Etiology
Symptoms
Prevention and Treatment
HIV / AIDS is one of the most prevalent and devastating diseases in the world today. It has already killed millions throughout the world, especially in developing countries like Africa. I chose this topic due to the importance of HIV for world heath issues and because of the larger social issues that this virus has for many countries. The statistics over the last decades are evidence of the growth and devastating effect of this virus. The total number of recorded deaths due to HIV / AIDS, between 1981 and 2003, was a staggering 20-million. The number of children in Sub-Saharan Africa who were orphaned by the end of 2003 was an estimated 12-million. Later figures indicate that the situation in Africa is not improving, with these figures increasing in 2004, especially among women in Africa. "By December 2004 women accounted for 47% of all people living with HIV worldwide, and for 57% in sub-Saharan Africa." (World HIV and Aids Statistics)
HIV / AIDS infect not only individuals but entire societies. " ... Aids migrated to man in Africa, it mutated into a complex plaque with ... social, economic and political dynamics that ... accelerate the virus' progress. (Death Stalks a Continent)
2. Definition
The Term HIV / AIDS refers to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, which is caused by the HIV virus. HIV refers to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. AIDS itself refers to the complex of diseases that result from the HIV attack and intrusion on the human defense or immune system. The term syndrome means a "group of health problems that make up a disease." An individual is HIV positive when the body creates antibodies to fight the HIV virus. "When you get a blood test for HIV, the test looks for these antibodies. If you have them in your blood, it means that you have HIV infection. People who have the HIV antibodies are called "HIV-Positive." (What Is AIDS
There is therefore a connection but also a difference between being HIV positive, or having the HIV virus, and having AIDS.
Being HIV-positive, or having HIV disease, is not the same as having AIDS. Many people are HIV-positive but don't get sick for many years. As HIV disease continues, it slowly wears down the immune system. Viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria that usually don't cause any problems can make you very sick if your immune system is damaged. These are called "opportunistic infections." (ibid)
3. Etiology
Infection from the HIV virus is caused though direct transmission from person to person in a number of possible ways. The most common ways in which the virus is transmitted is though social contact with an infected person; though contaminated needles; and though transmission to a baby from an infected mother or though infected mother's milk. Infection through blood transfusions has also been recorded. However, in most countries blood transfusions are now more strictly controlled and screened and the risk of this mode of infection is extremely low.
The HIV Virus functions in the body by attaching to living cells. This relates to the fact that the virus cannot produce without parasitically attaching itself to a living cell in the body. The virus mainly targets an immune cell known as a lymphocyte; or more specifically "a CD4 helper cell, a type of T-cell." (Pieribone, D.)
The T-cell's are a vital part of the immune system as they facilitate the body's response and ability to combat many potential fatal infections. Without T-Cells the body is unable to provide the necessary degree of protection against opportunistic infections. The HIV's life cycle in effect reduces the amount of T-cells within the human body, which in turn results in greater susceptibility to infection. The process though which this occurs is not completely understood. (ibid) The HIV virus will in effect "hijack the T-Cells Cellular machinery" (ibid) and will then reproduce thousands of copies of the virus, which will invade more T-cells, further reducing the resistance of the body and increasing the propensity for opportunistic disease and full- blown AIDS. There are many steps before the process of viral duplication of the HIV virus is completed. An example of part of this complex process is as follows.
Once HIV comes into contact with a T-cell, it must attach itself to the cell so that it can fuse with the cell and inject its genetic material (a blueprint for making more HIV) into it. Attachment is a specific binding between proteins on the surface of the virus and proteins that serve as receptors on the surface of the T-cell. Normally, these receptors help the cell communicate with other cells. Two receptors in particular, CD4 and...
AIDS/HIV AIDS is the acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, a human viral disease that affects and destroys the immune system. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and leaves an infected person vulnerable to opportunistic infections. No cure has as yet been found for AIDS and is invariably fatal once the infection is full blown although certain treatments can prolong the life spans and improve the quality of life
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