Aids 5
Aids 5AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, is a recently
recognized disease. It is caused by infection with the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS is a complicated illness that may
involve several phases. It is caused by a virus that can be passed from
person to person. AIDS impairs the human body's immune system--the
system is responsible for warding off disease--and leaves the victim
susceptible to various infections.
AIDS was first conclusively identified in the United States in 1981,
when 189 cases were reported to the Centers for Disease Control. Within a
decade the disease had spread to virtually all populated areas of the world.
In the United States alone there are about 65,000 new cases every year. The
origin of the AIDS virus is uncertain, but it may have originated in Central
Africa.
The first AIDS patients in the Americas and Europe were almost
exclusively male homosexuals. Later patients included those who used
unsterilized intravenous needles to inject drugs; hemophiliacs (persons with a
blood-clotting disorder) and others who had received blood transfusions;
females whose male sexual partners had AIDS; and the children of parents
with AIDS. However since 1989, heterosexual sex was found to be the
fastest growing means of transmission of the virus, with 90 percent of the
new cases coming from heterosexual sex.
How AIDS Is Spread
AIDS is transmitted by direct contact of the bloodstream with body
fluids that contains the AIDS virus, particularly blood and semen from an
HIV-infected person. The virus is usually transmitted through various forms
of sexual intercourse, the transfusion of virus-contaminated blood, or sharing
in HIV-contaminated intravenous needles.
The AIDS virus cannot enter intact bodily surfaces, such as skin, and
quickly perishes outside the human body. AIDS is not spread by casual
physical contact or by sneezing. The virus has been found in tears and
saliva, but it is there in such low amounts that transmission from these body
fluids is extremely rare. There are no known cases of AIDS transmission by
insects or by domestic animals. Studies show that the virus is usually passed
to an infant close to or during delivery. Recently infected mothers can
transmit the virus to their kids through breast milk.
Detection and Treatment
Following infection with HIV, an individual may show no symptoms
at all or may develop small illnesses. The period between initial infection
and the development of AIDS is currently varying between six months and
eleven years. Usually, when the AIDS virus enters the bloodstream. the
body's immune system produces antibodies to fight the microorganisms.
Blood tests can detect these antibodies and therefore can show exposure to
the virus. However, these tests sometimes give wrong readings and only
begin giving correct information within two...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.