Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, abbreviated as AIDs, is a chronic health disease in which a human’s body’s immune system is weakened to the point that it cannot defend itself from mild diseases such as the flu. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) survey from 2016, 36.7 million people are infected with HIV. Since the epidemic’s discovery in 1983, nearly 35 million people have died as a result of AIDS (Bradley et al. 1135). AIDS infects people from all over the world, regardless of ethnicity, age, skin color, or religion. AIDS is an infectious disease caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The virus attacks the CD4 cells which are responsible for protecting the body from invading disease pathogens. HIV is diagnosed by taking saliva or blood and testing for the presence of antibodies that fight the virus. In 1983, scientists discovered the HIV from a blood sample of a patient from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (Weiss 57).

Symptoms of AIDS

AIDS symptoms include fever, rashes, sore throat, headache, swollen lymph nodes, pain in muscles, and joints. Human Immunodeficiency Virus damages the body’s immune system such that body’s defense mechanisms against diseases become defective (Maynard, Gary, and Corinne 193). The body becomes physically weak, the person becomes emotionally unstable and tends to isolate from friends.

Treatment and Prevention

AIDS has no cure but antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are used to contain the virus and prevent adverse effects on the body’s immune system. Medicines can be administered to the patient to treat opportunistic diseases. No vaccine for HIV has been developed but other methods are used to prevent the spread of the virus. Use of condoms during sex, clean needles during injections, hospital delivery for infected pregnant mothers, circumcision of men (Bradley et al. 1135).

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think that information on HIV/AIDS should be made available to the public and awareness campaigns conducted on a frequent basis in each country. HIV/AIDS is considered an infectious disease as it affects millions of people around the globe. Currently, there is no cure or vaccine for the virus.

Works Cited

Bradley, Heather, et al. “Vital signs: HIV diagnosis, care, and treatment among persons living with HIV—United States, 2011.” MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 63.47 (2014): 1113-7.

Maynard, Gary, and Corinne Ong. “Economic dependency and HIV/AIDS prevalence in the developing world: A comparative, longitudinal analysis.” Sociological Inquiry 86.2 (2016): 189-215.

Weiss, Robin A. “Thirty years on: HIV receptor gymnastics and the prevention of infection.” BMC biology 11.1 (2013): 57.