affected by AIDS will die.

Who should be tested?
It is recommended that the following people who face a higher risk be tested:

• Drug addicts who inject drugs and have been sharing needles or syringes
• Use of unprotected blood products or transfusion with infected blood
• Healthcare peoples who take blood without precautions
• Prisoners
• Prostitutes
• People with sexually transmitted diseases (STD)
• Men and women with more than one sex partners
• Unprotected sex with infected persons
• The person who realizes, having been in contact with any of the objects, which spreads HIV.

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