Information on Aids

What is AIDS?

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or better known as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease related to the immune system of the humans, caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The way it makes a difference between people with HIV and without it is that this virus interferes with the immune system because of which the host is more likely to get infections like opportunistic infections, which are caused by germs that take advantage of certain situations. These infections would generally not have the same affect on people with an active immune system. The vulnerability gets worse as this disease progresses.

You can get lot of information on AIDS online and there are many health organizations which help AIDS victims.

How HIV virus is Transmitted?

There are many ways in which the HIV AIDS virus can transmit from one person to another, such as anal oral or vaginal sex, blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, exchange of blood between mother and the baby during pregnancy, breastfeeding and childbirth. It can also transfer by any contact of a mucous membrane or any contact of the bloodstream with a bodily fluid that too has the virus, like blood, breast milk, semen, vaginal fluid, etc. For detailed information on AIDS virus contact your health services AIDS department.

The Spread, Symptoms and Treatment of HIV/AIDS Virus

HIV/AIDS has been a source or worry in many countries, and is by most considered a pandemic (an outbreak of contagious virus that is spreading rapidly through human population over a large area). It has been estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that in 2009 33.4 million people worldwide have HIV/AIDS, with a shocking 2.7 million new HIV infections per year and 2 million annual deaths due to AIDS.

The genesis of this deadly disease has been trailed to west-central Africa where it originated during the late nineteenth and/or early twentieth century. AIDS was first recognized by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1981 and its cause, the HIV was identified in the early 1980’s.

The signs or symptoms of AIDS are chiefly the result of circumstances that do not usually develop in people with a hale and hearty immune system. Most of these circumstances are infections that are caused by viruses, fungi, parasites and bacteria. Which are generally controlled by the immune system that the HIV damages.

The opportunistic infections on the other hand are common in people with AIDS, and as such affect nearly every organ system in their body. An increased risk of developing a cancer such as the cervical cancer, the Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphomas (cancers of the immune system) additionally AIDS affected people often have systemic symptoms of infections such as fevers, sweats (particularly at night), swollen glands, weakness, weight loss and chills.

Although the treatment of HIV/AIDS can slow down the process of the disease, there is no known cure or any HIV/AIDS vaccine. Antiretroviral (medications for the treatment of infections by retroviruses, primarily HIV) treatment reduces both the deaths and new infections from HIV/AIDS, but these drugs at the time being are very expensive and not available in all countries. As there is no permanent cure for this disease, at present, controlling its spread is the best way of preventing infections from HIV/AIDS.

Most people have little or no information in this regard, facts on AIDS are very important to be familiar with, as many lives can be saved in this way.

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