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The war on AIDS A relatively new incurable disease has shaken the world. Millions of people are already dead because of it. The name for it is AIDS. Nowadays there are an estimated 42 million people living with HIV or AIDS world-wide, and more than 3 million die every year from AIDS-related illnesses. HIV is always far more widespread than all studies indicate. Therefore it is important to know as much as possible in order to prevent it.
AIDS has become one of the most serious, deadly diseases in human history. AIDS is caused by the HIV virus (human immunodeficiency virus). HIV destroys a type of defense cell in the body called a CD 4 helper lymphocyte (pronounced: limp-fu-site). Normally these lymphocytes are part of the body's immune system, the defense that fights infectious diseases. But as HIV destroys the lymphocytes, people with the virus begin to get serious infections that they normally wouldn't - that is, they become immune deficient. The name for this condition is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
A healthy body is equipped with CD 4 helper lymphocyte cells (CD 4 cells). These cells help the immune system to function normally and fight off certain kinds of infections. They do this by acting as messengers to other types of immune system cells, telling them to become active and fight against an invading infection. The HIV virus attached to these CD 4 cells, infects them, and uses them to replicate.
In doing so, the virus destroys the ability of the infected cells to do thejobof helping transmit messages to other cells of the immune system. The body then loses the ability to fight many infections. The virus is spread through high-risk behaviors including: unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sexual intercourse ("unprotected" means not using a condom) The virus can be spread through an infected person's blood, semen, and secretions from the cervix (part of a female's uterus) or vagina. HIVcan travel to another person through cuts and sores on the penis, rectum (the last part of the intestine that connects to the anus), vagina, or skin around the genitals and probably the mouth and other mucous membranes. These cuts or sores are often so small that a person isn't even aware of them. People who have another sexually transmitted disease, such as syphilis, genital herpes, chlamydial infection, gonorrhea, or bacterial vaginosis are at greater risk for contracting HIV during sex with infected partners.
sharing needles, such as needles used to inject drugs (including needles used for injecting steroids) and those used for tattooing People who inject themselves with illegal drugs also risk infecting themselves with HIV. Many people who use needles to take intravenous drugs or steroids share the needles with others. If a person with HIV shares a needle, he or she also shares the virus, which lives in the tiny amounts of blood attached to the needle. Because their immune systems are compromised, people who have AIDS are unable to fight off many infections, particularly tuberculosis and other kinds of otherwise rare infections ofthe lung (pneumonia, such as Pneumocystis carinii), the surface covering of the brain (meningitis), or the brain itself (encephalitis). People who have AIDS tend to become progressively more sick, especially if they are not taking antiviral medications properly. What everyone should know about how this virus is not spread: You cannot get HIV from hugging or holding hands or from other casual contact HIV is not spread through sneezes or coughs, and you cannot catch it from sitting near someone who has it Mosquitoes and other bugs do not carry the virus It is very rare for blood transfusions to spread HIV because the blood is carefully tested for HIV One of the reasons that HIV is so dangerous is that a person can have the virus for a long time without knowing it.
That person can then spread the virus to others through high-risk behaviors. HIV transmission can be prevented by: abstaining from sex (not having oral, vaginal, or anal sex) always using latex condoms for all types of sexual intercourse avoiding contact with the bodily fluids through which HIV is transmitted never sharing needles If a woman with HIV is pregnant, her new-born baby can catch the virus from her before birth, during the birthing process, or from breastfeeding. If doctors know an expectant mother has HIV, they can usually prevent the spread of the virus from mother to baby. All pregnant teens and women should be tested for HIV so they can begin treatment if necessary. Severe symptoms of HIV infection and AIDS may not appear for 10 years, and forbears leading up to that, a person may not have symptoms of AIDS. The amount of time it takes for symptoms of AIDS to become evident varies from person to person.
Some people may feel and look healthy for years while they are infected with HIV. It is still possible to infect others with HIV, even if the person with the virus has absolutely no symptoms. You cannot tell simply by looking at someone whether he or she is infected. When a person's immune system is overwhelmed by AIDS, the symptoms can include: extreme weakness or fatigue rapid weight loss frequent fevers that last for several weeks with no explanation heavy sweating at night swollen lymph glands minor infections that cause skin rashes and mouth, genital, and anal sores white spots in the mouth or throat chronic diarrhea a cough that won't go away short-term memory loss There is no cure for AIDS, which makes prevention that much more important. Combinations of antiviral drugs and drugs that boost the immune system have allowed many people with HIV to resist infections, stay healthy, and prolong their lives, but these medications are not a cure. Right now there is no vaccine to prevent HIV and AIDS, although researchers are working on developing one.
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