When HIV weakens a person’s immune system, he or she can get different diseases which are called Opportunistic Diseases. Healthy people are exposed to many of these infections everyday, but they do not get sick from them because their immune systems are working properly.
How does HIV link to TB?
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common opportunistic infections and is the leading cause of death among people with HIV. It can be passed easily from one person to another, by the infected person coughing, spitting or sneezing. This causes the virus to travel through the air and infect someone else.
Symptoms of TB:
- A cough that lasts for more than 3 weeks
- Weight loss
- Sweating at night
- Tiredness
- Pain in the chest
- Coughing up blood
If a person has these symptoms, he or she should immediately get tested for TB.
TB can be treated by taking drugs. It is not always easy to take the drugs for a long time. Many people stop taking their treatment because they forget, they start to feel better or they do not have regular access to the drugs. Stopping treatment too early can be very dangerous because it can cause the TB to become resistant to drugs.
What other STIs does HIV link to?
- Herpes: which causes sores in the mouth and on the genitals or anus
- Recurrent Pneumonia: a type of lung infection that causes fever, shortness of breath and coughing
- Skin Cancers
A person with an STI must get treatment because it will not go away on its own. Many STIs can be cured with antibiotics. STIs that are caused by viruses cannot be cured, although their symptoms can be treated with medication.