Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
that makes it difficult for the body to fight off infectious diseases.
The human immunodeficiency virus known as HIV causes AIDS by
infecting and damaging part of the body's defenses against infection
— its lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell in the body's
immune (infection-fighting) system that is supposed to fight off
invading germs. HIV can be transmitted through direct contact with
the blood or body fluid of someone who is infected with the virus.
That contact usually comes from sharing needles or by having
unprotected sex with an infected person. An infant could get HIV
from a mother who is infected. HIV and AIDS can be treated, there
are no vaccines or cures for them.
When the number of T-cells falls to a very low level, people with HIV
become more susceptible to other infections and they may get
certain types of cancer that a healthy body would normally be able
to fight off. This weakened immunity (or immune deficiency) is
known as AIDS and can result in severe life-threatening infections,
some forms of cancer, and the deterioration of the nervous system.
The first case of AIDS was reported in 1981, but the disease may
have existed unrecognized for many years before that. HIV infection
leading to AIDS has been a major cause of illness and death among
children, teens, and young adults worldwide. AIDS has been the
sixth leading cause of death in the United States among 15- to 24-
year-olds since 1991.
Among children, most cases of AIDS — and almost all new HIV
infections — resulted from transmission of the HIV virus from the
mother to her child during pregnancy, birth, or through
breastfeeding.
The three main ways HIV is passed to a very young child are:
Infants who are not actually infected with the virus (but are born to
HIV-positive mothers) will not make their own antibodies; the HIV
antibodies that came from their mothers will gradually disappear
from their blood before they reach 2 years of age. Any blood tests
performed after this point will likely be HIV-negative. Infants who are
infected with HIV from their mothers will begin to make their own
HIV antibodies and will generally remain HIV-positive after 18
months of age.
Older kids, teens, and adults are tested for HIV infection by an ELISA
test to detect the presence of HIV antibodies in the blood.
Antibodies are specific proteins that the body produces to fight
infections; HIV-specific antibodies are produced in response to
infection with HIV. Someone with antibodies against HIV is said to be
HIV-positive. If the ELISA test is positive, it is always confirmed by
another test called a Western blot. If both of these tests are positive,
the patient is almost certainly infected with HIV.
Preventing HIV and AIDS
What is AIDS?
Since the first cases of AIDS were identified in 1981, more than 25
million people have died from AIDS. An estimated two million people
died as a result of AIDS in 2008 alone.
Although there is no cure for AIDS, HIV infection can be prevented,
and those living with HIV can take antiretroviral drugs to delay the
onset of AIDS. However, in many countries across the world access
to prevention and treatment services is limited. Global leaders have
pledged to work towards universal access to HIV prevention and
care, so that millions of deaths can be averted.
Around 2.7 million people became infected with HIV in 2008. Sub-
Saharan Africa has been hardest hit by the epidemic; in 2008 over
two-thirds of AIDS deaths were in this region.
The epidemic has had a devastating impact on societies, economies
and infrastructures. In countries most severely affected, life
expectancy has been reduced by as much as 20 years. Young adults
in their productive years are the most at-risk population, so many
countries have faced a slow-down in economic growth and an
increase in household poverty. In Asia, HIV and AIDS causes a
greater loss of productivity than any other disease. An adult’s most
productive years are also their most reproductive and so many of
the age group who have died from AIDS have left children behind. In
sub-Saharan Africa the AIDS epidemic hasorphaned nearly 12
million children.
In recent years, the response to the epidemic has been intensified;
in the past ten years in low- and middle-income countries there has
been a 6-fold increase in spending for HIV and AIDS. The number
of people on antiretroviral treatment has increased, the annual
number of AIDS deaths has declined, and the global percentage of
people infected with HIV has stabilised.
However, recent achievements should not lead to complacent
attitudes. In all parts of the world, people living with HIV still face
AIDS related stigma and discrimination, and many people still
cannot access sufficient HIV treatment and care. In America and
some countries of Western and Central andEastern Europe,
infection rates are rising, indicating that HIV prevention is just as
important now as it ever has been. Prevention efforts that have
proved to be effective need to be scaled-up and treatment targets
reached. Commitments from national governments right down to
the community level need to be intensified and subsequently met,
so that one day the world might see an end to the global AIDS
epidemic.
AIDS and HIV are very dangerous diseases. They strike without
warning and destroy the body. This disease is a worldwide
problem. You can't get away from it. Many people die from it every
year
Poor judgement means you might make bad decisions about things
like sexual contact and when you use drugs your body can not fight
infections as well. These are good suggestions to prevent getting
HIV or AIDS, but some people didn't get to make those decisions to
prevent HIV and AIDS.
Many people with HIV contracted HIV when they we in their mother's
womb. When a pregnant woman passes HIV onto her baby, the
baby's condition is called Prenatal HIV Infection. The transmission of
HIV from a mother to the fetus as early as the 8th week of
Gestation. The percent of mother to child transmission is 13% to
42%. Not all mothers with HIV pass the disease onto their baby
because there are ways to protect her baby from HIV. An HIV
positive mother can: start AZT treatment after the 14th week of
Gestation(this reduces the transmission rate by 70%),consider
having a Cesarean section, which reduces the transmission rate by
50%, bottle feed, which reduces by 50%,not smoke because nicotine
is toxic to the fetus, and the mother can have her baby tested for
HIV. HIV positive mothers getting their babies treated with AZT have
to pay quite a lot, but normally it is worth it.
HIV and AIDS are deadly diseases. AIDS is a growing epidemic, and
more attention should be called to the effects it has on a person
mentally and physically.
AIDS and HIV literally destroys your body cell by cell. HIV is
intercepted when body fluids are exchanged. The virus then travels
in the blood stream looking for helper T cells, the directors of the
immune system, to invade. The virus doesn't choose a cell
randomly. It has to find a cell that fits it's receptor snugly. When the
cell is found, it is given a chemical signal to produce new viruses.
These new viruses go through the same process, and the HIV
multiplies rapidly. This is one reason HIV is so deadly.
HIV is deadly for many reasons. At first, the infected person seems
to have the flu. It goes away fairly soon, so it may be regarded as
nothing.
Meanwhile the virus is killing more and more helper T cells. The B
cells that produce antibodies discover the HIV virus and start
producing antibodies, but without the helper T cells there is no one
to direct them, and the virus isn't killed. As more and more helper T
cells are killed, the immune system grows weak, and AIDS is
developed. There is no definite symptom of AIDS, but you might
have it if your glands are swollen persistently. As AIDS weakens your
immune system, diseases that wouldn't affect a healthy person start
to attack the body.
The diseases that attack the body when the immune system is weak
are called opportunistic diseases. These diseases become very
dangerous when they encounter a weak immune system. Most
people with AIDS or HIV are killed by the opportunistic diseases. The
most deadly of these diseases is PCP or pheumocystis carinii
pneumonia. Its symptoms are a persistent cough, shortness of
breath, chest pain, and a high fever. These diseases are not to be
taken lightly. They can kill you. We think more attention should be
paid to HIV and AIDS.
HIV and AIDS are deadly. AIDS has been called the plague of the
twentieth century. It is a growing epidemic. We can't believe that
more people die of the opportunistic diseases than AIDS or HIV. AIDS
and HIV are not curable yet so all we can do is stay safe and hope
that a cure is found in the future.
What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?
• HIV is a virus and AIDS is a bacterial disease
• There is no difference between HIV and AIDS
• HIV is the virus that causes AIDS
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. A person can live a relatively
normal life for many years if they are diagnosed with HIV, but they
are said to have AIDS when they develop an HIV related illness.
Can you get AIDS from sharing the cup of someone with HIV?
• Yes
• No
• Only if you don't wash the cup
HIV can affect anyone from any part of the world, no matter whether
they are gay, straight, old or young.
If someone with HIV has a CD4 count of 200 or less, what does
this mean?
• Their immune system is very healthy
• They no longer have HIVWrong
• They should probably start antiretroviral treatmentRight
• They will die within a week
The more CD4 cells there are in a person's blood, the stronger the
immune system. A CD4 cell count below 200 indicates that the
person has a very weak immune system and requires antiretroviral
therapy.
The risk of HIV transmission through oral sex is much smaller than
that through anal or vaginal sex. If the HIV positive person has
bleeding wounds or gums there is a greater chance of HIV
transmission.