HIV/AIDS

Running Head: HIV/AIDS Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) /Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Name Course University Lecturer Date Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first discovered in 1981.It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which was discovered in 1983.It took almost 18 months for people infected by the virus to be diagnosed. According to the New Mexico AIDS infonet, this disease was first discovered in the US among men who were gay and was given the name Gay-Related immune deficiency. An analysis of blood done later in 1959 in Belgian Congo of a Bantu man, who died of unknown illness, showed that the man was HIV positive. This became the first confirmed case in Africa. Therefore scientist concluded that AIDS is a global epidemic. According to Wain Hobson this disease originated from Africa. Studies were then conducted on growth of HIV infected people and in June 1982 many of them died of a deadly pneumonia according to center for disease control and prevention. Later in 1982 more cases were reported from different countries from a report on AIDS contracted through blood transfusion and from infants born to mothers with AIDS to the centre for disease control in 1982.The HIV virus causing AIDS was discovered by Dr. Luc Montagnier in France after isolation of the lymphadenopathy-associated virus in 1983.This virus was discovered as the cause of AIDS. (UNAIDS 2008) “By 1983, 33 countries reported cases of AIDS” (UNAIDS 2008). In addition many well known personalities were reported to have died of AIDS, for example Rock Hudson a renown film star died of aids in 1985 after declaring himself HIV positive. Many of these people reported were from the entertainment industry. From then AIDS disease became no respecter of persons, killing both the young and the old, rich and the poor. This moved the president of the United States of America to declare it publicly in an international conference in 1986.He called on the health sector to direct its efforts on preventing, informing and reducing the risks related to transmission of the AIDS virus to more uninfected persons. Health scientist started working on the causes, ways of transmission, prevention and treatment of AIDS. Several campaigns have been initiated from then up to now addressing this global epidemic. More funds are now being directed towards development of cocktail anti retroviral which have proved more effective than single anti-retroviral. (UNAIDS 2008) Currently it is projected that approximately 33.4 million people are living with HIV/AIDS across the world. “Approximately 50% of the infected people are women globally. Youths account for almost 40% of all the new adult HIV infections. Sub Saharan Africa is leading with 67% of all people living with HIV worldwide” (UNAIDS 2008). Alarmingly the number of new infections outnumbers by a great margin those in treatment; there are around five new infections for every two people starting treatment according to UNAIDS 2009 report on the global AIDS Epidemic. So AIDS should be spoken of boldly and plainly to make it real among all the groups. AIDS and HIV are different entities; Human immunodeficiency virus is a pathogenic micro-organism of the class of viruses which causes AIDS. It is a virus that can be transmitted from one person to another through the exchange of infected body fluids. “Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is the infectious disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus. It is the advance form of infection with the HIV virus, which may not cause recognizable disease for along period after the initial exposure. So HIV is the virus that causes damage to the body’s immune system. A damaged immune system leaves the body at a risk for those illnesses and infections said to be AIDS defining. Therefore a person can be infected for so long without AIDS; hence having HIV infection does not mean you have AIDS” (UNAIDS 2008). HIV can be transmitted from one person to another via blood and also through unprotected sexual contact. In addition, HIV can be transmitted to children before delivery by pregnant mothers or during breastfeeding. HIV transmission via blood also occurs as result of unsafe injections, this is most witnessed among drug users or addicts who share syringes, it also occurs in poor countries when one injection is used among several patients. Transmission can also occur during circumcision, tattooing ear-piercing among other skin puncturing treatments if the instruments are shared. Transmission also occurs during transfusions or treatments if an infected blood product patient. Health workers can also be exposed to HIV-infected blood through injury with a needle or sharp object, though this is rare. Open wounds coming into contact with infected blood can result in the transmission of HIV virus. The man can contract HIV from an infected woman through the vaginal secretions getting into the male urethra, getting into the head of the penies. “The woman can as well contract HIV from a man through the semen. HIV positive women can transmit HIV to their infants during pregnancy, childbirth, or while breast feeding. The virus in the mother’s blood breast milk or any other body fluid can as well be transmitted to the child”. (UNAIDS 2008) HIV infected person becomes AIDS patient once illnesses and infections said to be AIDS defining are diagnosed. This results due to the weakening of immune system by the HIV virus. The virus assails the CD4 cells which are specialized immune system cells in the body. The HIV virus affixes itself to these cells thereby infecting them by “injecting HIV proteins into the cell” (UNAIDS 2008). The new HIV virus in turn infects other CD4 cells and the cycle is replicated in the entire body. Subsequently as a result of the reproduction of the HIV virus, the CD4 cells are damaged rendering them useless in infection fighting. As this process progresses, the weakening of the body’s immune system takes toll and the patient becomes weak and is now exposed to a myriad of infections which can eventually lead to death if not intervention is done. The body’s natural immunity stops working in an AIDS patient. This “result from the destruction of the T-cells which get help from B-cells which attack germs in the blood stream and outside body cells while producing anti-bodies designed to kill the invading germs” (UNAIDS 2008). Once the HIV virus disseminates the T-helper cells, the B-cell activity is weakened. “Since there are too many unchecked suppressor T-cells slowing down the B-cell activity, the immune system begins to shut down. As the T-cells die, HIV invades even more tissue” (UNAIDS 2008). When the T-cells die, the body is susceptible to attacks on the healthy cells. The immune system is weakened and opportune infections are likely to occur. The immune system therefore can longer resist even minor infections, and the HIV patients begin being affected by the compromised immune system. Antiretroviral medications are used to manage the duplication of the virus and adequately check the advancement of the HIV related disease. These remedies have been advanced to aide HIV/AIDS patients’ health by boosting the immune system. Some treatments target the HIV Virus, while others curtail the...