“AIDS is already the single greatest health crisis that has faced humankind,” says international
AIDS expert Stephen Lewis. “If it hasn’t overtaken every comparable plague in the past, it will overtake in the future.”
Introduction
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV attacks the immune system resulting in a serious illness that leaves the infected vulnerable to other infections and illnesses, even cancers. AIDS is fatal! The 2
HIV/Aids epidemic is growing rapidly and has now reached every corner of the world. An estimated 15 000 new HIV infections occur every day and the United Nations has predicted a total of 45 million new infections by 2010. There are very frightening statistics. Just where did this disease get its start and why is it so deadly?
Statistics
In the early 1980's rare cancers and infections began showing up in supposedly healthy gay man. It seemed that something was destroying their immune systems and they eventually died from this new disease, often referred to then as the “gay plague”. Then others began to die, heterosexuals, Haitians, and hemophiliacs; so researchers investigated to find answers to this mystery that was growing into an epidemic. HIV/AIDS is widely believed to have had its roots in Africa. It is speculated that HIV had “crossed over” into the human population from a particular species of chimpanzee, probably through blood contact that occurred during hunting. It then spread quickly in Africa and surrounding areas through sexual contact. This moved easily throughout Africa for various reasons. A combination of things existed: poverty, denial, stigma, gender oppression, transportation routes, migration, and civil conflict. The levels of poverty were so great that people’s immune systems were tremendously fragile and susceptible to disease. Health Canada was quoted as stating that “transportation routes moved truck drivers and others form one country to another, which allowed the pandemic to spread as travelers contracted HIV and carried it home” (Health Canada’s Report on AIDS, 2).
Conflict too, is a way for the spread of HIV/AIDS, through the sexual violence that occurs in refugee camps and among those who are displaced. There is also terrible oppression of women 3
who aren’t able to refuse sexual contact, and with that the reality that sexuality is hard to speak of. The stigma and denial are so intense that the pandemic can take root and spread rapidly, and no one will acknowledge and talk about it the way people talked about AIDS’ spread through the homosexual and drug-using communities in the Western world. Put all these factors together, and it has become a very widespread epidemic. International travel then contributed to the rapid global spread of HIV/AIDS.
AIDS was first reported in the United States in 1981 and since then it has become a worldwide epidemic. In a recent report on our local radio station, it stated that AIDS is Russia has now reached epidemic proportion. No continent is exempt from HIV/AIDS.
The spread of AIDS
Sexual contact with an infected person is how many cases of HIV are spread; however there are other ways. HIV transmission also occurs through needle use with an infected
HIV/AIDS person. The needle can be from piercing, tattoos or drug use. HIV is a slow virus.
This means it could be a long time before a person who is infected with HIV develops AIDS.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is the last stage of HIV infection. When this does occur the immune system breaks down and a person is then unable to fight off the deadly disease. The
World Book Encyclopedia was quoted as stating “AIDS spread quickly among people who were not well educated on the dangers of this epidemic and it became out of control in developing third-world countries where lifestyle factors such as drug use, inadequate nutrition and unprotected sexual activity contribute to this serious illness” (World Book Encyclopedia CD 4
Rom, 4). A very sad story is that thousands of babies tested positive for AIDS at birth, having been infected by their AIDS deceased mothers.
Although AIDS has been found in the saliva of infected persons, it is not believed to be spread by kissing or through sweat, tears urine or feces, Nor can it be spread by casual contact- holding hands or wearing clothes of the infected person.
Today in the world there are approximately 100 million infected with HIV. In Canada the first case of AIDS was reported in 1982. At the end of 2006, over 30 000 cases were reported.
Despite improved drug treatments there is still an estimated 56 000 living with HIV in Canada,
The numbers continue to climb. Back in 2005 a son of Nelson Mandella died of AIDS. In
Newfoundland and Labrador, entertainer Tommy Sexton, died of AIDS twelve years ago. This goes to show that this disease takes no mercy on anyone, regardless of where you stand in life.
Diagnosis
To find out if a person has HIV/AIDS there are several tests you can have done. The first test is the ELISA test. This test detects the presence of HIV infection. If the ELISA test comes out positive the Western Blot test is then used to confirm the diagnosis of HIV. If the test is negative it could mean that the HIV infection is not present or that it is still too early to fully diagnose it if the person was infected close to the test date. The Western Blot test is very sensitive at identifying HIV, and is used to confirm a positive ELISA test. Another test is the
CD4+T cell count test. This test is a blood test used to evaluate the status of the infected persons immune system. The fourth test is called the Ciral Load test. This test measures the amount of
HIV in your blood. Additional blood tests to check for other blood-borne infections can be 5
administered if the doctor feels the person is in danger of developing or had developed other diseases that can also be fatal for a person tested positive with the deadly AIDS virus.
There are some stages of AIDS with different symptoms for each. The first stage (Stage
A) lasts about a year. A person may not experience any symptoms, or may have some flu like symptoms. The HIV infection can be passed onto others very easily in this stage. The second stage of symptoms last 6-8 years. The symptoms in this stage can be diarrhea, fatigue, fever and swollen lymph nodes. The last stage for symptoms is Stage C. This stage is the most serious stage of all the three stages. If this stage is not treated, the person will die because of AIDS.
Depression, memory loss, and other nervous systems disorder can happen. A person can develop chronic yeast or pneumonia can kill a person at this point of time because their immune system cannot fight off the infection. Physical effects from HIV/AIDS are depression. Social affects that
HIV/AIDS has on people is when the person affected by the virus does not want to mingle other.
They are afraid of what people think and what people may say about them.
Treatments
Drugs usually used to treats AIDS are prescribed in combination. The treatment with these prescribed is known as “highly active anti-retrovival therapy” (HAART). People with
AIDS, who use this method of treatment will survive longer, and also, have improved health.
There are three types of treatment for AIDS according to the Biology 3201 textbook. The first one is called protease inhibitors. They interfere with HIV reproduction in the body during the late stage in the virus life cycle, slowing HIV growth. An example of this is Ritnavir. The second one is called Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. It interferes with HIV 6
reproduction in the body during an early stage of the virus life cycle. An example of this is
Zidovudine. The third treatment is the Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. This treatment interferers with HIV reproduction in the body, slowing the spread of HIV. An example of this Viramune.
To dated there is no known cure for HIV/AIDS and no vaccines exist, but there are some medications that can decrease the amount of HIV in a person’s body and help make that person a little more comfortable living as listed above.
There are many challenges facing a person with HIV. Some find it difficult to hold a job once the employer learns of the person’s medical problem. Stigma, discrimination, and prejudice continue to be associated with HIV/AIDS. Those living with this disease feel isolated and alone in their own world. Many think it is a disease that happens to other people- whether they be gay men, injection drug user, or sex trade workers- but not to them.
AIDS continues to be a serious global issue. Even though advances in drug treatment and public awareness have as positive implications, AIDS is still a fatal disease in our country and the world. HIV/AIDS kills tens of thousands each year. Although the disease may progress more slowly now in the year 2007 than it did twenty years ago the fact still remains- HIV/AIDS kills!
Bonnie Hebert was quoted as stating, “Once you have HIV, that’s it. You can’t unhave it”
(Hebert, 2)