AIDS and its Origin - Research Paper Example

Introduction The progress made by mankind in twentieth century will be written with golden words because of diverse nature of inventions and developments in all spheres of life. However despite these developments there are various concerns emerged as challenge which remain undefeated. The HIV/AIDS surfaced as an epidemic and remained a focal point for public health for the last twenty years because the number of people living with HIV rose from around 8 million in 1990 to 33 million by the end of 2009. According to an estimate of World Health Organization more than 25 million people worldwide have died AIDS. HIV is abbreviated for the term “Human Immune Deficiency Virus” and AIDS stands for “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome”. AIDS is an incurable illness caused by the HIV virus. This virus breaks down the immune system which ultimately makes the body more vulnerable to all manner of infections and certain forms of cancer. Common bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses that normally do not cause serious disease in people with healthy immune systems can cause fatal illnesses in people with AIDS. Origin and History of AIDS According to researchers’ one breed of chimp holds the evidence for rise of AIDS in the world. Scientists and researchers consider that ‘Pan Troglodytes’ – a subspecies of the common chimpanzee which lives in the central Africa where AIDS is thought to have arisen is the originating site for this disease. Chimpanzees host a virus called SIV ‘Simian immunodeficiency syndrome’ which is regarded as being similar to HIV. The HIV transferred to humans in Africa in period of 1886 to 1924 and enters Haiti in 1966 but how and why it was transferred to humans is still a matter of inference and speculation. The most commonly accepted theory about transfer of illness is that of the 'hunter' in which SIV was transferred to humans as a result of chimps being killed and eaten or their blood getting into cuts or wounds of the hunter. The first recognized case of AIDS occurred in the USA in the early 1980s and at that time AIDS did not yet have a name. Now it has been proved with clear evidence that HIV causes AIDS. Type of Virus HIV is a lentivirus which attacks the immune system. Lentiviruses are part of a larger group of viruses known as retroviruses. The genome of retroviruses consists of RNA not DNA. HIV-1 and HIV-2, the agents that cause AIDS, are retroviruses. Retroviral genomes are non-segmented, of positive polarity, and typically between 7 to 12 kb long in size. All retroviral genomes consist of at least 4 genes, gag, pro, pol and env. The gag gene encodes the major structural polyprotein Gag and is all that is necessary and sufficient for the assembly non-infectious and immature viral-like particles. The name 'lentivirus' means 'slow virus' because they take long time to produce any adverse effects in the body. An HIV particle is around 100-150 billionths of a meter in diameter. There are two types of HIV, i.e. HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-2 is less easily transmitted than HIV-1. The predominant virus is HIV-1. Generally when people refer to HIV without specifying the type of virus it will be considered as HIV-1. The relatively uncommon HIV-2 type is concentrated in West Africa and is rarely found elsewhere. There are further four group strains of HIV-1. These comprises the "major" group M, the "outlier" group O and two new groups, N and P. These four groups may represent four separate introductions of simian immunodeficiency virus into humans. T- Cell Receptors The T cell receptor (TCR) is a complex of integral membrane proteins that participates in the activation of T cells in response to the presentation of antigen. HIV preferentially infects T-cells, attacking the very system that protects us from viruses. Without treatment, the virus steadily attacks T-cells, depleting the immune system. When the number of T-cells gets too low, the infected individual progresses into AIDS. Then they are susceptible to many infections, since the immune system is no longer strong enough to fight off the invaders. HIV Transmission The transmission of HIV is possible through certain ways which causes infections at later stage. HIV is found in blood and other body fluids such as semen and vaginal fluids. The life span of HIV is very short from outside the body. It can be transmitted through sexual contact (oral, vaginal and anal sex), blood transmission, from mother to child in which a pregnant woman can transmit the virus to her fetus through their shared blood circulation, or a nursing mother can transmit it to her baby in her breast milk. It may also be transmitted rarely through sharing infected needle, artificial insemination with infected donated semen, and organ transplantation with infected organs. If there is any contact with blood during sex the risk of infection increases. Tattooing and piercing can also transmit HIV if instrument are not sterilized properly prior to use. The transmission of HIV is not possible with kissing, sneezing, coughing, sharing utensils with affected persons, injecting drugs with sterile needles and protected sex. Symptoms of HIV infection/AIDS The sign and symptoms of HIV infected person may appear soon after the infection or it may appear after some time. Early symptoms may often be mistakenly taken as flu or viral infection. Initial signs include fever and headache. The warning signs of infections at later stage include rapid weight loss, dry cough, recurring fever, profound and unexplained fatigue, and swollen lymph glands in the armpits/groin, diarrhea lasting for more than a week, pneumonia, and white spot on tongue, memory loss, depression and neurological disorders. The symptoms of AIDS are similar to many other diseases therefore diagnosis by medical expert and professional advice is necessary for confirmation of HIV infection. Diagnosis of HIV The diagnosis of HIV is done through number of tests however the most common test widely used for diagnosing infection with HIV is referred to as an ELISA. If the ELISA finds HIV antibodies, the results must be confirmed, typically by a test called a Western blot. HIV antibody tests remain the best method for diagnosing HIV infection. Other Methods or test for diagnosis include rapid HIV test, antigen test, fourth generation tests and PCR tests. Cure and Treatment There is no cure for AIDS or HIV infection. Although antiretroviral treatment can suppress HIV, the virus that causes AIDS and can delay illness for many years but it cannot clear the virus completely. The aim of antiretroviral treatment is to keep the amount of HIV in the body at a low level. This stops any weakening of the immune system and allows it to recover from any damage that HIV might have caused already. A combination of several antiretroviral drugs, called highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), has been very effective in reducing the number of HIV particles in the bloodstream. This is measured by the viral load (how much virus is found in the blood). Preventing the virus from replicating can improve T-cell counts and help the immune system recover from the HIV infection. HAART is not a cure for HIV, but it has been very effective for the past 12 years. People on HAART with suppressed levels of HIV can still transmit the virus to others through sex or by sharing needles. There is good evidence that if the levels of HIV remain suppressed and the CD4 count remains high (above 200 cells/mm3), life can be significantly prolonged and improved. However, HIV may become resistant to HAART, especially in patients who do not take their medications on schedule every day. Genetic tests are now available to determine whether an HIV strain is resistant to a particular drug. This information may be useful in determining the best drug combination for each person, and adjusting the drug regimen if it starts to fail. These tests should be performed any time a treatment strategy begins to fail, and before starting therapy. Prevention Prevention is better than cure in all diseases and this principal holds a phenomenal significance for AIDS. AIDS is a disease that does not have any permanent cure. Accessible treatment options are only useful in reducing the symptoms connected with the disease. Therefore it is important to have sufficient protection to avoid any infection. The preventive measures include being faithful to one partner or have fewer partners, follow safe sex practices, comprehensive sex education, use of male and female condoms, never shares needles/syringes, razors, toothbrushes or blades with others, HIV-positive individual should never donate blood or organs. The male circumcision reduces the risk of HIV transmission from women to men by around 50%, which is enough to justify its promotion as an HIV prevention measure in some high-prevalence areas. Effective prevention of mother to child transmission is also necessary for new born. Conclusion Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic surfaced, over 60 million people have been affected with HIV and more than 20 million have died of AIDS. Despite wide ranging interventions to curtail its further spread and mitigate the impact of its effect. There are 1600 new infections every day and there is a need to defeat it with preventive measures at mass level through education and physical means. Work Cited 1. D.C.Jayasuriya; AIDS, Public Health and legal dimensions Martinus Nijhoff publishers 2. Janet Majure; AIDS, Enslow Publishers 3. John Langone; Aids The Fact, 1991 4. Jafar Mahmud; AIDS in the world, APH publishing corporation 5. Andrew T. Mc.Phee AIDS, 2001 6. http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/aids/overview.html 7. http://www.avert.org/aids.htm 8. http://www.amfar.org/ Read More