Why Should You Care About AIDS
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Why Should You Care About AIDS
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AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. This condition is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV. This virus damages the immune system, which is the body’s defenses against infectious organisms and other invaders. As a result of having AIDS, infected individuals acquire infections or conditions, such as Pneumocystis Pneumonia, an infection of the lung; Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a skin malignancy; and Cytomegalovirus an infection that affects the eyes.
HIV disease becomes AIDS when the immune system is badly damaged. HIV destroys a certain cell type called the CD4 helper lymphocyte, a type of defense cell that helps fight against infectious diseases. As HIV destroys these lymphocytes, people with the virus begin to have infections that they normally don’t.
Symptoms
HIV is “asymptomatic” at its early stage and once this virus is acquired, the infected person can transmit the virus to others easily. Once HIV enters the body, it multiplies and duplicates fast and enters the lymph nodes to slowly destroy the CD4 lymphocyte.
It is impossible to tell one has HIV until it is too late to treat it unless the person undergoes medical tests. At the early stage of the disease, the infected person may develop flu-like symptoms, night sweats, fever, swollen lymph glands, sore throat and a rash. And because these symptoms also occur with other health issues, it is often impossible to tell the person has acquired HIV unless he/she goes through medical tests to diagnose the disease.
Transmission
HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact, blood transfusion, sharing of needles and syringes, vaginal fluids, semen, childbirth and breastfeeding.
Many health care providers have been infected through hospital needles containing HIV-infected blood. Transmission of the virus happens when this infected blood gets into open wounds or open mucous membrane.
Aids Diagnosis
AIDS can be diagnosed through HIV testing of the patient’s body cells (such as those from the inside of the cheek) or body fluids (such as blood and saliva).
There are two types of tests commonly used to diagnose an HIV infection. The first test is called ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) test, which is performed to determine the amount of serum and antibody concentrations. The test is performed inside the elbow or at the back of the hands. Once the device is ready for testing, the assigned personnel will be cleaned using germ-killing drugs. Then, a needle is inserted into the vein. Once the blood has been collected, the needle should be removed in order to avoid severe bleeding. The second test is called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test, which looks for the presence of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus itself in the body of the host.
Cure for Aids
There is no cure for AIDS but now that the causative virus has been identified, some research is being done in developing a vaccine that fight against the virus.
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