The 21st Century Brings To Life A Deadly Virus - HIV

by Elizabeth Campbell

We all know that AIDS is a deadly disease, which has spread a lot in the last century. How many of us really know how this particular syndrome affects people and what does it mean?

AIDS means Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. As the name aptly describes, this is a disease that severely affects the proper functioning of the immune system. It brings about a host of other syndromes and paves the way for “opportunistic infections” and neurological dysfunctions.

The virus that triggers AIDS is the HIV, which means Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Entry of the virus into the human systems sets off a long series of infections which continues until the patient dies.

Up to this date, there is still no known cure for this disease. Medicines and surgical treatments are done to retard its development. In 1981 AIDS has been officially declared as a disease and aligned with the rest of the other known diseases. Still millions continue to die and suffer from this disease. Based on the World Health Organization statistics 2006 saw 2.9 million deaths because of AIDS and 39.5 million infected globally.

What is really unfortunate is that the number of people infected increases year after year. Again, WHO says that the increase could come to about 4.3 million per year? In Africa, 20% or more of people in the 15-45 age groups are affected, while in the rest of the world, 1% is the ratio for the same age groups. Statistics present an alarming scenario that should get everybody’s attention. The HIV and its devastating effect on human lives would continue to haunt us unless people give more concern to its cause.

AIDS is the summation of all the diseases associated with HIV infection. This infection triggers the weakening of the immune system and until its final breakdown. Majority of all the infected and untreated persons will sooner or later develop the AIDS.

The prevalence of the disease is unfortunate for the younger population as they are primarily the age group that has much sexual activity. Still, this is not a reason for the older generation to be lax as the virus can be transmitted in many other ways besides sexual contact.

The mother can transmit virus to the foetus, and therefore the baby will be born with the virus. A baby with the virus is unlikely to survive. The baby can get the virus through the mother’s infected blood during pregnancy and childbirth and from the breast milk, after birth.

Finally, not withstanding the most up to date and expensive treatments so far, the disease continues to spread at an alarming rate. Considering its widespread and devastating effect to lives, especially to innocent children, it is now considered to be the most destructive epidemics in history.

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