There are many virus’ and diseases known to mankind that have existed for many centuries. Some have cures whereas others sadly do not. Some may show symptoms and again others may not.
So what exactly does AIDS mean? AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This basically means that this syndrome is something you acquire after birth and not something that you inherit from your parents. It targets your immune system, which includes all the organs in your body that fight off infection and or disease, and causes it to not function properly ("What Is HIV/AIDS?," 2012). AIDS is a very complex disease that causes many different complications as well as symptoms. Some might not know that AIDS is in fact the final stage of the HIV infection. HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus that can only infect human beings. This is similar to many other viruses like the flu but there is one very important difference. Our bodies for some reason are not able to get rid of this horrible virus and scientist are still trying to figure out why this is ("What Is HIV/AIDS?," 2012). This virus weakens your immune system by destroying cells that are important to fighting disease and infection ("What Is HIV/AIDS?," 2012). These cells are called T cells or CD4 cells. The way it works is that the virus invades the T cells to use them so that the virus can replicate itself and later destroys the cells ("What Is HIV/AIDS?," 2012). Once your body has lost many of these T cells your body can no longer fight infection or diseases and that’s when HIV leads to AIDS ("What Is HIV/AIDS?," 2012). So where did this syndrome and virus originate and how does it come to be you ask? Well scientist believe that HIV in fact may have come from Western Africa by means...
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...so that you can reduce your risk of being infected or spreading if you are already infected. Simply not having sex is the best way to not be infected. Limiting your partners, using a condom, being faithful are all ways to reduce your risk as well ("HIV Prevention," 2013). If have been diagnosed with HIV and want to keep you partner safe there are steps you can take to insure your partners’ health. There are medications called antiretroviral therapy or ART, that helps the body have less HIV in the body and this in turn reduces the risk for your partner ("HIV Prevention," 2013). There are also medications available for people who do not have HIV. PrEP, or Pre-exposure prophyraxis is taken by people who are at high risk of being infected, Post-exposure phrophytaxis is for people who have been exposed to HIV to reduce the risk of being infected ("HIV Prevention," 2013).
Nagami also had to deal with the limits of medicine in dealing with her cases. The chapter dealing with AIDS, chicken pox, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis displayed the limits of medicine. In each of these cases the patients involved died even though Dr. Nagami and her colleagues tried to prevent their deaths. In the case of AIDS and the encephalitis advances have been made in treatment of the disease since Dr. Nagami first encountered them. At the time of the cases however there was very little that could be done to save the patients. Some cases like the chickenpox simply overran the body and any treatment that was
The medical field is a vast land of beauty but with great beauty comes immense horror. There are many deadly viruses and diseases found in the medical field. In the novel, The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, the author discusses the many deadly viruses found in the field. The viruses are widespread due to the errors that occur when the viruses are in the presence of human beings. The effects of the errors performed by the human race include a decrease in population and wildlife. The viruses are spread in many different ways in the novel, but all are due to human mistakes.
...ell wall synthesis (8). Individuals who are allergic to Penicillin can be treated with alternative oral antibiotics such as Tetracycline or Doxycycline (3). These antibiotics work by inhibiting protein synthesis (8). During the course of treatment the individual should abstain from sexual contact with their partner until there are no sign and symptoms of the disease or confirmation of a negative blood work. Also individuals should be annually tested and receive necessary treatment if needed to reduce the risk of infecting others (6). Syphilis can be prevented in many ways. First and foremost is by being in a mutually monogamous relationship, the correct use of latex condoms if you are not in a monogamous relationship, also by providing education about the damages the disease can cause and how it can be prevented by not spreading the disease with one another (6).
There is no vaccine for HIV, but there are some drugs that can extend their lives. Some of the treatments that are offered are very expensive and are not available to all people with HIV. Also, these treatments do not work for about 20% of people who have tried them. Some of the best ways to avoid contracting HIV is to abstain from sexual intercourse and from sharing needles if you do drugs. Do not share personal items that may be contaminated with blood.
It is a virus that gradually attacks the immune system, which is our body 's natural defence against illness. If a person becomes infected with HIV, they will find it harder to fight off infections and diseases. AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. AIDS is a syndrome caused by the HIV virus. It is when a person’s immune system is too weak to fight off infections, and develops when the HIV infection is very advanced.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS weakens the immune system hampering the body’s defense mechanisms. AIDS is known to be a deadly disease, especially if it is not treated in a timely manner. AIDS and HIV is an epidemic that is increasing among the African American population with roots tracing back to Africa, AIDS and HIV needs greater exposure and more awareness within the African American community and in the homosexual community.
Kovacs JA, M. H. (2000). Prophylaxis against opportunistic infections in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. N Engl J Med, 342: 1416.
The human population has a high susceptibility to the contraction of new diseases and outbreaks of these diseases are of high risk. Diseases in recent times that have broken out into the human population are the H7N9 flu strain and SARS. Despite the risk, outbreaks like H7N9 and SARS have been controlled due to epidemiology and other disease control methods. Outbreaks of disease are not uncommon to the human population as they move to new areas around the world with foreign diseases that the native residents would have developed a resistance to.
Research has demonstrated that consistent condom use is an effective way to prevent the transmission of HIV and other STDs and in the prevention of pregnancy.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that your body can’t get rid of. This virus sits in your body and attack your immune system and essential virus fighting cells. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the final stage of HIV infection. At this point of HIV people have badly damaged immune systems, which put them at risk for other disease and infections.
Throughout history many different diseases have infected the world. Such diseases consist of measles, mumps, malaria, typhus and yellow fever. Many of these diseases are caused by different things and originated in different countries.
time as well as forward. They determined that the first cases of AIDS in the
According to the World Health Organization, HIV/AIDS is the leading infectious killer in the world with the death toll estimated around 36 million people (WHO, 2014). HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is very different from other communicable disease because the virus takes over cells in the body and weakens the immune system. It does that by destroying healthy, important cells that fight off disease and infection. The reason your immune system cannot fight this virus is still a question many scientists are seeking to answer, (AIDS, 2014). Scientists know that HIV is capable of being undetected in the cells of our bodies for long periods of time. The HIV virus invades our T cells, which are in charge of cellular immunity, and is able to duplicate itself in these cells and then destroy them. When too many T cells become destroyed the body is unable to fight off this virus, which leads to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS, (AIDS, 2014).
In 1981, a new fatal, infectious disease was diagnosed--AIDS (Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome). It began in major cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco. People, mostly homosexual men and intravenous drug users, were dying from very rare lung infections or from a cancer known as Kaposi’s sarcoma. They have not seen people getting these diseases in numerous years. Soon, it also affected hemophiliacs, blood recipients, prostitutes and their customers, and babies born from AIDS-infected women. AIDS was soon recognized as a worldwide health emergency, and as a fatal disease with no known cure, that quickly became an epidemic. When high-profile victims began to contract the virus, such as basketball star Magic Johnson, the feeling spread quickly that anyone, not just particular groups of people, could be at risk. AIDS impairs the human body’s immune system and leaves the victim susceptible to various infections. With new research, scientists think that the disease was first contracted through a certain type of green monkey in Africa, then somehow mutated into a virus that a human could get. AIDS is a complicated illness that may involve several phases. It is caused by a virus that can be passed from person to person. This virus is called HIV, or Human Immuno-deficiency Virus. In order for HIV to become full-blown AIDS, your T-cell count (number of a special type of white-blood cells that fight off diseases) has to drop below 200, or you have to get one of the symptoms of an AIDS-induced infection.
for which no cure has yet been created. It is important to know however, that methods are currently available which can prevent the transfer of this virus, and even slow down its malicious effects. before they become fatal. It is equally important to know how to avoid getting the virus and also the symptoms in case you might run across them. They are all a lot.