HIV Transmission, Symptoms & Treatment: 1 in 8 Americans Unaware of Infection

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A CDC report has found that 1 in 8 Americans positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are not aware that they are infected.

The report, released by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals that 14 percent of approximately 1.2 million HIV-positive people living in the United States were unaware of their condition as of 2011.

The data was collected from 50 states through the National HIV Surveillance System from 2008 to 2012.

According to Tech Times, researchers calculated the number of undiagnosed cases by subtrating an estimate of total infections from the estimated percentage of diagnosis.

HIV is caused by a virus that attacks T-cells in the immune system, which prevents the body from fighting off infections and disease, according to WebMD. Initial symptoms of HIV infection include diarrhea, fever, non-itchy rash, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and headache.

There is currently no known cure for HIV but a mixture of antiretroviral drugs can be used to help control HIV. They are usually taken with other drugs to help manage side effects.

Treatment options available today are now more effective compared to 10 to 15 years ago, according to Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a disease specialist from Duke University Medical Center.

Wolfe adds that life expectancy is much higher if the disease is caught early.

"There's no reason that you shouldn't live through your 70s, provided that you know about it and pick it up early, you get connected to care, and that you maintain diligence with treatment," Wolfe told CBS News.

That is why constant testing is crucial not only for one's health but in preventing the spread of the disease, he said.

According to the CDC, only certain body fluids such as blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk can transmit HIV between persons through contact with a mucous membrane, damaged tissue, or direct injection into the blood stream.

In the U.S., HIV is mainly spread through sexual intercourse (i.e. anal and vaginal sex) and sharing drug injection needles with an HIV-positive person.

Lesser known ways of HIV transmission include receiving blood and similar tissue/organs from someone who is HIV positive, oral sex, being born to a mother with HIV, and being stricken with sharp objects or needles that are contaminated with HIV.