May 13, 2002 03:41 PM
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(Updated May 13, 2002 03:41 PM)
How AIDS Works
AIDS is the short form of ''Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome''.AIDS itself is not a disease but it gives an open invitation to all types of diseases by attacking our immune system(disease fighting capacity of our body).This crash of our immune system is caused by the HIV(Human Immune Virus) which attacks our immune system by destroying the White Blood Cells(WBC's) making our body incapable of fighting any diseases and infections.The HIV virus manipulates itself through course of time and hence it cannot be targeted and hence still exact cure has not been found.AIDS is caused by 2 types of HIV viruses belonging to a group called retroviruses.The HIV virus attaches itself to certain molecules of WBC's after which enters into the cells Genes and then into the cells reproductive system and the virus uses this types of cells to produce more HIV.Once this process is set in motion it repeats itself and cannot be stopped
The Situation of the disease in the World and India
AIDS was first diagnosed in 1981 among homosexuals in New York and Los Angeles in U.S.A., but AIDS today has become pandemic and its cases are occurring all over the world.In India the first evidence of AIDS came from Tamil Nadu in 1986.The survey of National AIDS Control Organization(NACO) has estimated that there are about 3.5 million people living with AIDS in India and the figure is ever increasing.South Africa has the most number of AIDS cases today but India is only second and is fast catching up.All the states in country have reported HIV and Mumbai has the highest number of AIDS infected persons in the country
Causes of Spreading of AIDS
AIDS is the most deadly of all sexually transmitted disease.Researchers have identified 3 main ways in which HIV is transmitted, they are
Sxual Intrcourse
Direct Contact with Infected Blood
Transmission from an infected woman to her fetus or baby
However the most common way of getting infected is through unprotected sexual contact.Some other causes of AIDS are
Injecting drugs in body through infected needles
Blood transfusion, Blood donation or Organ transplant from an infected person to a healthy person
Health Care workers may get infected if they come in direct contact with infected blood.
An infected mother may transplant disease to her child by breast-feeding.
Prostitutes can contract AIDS through drug abuse of infected partners
There is a common myth that AIDS can be spread by mosquitoes but all causes other than listed above are misconceptions are unnecessarily isolate the infected person
Detection of Symptoms of AIDS
It is difficult to tell whether a person has AIDS or not because a person behaves normally.But now tests like the ''Elayza Blood Test'' can reveal the presence of HIV.But positive result does not mean that a person has full blown AIDS it just means that a person has produced antibodies against HIV but these antibodies are not effective in fighting AIDS.Low fever, headache, perspiration at night, weight loss, persistent diarrhea and cough are some of the symptoms of AIDS.
I have no personal experience about AIDS or I don’t know any of my relatives having AIDS and what makes that situation of AIDS more grim that that social reaction in developing countries to this disease is awful.AIDS is the most forbidden subject to speak in public in India and if a person is infected he does not reveal in fear of getting isolated. Although many medicines have come which may extend a life of an infected person there is no proven cure for AIDS till date so in the case of AIDS we have to go back to the old saying ''PREVENTION IS THE BEST CURE''
