University Report: HIV/AIDS, Public Health, and Treatment

This report provides an overview of HIV/AIDS, including the definition of HIV and AIDS, and the transmission process through body fluids. It highlights the impact of HIV on the immune system and emphasizes the importance of understanding risk factors such as unsafe sexual practices, recreational drug use, and shared needles. The report also discusses the role of sexually transmitted diseases and tissue transplantation. The core of the report revolves around antiretroviral therapy (ART) as the primary treatment for HIV infection, explaining how ART is a combination of drugs that aims to manage the virus effectively.

Running head: PUBLIC HEALTH
PUBLIC HEALTH
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
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1PUBLIC HEALTH
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, which belongs to the class of viruses
that affect the human and hamper the immune system making the individual very weak and
ill. On the other hand, AISDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome that is
defined as the severe medical condition that develops due to the infection of HIV. AIDS is
also termed as advanced HIV infection. Hence, HIV is the class of virus that result in AIDS
(Khan Academy, 2019).
HIV virus is mainly transmitted through body fluids and through direct contact
between two different individuals. The body fluids that are responsible for the transmission of
HIV virus are blood, rectal fluids, semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk and pre-seminal fluids.
HIV virus directly affects and target the CD4 cells, thereby infecting and multiplying rapidly
inside the human body and making the immune system weak and susceptible for infection
(Workowski & Bolan, 2015). HIV are majorly transmitted through sexual intercourse or
direct contact through semen or blood.
There are various risk factor that is responsible for the development or onset of
HIV/AIDS, as it transmit from one to person to another through body fluids and hence the
mentioned risk factors should be noted and avoided. The risk factor or determinants are as
follows (Who.int, 2019):
 Unsafe or unprotected sex and vaginal sex
 Recreational drugs and alcohol
 Shared needles or accidental needle stick injury
 Donated blood
 Genes
 Sexually transmitted Disease such as herpes, bacterial vaginosis, gonorrhoea, syphilis
and chlamydia.

2PUBLIC HEALTH
 Tissue transplantation, unsterile cutting and blood transfusion.
In order to treat HIV infection, antiretroviral therapy (ART) is used that is considered as
the medication to treat the infection of HIV. This medicine is the amalgamation of the
different types of ARV drugs and is used to treat HIV infection. This treatment is also known
as HIV treatment regimen (Khan Academy, 2019).

3PUBLIC HEALTH
References
Workowski, K. A., & Bolan, G. A. (2015). Sexually transmitted diseases treatment
guidelines, 2015. MMWR. Recommendations and reports: Morbidity and mortality
weekly report. Recommendations and reports, 64(RR-03), 1.
Khan Academy. (2019). What is HIV/AIDS?. Retrieved 28 July 2019, from
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/infectious-diseases/hiv-
and-aids/a/what-is-hivaids
Who.int. (2019). HIV/AIDS. Retrieved 28 July 2019, from
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids