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the diseases by inhaling contaminated dust or eating contaminated food, but it can also occur in commercial meats. T. gondii causes severe infection in the lungs, retina, heart, liver, pancreas, brain, testes, and colon. Take care to wear protective gloves while changing cat litter and thoroughly wash the hands afterward. Wasting syndrome: This occurs when a person involuntarily loses 10 percent of their muscle mass through diarrhea, weakness, or fever. Part of the weight loss may also consist of fat loss. Prevention Preventing OIs is key to extending life expectancy with late-stage HIV. Aside from managing HIV viral load with medications, a person who lives with the disease must take precautions, including the following steps: Wear condoms to prevent other STIs. Receive vaccinations for potential OIs. Discuss these with your primary care physician. Understand the germs in your surrounding environment that could lead to an OI. A pet cat, for example, could be a source of toxoplasmosis. Limit exposure and take precautions, such as wearing protective gloves while changing litter Avoid foods that are at risk of contamination, such as undercooked eggs, unpasteurized dairy and fruit juice, or raw seed sprouts. Do not drink water straight from a lake or river or tap water in certain foreign countries. Drink bottled water or use water filters. Ask your doctor about work, home, and vacation activities to limit exposure to potential OIs. Antibiotic, antifungal, or antiparasitic drugs can help treat an OI. HIV and AIDS myths and facts Many misconceptions circulate about HIV that are harmful and stigmatizing for people with the virus.The following cannot transmit the virus: shaking hands hugging kissing sneezing touching unbroken skin using the same toilet sharing towels sharing cutlery mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or other forms of "casual contact" the saliva, tears, feces, and urine of a person with HIV Diagnosis The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1 in every 7 HIV-positive Americans is unaware of their HIV status. Becoming aware of HIV status is vital for commencing treatment and preventing the development of more severe immune difficulties and subsequent infections. HIV blood tests and results A doctor can test for HIV using a specific blood test. A positive result means that they have detected HIV antibody in the bloodstream. The blood is re-tested before a positive result is given. After potential exposure to the virus, early testing and diagnosis is crucial and greatly improves the chances of successful treatment. Home testing kits are also available. HIV might take 3 - 6 months to show up in testing, and re-testing may be necessary for a definitive diagnosis. People at risk of infection within the last 6 months can have an immediate test. The test provider will normally recommend another test within a few weeks. Treatment Adhering to antiretroviral treatment can reduce HIV to an undetectable viral load. No cure is currently available for HIV or AIDS. However, treatments can stop the progression of the condition and allow most people living with HIV the opportunity to live a long and relatively healthy life. Starting ART early in the progression of the virus is crucial. This improves quality of life, extends life expectancy, and reduces the risk of transmission, according to the WHO's guidelines from June 2013. More effective and better-tolerated treatments have evolved that can improve general health and quality of life by taking as little as one pill per day. A person living with HIV can reduce their viral load to such a degree that it is no longer detectable in a blood test. After assessing a number of large studies, the CDC concluded that individuals who have no detectable viral load "have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting the virus to an HIV-negative partner." Medical professionals refer to this as undetectable = untransmittable (U=U). Emergency HIV pills, or post-exposure prophylaxisIf an individual believes they have been exposed to the virus within the last 3 days, anti-HIV medications, called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), may be able to stop infection. Take PEP as soon as possible after potential contact with the virus. PEP is a treatment lasting a total of 28 days, and physicians will continue