Question

How does communicable disease relate to HIV?

Answer 1

A communicable disease is one which can spread from one person to another through different ways like: contact with blood and body fluids (including semen and vaginal discharge in case of HIV), breathing in an airborne virus, close contact with infected person (using utensils or towels used by the infected person) or by being bitten by an insect.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency V​​​​​​irus) is a retro-virus (Having RNA as their genetic material) which can infect Humans and cause AIDS ( A​​​​​​cquired I​​​mmune Deficiency Syndrome). AIDS is a chronic disease that affects the immune system of our body and destroys CD4 cells (a type of white blood cells that is responsible for the immunity).

HIV is transmitted through blood or body fluids (semen and vaginal discharge) by various ways:

a. Sexual intercourse (through sexual discharge)

b. Blood transfusion (if proper clinical methods are not followed)

c. Sharing infected injections (mostly in drug addicts)

d. Breast feeding (from mother to baby)

e. Mother to fetus infection.

So, as HIV can spread from one infected person to a healthy person and cause infection in the healthy person's body, thus HIV is an example of communicable disease and thus they are related.