How HIV Turns into AIDS - Research Paper Example

Aids AIDS was first recognized as a disease in 1981. Male homosexuals, intravenous drug abusers, hemophiliacs and sexually active heterosexuals in America and some countries of equatorial Africa were the major identified victims of the new found disease. The Human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was discovered a little later on in 1983 and it was not until 1984 that a definite link was established between HIV and AIDS. HIV basically attacks and destroys the infection fighting cells(CD4 cells) in the human immune system. These cells are also known as CD4 positive T cells. HIV affects these cells, multiplies, and begins to affect and kill the healthy cells. With the loss of CD4 cells, the immune system starts to get weak, making it extremely hard for the body to fight different infections and diseases like cancer. There are different types (strains) of HIV. The most common type of HIV is the HIV-1 strain. However it is possible for a person to be affected by more than one type of virus at the same time. The development of serological test for antibodies to HIV started at the same time and it was discovered that HIV infection especially in the United States was majorly concentrated in those populations which were at the highest risk for contracting AIDS, namely, male homosexuals, intravenous drug abusers, and hemophiliacs (Blattner, Gallo and Temin). Epidemiological studies proved that HIV causes AIDS and that HIV infection is an absolute requirement for the development of AIDS. Every population group that was studied in the U.S as well as other places following the introduction of HIV, it was discovered that the attributes of progressive immunodeficiency emerged in a predictable sequence and resulted in clinical AIDS. More epidemiological data collected showed that AIDS and HIV infection are commonly found in the same population groups and in particular geographic locations and in time. Various different studies conducted have pointed out that the countries where no person had HIV antibodies there was no AIDS. However in countries where many people had HIV antibodies, AIDS was a common disease in those countries. Additional proof of the correlation between HIV and AIDS was the fact that AIDs occurred in each country after HIV had been introduced in the country. Hence it was proved that AIDs always appeared after HIV (Blattner, Gallo and Temin). HIV turns into AIDS when the immune system gets extremely weak and is unable to fight infections anymore. The most common indication of whether a person has AIDS or not is the CD4 cell count. If this count is below 200, the person most probably has AIDS. The transition from HIV virus to AIDS infection is a different process for every patient. People can live up to 10 years and even longer with HIV and not develop AIDS, while for others, AIDS development is much faster (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health). In the consequent years, HIV and AIDS came to be referred as one. They were believed to be two names of the same thing and were often used interchangeably. However, this was a common misconception. HIV is basically the virus that infects an individual. AIDS is the consequent disease that develops later on in people who are infected by the HIV virus. In today’s modern era where research and development have made medicine extremely advanced, drugs have been developed that make it possible for HIV infected people to live a very long healthy life before ever contracting AIDS. The time factor for development of AIDS in HIV patients is dependent on a lot of factors. Some of these dependants are controllable by proper and regular medication but reason such as the kind of HIV one has is beyond any control (U.S Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health). Research Question: What Are The Most Common Mistakes Women Make About Hiv And AIDS And How To Avoid Them? The correct information is the major factor that helps to understand and prevent HIV/AIDS. There are many myths revolving around the disease that need to be removed for better prevention. To date, no cure has been developed for the eradication of HIV, there are drugs that help control it, but there is nothing so far that can completely cure either HIV or AIDS. While research is being done in the area and new treatments are being tried to develop to curb this disease. Medical advancement have so far been unable to find a cure for HIV or AIDS (U.S Department of Helath and human Services Office on Women Health). Another very common mistake that women make is to think that they would easily be able to identify a man with HIV. It can take up to 10 years and sometimes even longer for the symptoms of HIV to start appearing. This period between when one has the virus and when the symptoms start to appear is known as the latency period. The latency period might be quite long for some individuals. The only way women can fully protect themselves from HIV is to refrain from having sexual intercourse of any kind. However the correct use of a condom can reduce the risk of HIV transmission during sexual intercourse can by 80 percent (U.S Department of Helath and human Services Office on Women Health). Another very common misconception that women have is that if they have either HIV or AIDS, they cannot get pregnant without transmitting the disease to their babies. However, quite the contrary is true. If a woman knows about her HIV infection early in pregnancy and gets treatment for it, the chance of the baby being born with HIV reduces to 2 percent. Even without treatment, this risk of the baby being with the HIV virus is about 25 percent and not 100 percent as is commonly believed. All pregnant women should get themselves tested for HIV and with proper treatment that is available; it is possible for even HIV infected women to have health babies. However, woman with HIV should avoid breast feeding just to be on the safe side. Another very important fact to remember is that it is extremely important to practice safe sex even if both partners are HIV victims. Women often believe that the concepts of safe sex do not apply where both partners are HIV infected. However, it is important to understand that there are different strains of HIV, and even if both partners have it, it is quite possible for them to have different types of HIV. Hence, practicing safe sex is even important for two people having the HIV virus. Women are often seen to believe that they do not need to get treatment for HIV until all their symptoms start to show and they get very sick. When the HIV virus has been contracted, even if a person is feeling very well and healthy, the HIV virus is constantly multiplying within the body and attacking and harming the body within. The time when one actually starts to feel unwell is when the HIV has already severely impacted the immune system. At this point, there is nothing to bring the body back to normal. Health experts believe that the only way to protect the immune system as well as possible is to start HIV treatment and medication as soon as the disease is contracted. Also, the HIV medicine reduce the virus content within the blood, hence treatment will also reduce the risk of passing on the virus to someone else. However, this treatment is not guarantee that others will not be infected. Regular checkups are extremely important so that the doctor can decide the best time to start treatment (U.S Department of Helath and human Services Office on Women Health). Women also believe that they can’t be transmitters of the HIV virus. Admittedly it is hard for men to get HIV from women for a variety of anatomic reasons, but it is not impossible. If a female partner has an untreated sexually transmitted infection (STI) like syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia, the risk of passing on the infection of HIV is higher. A common phrase that we often hear is that prevention is better than cure. In case of HIV and AIDS, this applies more than any other disease because there is no cure. For prevention of such a disease, it is first important to understand how it is caused. The HIV virus is spread by some of the fluid’s in human body like blood, semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk as well as fluids that are handled by health care workers like fluids surrounding the brain, the joints of the bone and around unborn babies. Some of the most common methods via which HIV is passed on from one individual to the other include sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal, or oral) with a person who has the HIV virus. Sharing needles while doing drugs with someone who has HIV is also majorly responsible for the spread of HIV. A pregnant woman who has HIV can be the cause of spreading HIV on to the baby by mere pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as to other people during labor and birth. The other less common causes of spread of the disease include blood transfusions from a donor who is HIV positive. This spreading method is less common because in today’s modern era, blood transfusions are strictly controlled and the donor has to be tested for HIV along with other diseases before giving blood. Eating the food that has been pre-chewed by an HIV-infected person can also cause one to contract the HIV virus. The reason behind this is that the blood in the mouth can mix with the food while one is chewing. This form of spread is quite rare and only occurs in most cases to infants whose caregivers are HIV positive. People who get tattoos are at a high risk of contracting diseases like HIV if the needle they use has been on a previous occasion have been used by an HIV positive person. It is quite possible for one to get HIV from piercing tools especially of these are not sterilized properly between clients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) instruct that any tool that is used that cut skin should be used only once and either thrown away or sterilized between uses. It is imperative before getting a tattoo that or for that matter piercing the body to ask the right questions. ensuring proper steps for the prevention of HIV have been taken by the staff like the use of new needle for each client are an absolute must before going ahead with either tattooing or piercing. It is also important to remove some misconceptions about the spread of HIV. The society stigmatizes HIV/AIDS victims without realizing that many day to day interactions and activities in no make contracting the HIV virus positive. HIV does not spread through touching, hugging, kissing (unless of course there is contact with blood), shaking hands, sharing of food and drinks, sharing of food utensils, towels, bedding, telephones or even toilet seats. Blood donation as well as being around anyone who has HIV, playing with them, using the same swimming pool with someone who has HIV does not cause one to contract the virus (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health). From the moment HIV has been identified, the society has responded to this threat with fear and in a lot of cases denial. Society stigmatizes and discriminates against those suffering from the epidemic. This discrimination is wide-spread, and people are extremely prejudiced against the groups most severely affected by HIV, as well as those living with HIV. HIV is as much about social phenomena as it concerns biological and medical concerns. It is true that with time, the more polished part of the society has shown responses of compassion, solidarity and support for those suffering from HIV. However in most cases, the disease is a cause for repression and discrimination against the individuals affected. The women have seen the worst of this discrimination, often being rejected by even their own families. Women in many societies who have contracted HIV are looked down not only because they have a reprehensible disease but also because it is believed that sexual intercourse is the only way of contracting HIV and a women having HIV is considered ‘loose’. This common misconception has become the cause of women being ridiculed for having a liberal sex life. However, recent studies have gone on to show that blood transfusion is the more major cause of HIV transmission than intercourse. In developing countries especially, women are often economically, culturally and socially underprivileged and often do not even have access to proper treatment, financial support and education. Also important to remember is that because of the social stigma attached, women at times do not get themselves tested and even if they know about the disease, they do no tell others. In some societies, women are also mistaken as the main transmitters of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). This together with orthodox views about sex, blood and the transmission of other diseases, it provides a further basis for stigmatizing of women within the context of HIV (Hepatitis and AIDS Research Trust). HIV - positive women are treated differently from men especially in developing countries. Men are most likely to be forgiven and 'excused' for their behavior, whereas women are not. It is common practice that women are blamed for infecting their husbands with HIV (Hepatitis and AIDS Research Trust). For women, the misconceptions and beliefs surrounding HIV and AIDS have resulted in mane serious consequences. In addition to have to fight the disease, which in itself traumatic, people’s treatment of you is even worst (Hepatitis and AIDS Research Trust). Hence it is extremely important to deal with the misconceptions surrounding HIV and AIDS for better prevention and hopefully eradication. Bibliography Blattner, W., R.C. Gallo and H.M Temin. "HIV Causes AIDS." 29 july 1988. Virusmyth. Online. 15 december 2012. Hepatitis and AIDS Research Trust. Stigma. n.d. Online. 15 december 2012. U.S Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health. How is AIDS different from HIV? 2012. Online. 15 december 2012. U.S Department of Helath and human Services Office on Women Health. Myths about HIV/AIDS. 2012. Online. 15 december 2012. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health. How HIV is spread. 2012. Online. 15 december 2012. —. The science behind HIV. 2012. Online. 15 december 2012. Read More