HIV Knowledge -- very Imp--- quite informative

This mail has been written by Mayank who works in Ranbaxy. So go through it and know about the actual causes of HIV(AIDS).

The purpose of sending this mail to U is to be aware of the nonsense stuff from the net, don't panic if you find a Needle in the Theatre or some threatening note of infection.

Dear Friends!!!
Its good to be well informed about HIV. There was a story on junk some days back where it is said that a boy got infected by HIV virus by eating pani-puri. And there have also been rumors where people are affected by the HIV virus when they got pricked by an HIV infected needle in theaters which is rubbish.

So read along!

I have seen this below mentioned mail floating across group email & I feel its my moral responsibility to correct all misconceptions regarding HIV /AIDS.

I can do this because I am educated enough to comment on this and for those who don't know my profession ... I am serving as Brand Manager (Product Manager) handling anti HIV/AIDS portfolio (called as Antiretroviral Drugs) in Ranbaxy.

Please read following points carefully & don't send emails related to Medical ailments without having complete knowledge about it (even partial knowledge could be grossly dangerous).

* HIV (virus) requires *ONLY* *Blood or Semen* as medium to transmit from one body to another.

* HIV *can not* transmit even through *Saliva*(mucous) i.e . even if HIV-infected patient coughs or smooches and another person is exposed to his sputum (cough) or saliva, the virus still can not transmit because concentration of virus particles in sputum is almost NIL & exposure to air anyway kills virus in fraction of seconds.

* In case an HIV-infected person gets an injury (like the cut in below mentioned story) and he is bleeding, the virus can transmit to another person only if another person has a cut/wound in his body & that too when blood from both person comes in contact with each other* (this is also very very rare unless bleeding is very high) and not otherwise.

* HIV can *never survive in any other liquid * medium also other than blood or semen (& please for God sake ... never in Pani Puri wala pani)

* Even if one drinks an HIV infected blood (or semen) of someone (ingest through Gastro Intestinal track), the virus can not survive in the acidic pH of stomach*. Highest extent of acidity is 0 (practically not possible) so imagine 1 as pH which is in our stomach. (This pH can burn your own finger in less than a second if you dip in that acid).

* Exposure of less than 1 second in AIR KILLS the HIV virus*( hence story of needle pricks in Cinema theatres is a crap). Even if blood from a wound (of infected person) dries up (*blood clot*), *the virus dies*and can not infect anyone else

* HIV transmission is *ONLY* an *INFECTION* i.e.entrance of virus in one's body. It *DOES NOT MEAN AIDS*.

* An HIV-infected person (after entrance of virus) can progress to a condition of AIDS only after *8 to 10 YEARS *(not in 15 days as in the Pani Puri story)

* It is *not HIV (virus) that kills a human* .....the virus attacks immune cells (cells that fight against foreign pathogens/antigens) and hence a person's ability to fight against infections & diseases slowly diminishes and person ultimately dies of a disease which could be as simple as TB

* Most importantly, HIV is no longer a dreadful disease ... it is "*CHRONIC MANAGEABLE DISEASE*" just like Diabetes or Hypertension.

* If there is anything you need to be careful from to prevent HIV is Unsafe sex*, *Blood transfusion* (check before taking) /Blood donation (use sterilized needles only) and any *blood contact during an accident *or so where amount of bleeding is very high.

PLZ O PLZ spread this message to avoid rumors and to educate people.