estimated 33% of the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide are co-infected with TB. Furthermore, without proper treatment, approximately 90% of people living with HIV/AIDS die within months of contracting TB. The majority of people who are co-infected with both diseases live in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2004, 640,000 children under 15 were newly infected with HIV, bringing the total number of children living with HIV to 2.2 million. About half of all new adult HIV infections occur among 15-24 year olds. Learn more about USAID's efforts to prevent HIV in children and young people:

People who are ill with pulmonary TB (i.e. TB of the lungs, the site most commonly affected) are often infectious and can spread the disease by coughing, or sneezing, or simply talking, as this propels TB bacteria into the air. A person needs only to breathe in a small number of these germs to become infected (although only a small proportion of people will become infected with TB disease).

Most people experience NO symptoms at all from their initial infection. Some people may come down with very common flu-like symptoms, but they are virtually indistinguishable from a regular flu. It takes an average of 5 to 10 years after infection for most people to develop symptoms. People with HIV who use drugs and/or alcohol or are otherwise unhealthy (poor nutrition, stress, lack of sleep) may accelerate the disease process.

by injecting drugs using a needle or syringe which has already been used by someone who is infected. HIV can be passed on in both ways because the virus is present in the sexual fluids and blood of infected people. If infected blood or sexual fluid gets into your blood, then you will become infected. Some people have been infected through a transfusion of infected blood. But in most countries all the blood used for transfusions is now tested for HIV.

Globally the number of people living with the virus reached 38.6 million in 2005. An estimated 4.1 million people acquired the HIV in 2004 ? 200 000 were children, of whom more than 90% were infected through mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). Almost 90% of these new child infections occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. According to UNAIDS, 2.8 million people died of AIDS in 2005. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to about 64% of all people living with HIV and accounts for almost 71% of deaths globally.

The main route of human infection is direct contact with infected poultry or surfaces and objects contaminated with their feces or blood. To date, most human cases have occurred in rural and periurban areas where households keep small poultry flocks that roam freely, often entering homes and sharing children's outdoor play areas. Large quantities of the virus are excreted in the feces of infected poultry.

Direct contact with infected poultry, or surfaces and objects contaminated by their faeces, is presently considered the main route of human infection. To date, most human cases have occurred in rural or periurban areas where many households keep small poultry flocks, which often roam freely, sometimes entering homes or sharing outdoor areas where children play.

Globally, 45 percent of adults living with HIV/AIDS are women. By region, this percentage varies considerably, from 57% in Sub-Saharan Africa, to 28% in East Asia and the Pacific. In 2004, 17.6 million women were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

HIV can be passed on in both ways because the virus is present in the sexual fluids and blood of infected people. If infected blood or sexual fluid gets into your blood, then you will become infected. If a man with HIV has vaginal intercourse without a condom, infected fluid could pass into the woman's blood stream through a tiny cut or sore inside her body. This can be so small that you don't know about it.

Infection with HIV in this way is rare. There have only been a couple of documented cases of HIV transmission resulting from biting. In these particular cases, severe tissue tearing and damage were reported in addition to the presence of blood. REF: HOW AIDS CAN BE TRANSMITTED

A blood test can determine whether or not a person is infected with HIV. The most commonly used test detects antibodies (disease-fighting proteins) against HIV. It may take as long as three to six months for HIV antibodies to reach levels that are measurable in standard blood tests.

The only way to tell you have HIV is be tested for the virus. You cannot rely on symptoms to tell if you or someone you know is infected. The symptoms of HIV are similar to many other illnesses and many people have no symptoms at all. The symptoms of AIDS are also similar to other diseases. If a person is infected with HIV, the only way to tell if they have progressed to AIDS is to be diagnosed by a doctor using the CDC defined criteria.

TB is the commonest opportunistic infection in HIV infected persons. It is estimated that 50-60% of HIV positive persons in India will develop TB in their lifetime as compared to 10% of HIV negative persons.

No, the level of HIV infection caused by injecting drug use is relatively low in the UK. By the end of June 2007, around 5% of all HIV infections reported since HIV first emerged in the UK had occurred as a result of injecting drug use, compared to 86% that resulted from sex.7 A lot of early media coverage of AIDS in the UK focused on injecting drug users (IDUs).

Ans. HIV is transmitted mostly through semen and vaginal fluids during unprotected sex without the use of condoms. Globally, most cases of sexual transnmission involve men and women, although, in some developed countries homosexual activity remains the primary mode.

One cannot tell by looking at someone whether he or she is infected with HIV or has AIDS. An infected person can appear completely healthy. It is only through blood test that the HIV status is confirmed.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus, the AIDS virus) helps TB germs make you sick by attacking the germ fighters in your body. If you are infected with HIV and with TB germs, you have a very big chance of getting TB disease. The TB germs are much more likely to attack your lungs and other parts of the body. You can be cured, but it takes longer to cure someone with TB disease who also has HIV infection. If you think you might have HIV infection, talk to your doctor about getting an HIV test.

HIV will worsen the TB epidemic mainly because HIV increases the risk of disease reactivation in people with latent TB and because HIV-infected persons are more susceptible to new TB infection. These patients can then spread TB to other people. HIV is the most powerful risk factor for progression from TB infection to TB disease. An HIV positive person infected with M.

TB Infection (Latent TB) means that the bacteria are inside your body but they are not active. Typically, these people have strong immune systems and consequently, never have TB symptoms nor develop the disease. What's more, they do not pass the disease on to other people. People with TB infection usually have positive skin test reactions and can develop the active disease at any point if they do not receive preventative therapy.

Research suggests the risk of HIV infection in this way is extremely low. A very small number of people -usually in a healthcare setting- have become infected with HIV as a result of blood splashes in the eye. REF: TRANSMISSION OF AIDS AMONG HEALTH WORKERS

You can have a free HIV test at one of our Public Health Clinics in Chico or Oroville, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The test is quick, painless. Call for more information at (530) 538-6220 / 1-877-783-4636.

Being infected with HIV does not necessarily mean you have AIDS. It does mean you will carry the virus in your body for the rest of your life. It also means you can infect other people if you do things - such as have unprotected sex - that can transmit HIV. You can infect others even if you feel fine and have no symptoms of illness. Perhaps more importantly, you can infect others when you don't know you carry HIV.

Only with a blood test. A person can be HIV infected for many years while looking and feeling healthy, with no signs at all of being sick.

No. From the start of the HIV epidemic there has been concern about HIV transmission of the virus by biting and bloodsucking insects, such as mosquitoes. However, studies have shown no evidence of HIV transmission through mosquitoes or any other insects—even in areas where there are many cases of AIDS and large populations of mosquitoes. Lack of such outbreaks, despite intense efforts to detect them, supports the conclusion that HIV is not transmitted by insects.

The surest way is to abstain from unprotected sexual behaviors and totally avoid sharing needles of any kind. When engaging in sexual behaviors always practice safer sex to reduce the risk of exchanging blood semen or vaginal fluids with your sex partner. Never use petroleum based lubricants since they can cause latex condoms or dental dams to deteriorate and tear. You should never share needles works cookers cotton water or any other paraphernalia used to inject drugs.

Studies of families of HIV-infected people have found that HIV is not spread through sharing utensils, towels, bedding, or toilet facilities. Behaviors that increase the likelihood of contact with blood from an HIV-infected person, such as sharing a razor or toothbrush, should be avoided.