Answer: Studies have proven time and time again that HIV does not survive well outside the human body. In artificially high concentrations produced in the lab, HIV drying that occurs outside of the body reduces the number of infectious viral particles by 99 percent in just a few hours. Since the concentration of HIV in blood or other bodily fluids is much lower, HIV drying outside the human body virtually eliminates all infectious HIV particles therefore making the risk of HIV infection from blood or bodily fluids outside the body essentially zero.

Keep in mind that while HIV infection from infectious bodily fluids outside the human body is essentially zero, other diseases like hepatitis B and C can and do occur. Therefore, any blood or bodily fluid outside the body should be considered a health risk and cleaned up using universal precautions and cleaning fluids that are known to kill viruses on contact. About.com Guide

If the HIV test is positive, there are a number of things that can be done to help a person cope with the result and lead a healthy life.

* A person who tests positive will at some point need to take antiretroviral treatment to slow down the virus and maintain a healthy immune system. The longer a person remains unaware of their infection, the less likely it is that the treatment will work. Doctors can monitor an HIV positive person’s health in order to provide the right treatment regimen at the right time.

* If a person is aware of their HIV infection they can take steps to protect other people. They can practice safer sex and inform previous sexual partners that they may have been at risk of infection.

* Those who test positive who were thinking of starting a family can learn about ways to protect their child from becoming infected with HIV through mother-to-child transmission

Most of the HIV infection cases were in Kelantan (297), followed by Pahang (240), Terengganu (191), Selangor (151), Perak (108), Kedah (98), Johor (90), Sarawak (74), and Penang and the Federal Territory with 51 cases each.

Malaysian AIDS Council exco member Pax Tan gave the figures at a media sensitisation workshop here yesterday.

“Selangor had the most AIDS cases at 71, followed by Sarawak with 46, the Federal Territory, 39, and both Terengganu and Negri Sembilan at 33 cases each,” he said.

Factory workers, fishermen, private sector workers, lorry drivers and housewives were the top five groups infected with HIV, Tan said.

NST Online http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20aid/Article/

Young people ( 25-49 years of age ) are twice as likely to get high BP if they sleep less.

Individuals who slept less than 5 hours a night have a 3-fold increased risk of heart attacks.

Complete and partial lack of sleep increased the blood concentrations of High sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-cRP), the strongest predictor of heart attacks. Even after getting adequate sleep later, the levels stayed high!!

Just one night of sleep loss increases very toxic substances in body such as Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-alpha) and C-reactive protein (cRP). They increase risks of many medical conditions, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease.

Sleeping for <=5 hours per night leads to 39% increase in heart disease. Sleeping for <=6 hours per night leads to 18% increase in heart disease.