What causes AIDS?

AIDS is an infectious disease caused by a virus called Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV or HIV) or AIDS virus. It belongs to the family of viruses known as the Retroviridae and are known at present two HIV virus, HIV-1 and HIV-2, both attack the immune apparatus invading T cells

Ways of transmitting the AIDS virus.
The AIDS virus is found in all fluids and secretions, but the epidemiology indicates that there is contagion, they have to contain high concentrations of it. Therefore, the scientific evidence established that its modes of transmission are:
• sexual contact through the male genital fluid (semen) and cervicovaginal secretions of women (discharge).
• injecting through blood transfusion or blood products (plasma, platelets), organ transplants, artificial insemination, surgery, dental treatment with use of sharps, sharp instruments maneuvers nonprofessional (sharing needles and syringes among drug users intravenous, practiced tattooing)
• the intrauterine or perinatal (called vertical transmission). The transmission of the AIDS virus from a pregnant woman to her child during pregnancy, childbirth or through breastfeeding
• It should be noted that there is no evidence to support the transmission of the virus by other routes of infection (tears, saliva, sweat, etc.).
The AIDS virus infection is followed by an asymptomatic period (without symptoms) that can extend from 2 to 9 years. There are few cases that cover this period much longer.
The specific antibody response occurs between 2 weeks and 3 months after infection and may be accompanied by transient signs compatible with infectious mononucleosis. The duration of this asymptomatic period depends among other factors:
• the magnitude of the inoculation
• the level of the host immune
• the route of infection
Once you have the symptoms and signs of the syndrome, begins a gradual deterioration that can lead to stillbirth in subsequent years, depending on the time of the early initiation of treatment. The AIDS virus can enter the body as free or more often incorporated into a cell infected. It will then be picked up by a macrophage, through which the virus begins its replication.

What are the AIDS risk behaviors?

Unsafe sex.

The most important route of transmission of HIV / AIDS in the world is sexual, homosexual or heterosexual. In general, the risk of sexual transmission depends on the prevalence of infection among the sexually active population.
Homosexual practices are associated with increased risk of infection especially ano-genital relations being the most exposed receptive partner. In practice the risk of heterosexual transmission of HIV-AIDS is bidirectional but the likelihood of male to female transmission could be 20 times larger than the female-male transmission.
In all cases the risk increases when you have a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and there The possibility to have multiple partners. Another factor to consider is the world of prostitution, especially in cases that do not have safe sex (without condoms), sumándosele in many cases their relationship with the consumption of intravenous narcotics, which is shared syringes.
It is now commonly observed risk behavior in the "sex tourism" and the relationship can be brought through the Internet, through a first finger contact, allowing contact with a potential risk bearer / ra's AIDS virus.
The risk of sexual transmission of AIDS virus decreases when:

• There are theoretically safer sex or safer.
• monogamous behavior is preserved.
• It prevents promiscuity and sex with strangers.
• You use a latex condom.
Sharing syringes

Within the mode of transmission via blood, the most common form of infection is the habit of sharing needles among intravenous drug users individuals.

Not only sharing syringes and needles poses a risk behavior, because the virus can be transmitted through any element used to prepare the drug. Finally, we must consider that in these individuals, the effect produced by intravenous drugs heterosexual transmission condition treated in most cases of "unsafe sexual contact" as the individual's ability to take the protection is affected by drug effect