P.E.A.C.E

Welcomes You

Here at P.E.A.C.E. we’re promoting initiatives to serve our youth. We believe in taking action with urgency in order to raise public awareness about some of the most pressing issues facing today’s society. Please join us by supporting our efforts to make a measurable difference in the lives of our youth. We know that sometimes all it takes to change the world is a little support. Since our founding in June 2021, we have been determined to make an impact. The core of our efforts is to bring our team’s fresh ideas and passion to the range of activities we’re involved in. Through all our endeavors, we hope to display the conviction behind our beliefs.

AIDS/HIV Awareness Support Groups

Most of our efforts pertaining to this program involves YOUTH Awareness. In addition, evaluating our success in this field by gathering qualitative and quantitative data, and using that information to measure shifts and changes from our baseline measurements.

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It weakens a person’s immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. There is currently no effective cure for HIV, but with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. Some people in the United States are more likely to get HIV than others because of many factors, including their sex partners and risk behaviors.

How do you know if you have HIV?

The only way to know for sure whether you have HIV is to get tested. Knowing your HIV status helps you make healthy decisions to prevent getting or transmitting HIV.

Are there symptoms?

Some people have flu-like symptoms within 2 to 4 weeks after infection (called acute HIV infection). These symptoms may last for a few days or several weeks. Possible symptoms include

  • Fever,
  • Chills,
  • Rash,
  • Night sweats,
  • Muscle aches,
  • Sore throat,
  • Fatigue,
  • Swollen lymph nodes, and
  • Mouth ulcers.

But some people may not feel sick during acute HIV infection. These symptoms don’t mean you have HIV. Other illnesses can cause these same symptoms.

See a health care provider if you have these symptoms and think you may have been exposed to HIV. Getting tested for HIV is the only way to know for sure.

What are the stages of HIV?

When people with HIV don’t get treatment, they typically progress through three stages. With the advancements in treatment, progression to Stage 3 is less common today than in the early days of HIV.

Stage 1: Acute HIV Infection

  • People have a large amount of HIV in their blood. They are very contagious.
  • Some people have flu-like symptoms. This is the body’s natural response to infection.
  • But some people may not feel sick right away or at all.
  • If you have flu-like symptoms and think you may have been exposed to HIV, seek medical care and ask for a test to diagnose acute infection.
  • Only antigen/antibody tests or nucleic acid tests (NATs) can diagnose acute infection.

Stage 2: Chronic HIV Infection

  • This stage is also called asymptomatic HIV infection or clinical latency.
  • HIV is still active but reproduces at very low levels.
  • People may not have any symptoms or get sick during this phase.
  • Without taking HIV medicine, this period may last a decade or longer, but some may progress faster.
  • People can transmit HIV in this phase.
  • At the end of this phase, the amount of HIV in the blood (called viral load) goes up and the CD4 cell count goes down. The person may have symptoms as the virus levels increase in the body, and the person moves into Stage 3.

Stage 3: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

  • The most severe phase of HIV infection.
  • People with AIDS have such badly damaged immune systems that they get an increasing number of severe illnesses, called opportunistic infections.
  • People receive an AIDS diagnosis when their CD4 cell count drops below 200 cells/mm, or if they develop certain opportunistic infections.
  • People with AIDS can have a high viral load and be very infectious.
  • Without treatment, people with AIDS typically survive about three years.

HIV Medication

Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs): Disable a protein needed by HIV to make copies of itself.

Efavirenz . Etravirine . Nevirapine

Nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs): Stops spreading of infection.

Abacavir . Tenofovir . Lamivudine/Zidovudine

Protease inhibitors (PIs): Blocks the action of an enzyme called protease, which is important for HIV replication

Atazanavir . Darunavir . Fosamprenavir . Indinavir

Entry or fusion inhibitors: These drugs block HIV’s entry into CD4 cells.

Enfuvirtide . Maraviroc

Integrase inhibitors: These drugs work by disabling integrase, a protein that HIV uses to insert its genetic material into CD4 cells.

Raltegravir . Elvitegravir . Dolutegravir

Additional Resources

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