The Struggles of a Person Battling Against Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a combination of signs and symptoms forming a distinct clinical image of a disorder. As it implies, it is acquired meaning it is neither congenital nor hereditary. It involves a suppression of the one’s immune system thereby increasing the risk of infections. If the immune system of a person goes down, there will be an increase in the susceptibility of that person to various infections, which has a very high probability to eventually arrive at death. Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is the causative agent of AIDS. It’s a type of retrovirus, which is also described as a slow type of virus, that is, the period between the onset of infection and the appearance of symptoms tends to be longer thereby giving an opportunity for these microorganisms to be transmitted to other hosts. The incubation period or the time between the infection and the appearance of AIDS is about seven to twelve years. A diagnostic evaluation to know whether a person really has AIDS is to obtain the CD4 count of that person. The normal CD4 count is around 500- 1500. This is done to have a distinction between HIV positive individuals from individuals categorized as having AIDS. The confirmatory diagnostic test is the western blot analysis.
The signs and symptoms of an individual that is infected by HIV or has AIDS are fatigue, loss of weight for about ten percent of the total body weight, chronic cough for one month, persistent diarrhea, prolonged fever, appearance of oral thrush in the buccal cavity, nausea and vomiting, and repeated infections. The mode of transmission of these microorganisms is through sexual intercourse, transmission from a pregnant female to the fetus during pregnancy, during breast-feeding, during child birth, through blood transfusion, sharing of needles or syringes infected with HIV, and through organ donation.
As the virus enters into the body of an individual, the virus rapidly mutates thereby making it a very difficult task for the body’s immune system to recognize the foreign microorganism. Treatment is therefore, very important for the survival of an individual infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The drugs used as treatment modalities for AIDS are not actually used to treat or cure the abovementioned infection and these drugs are known as enteroviral drugs. These types of drugs inhibit the reproduction of HIV. One group of enteroviral drugs used as medical management is called Protease Inhibitors. These drugs inhibit protease enzymes, which are essential for the formation of the virus. Some of the drugs available in the market classified as Protease Inhibitors are Saquinavir, Indinavir, and Ritonavir. Another group of enteroviral drugs used as medical management for AIDS is Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors. These drugs work by inhibiting the enzyme known as reverse transcriptase, which is important in the replication of the virus. Some of the drugs available in the market classified as Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors are Didanosine, Lamivudine, Zalcitabine, Stavudine, Nevirapine, and Zidovudine.
Since AIDS had no cure up to this time, how can an individual prevent the acquisition of HIV? What are the important roles of the health care department in order to promote prevention? What is the responsibility of the government with regards to this issue? Now, given the fact that AIDS do not have a cure only emphasizes one thing and that is prevention. An individual can prevent acquiring HIV if he or she is well educated about it. This puts emphasis or highlights the roles of the health care workers. Giving awareness to the public about the modes of transmission, and the necessary precautions so as to prevent acquiring AIDS will create a big difference. Again, the key is prevention through information dissemination. Health education to the people who has HIV infected relatives or family members are also very important. Putting emphasis on not sharing personal things such as toothbrush and razor blades is essential to prevent the spread of HIV. In addition, promotion of safer health practices is also important and this can be done using condoms. Since organ donation is one mode of transmission of HIV, it is therefore, strictly discouraged for a person with AIDS to donate his or her organs.
A person with AIDS is experiencing not only possible infections but also the shame of having it. Therefore, family support is important in the management of the condition.
What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is caused by a virus called HIV, human immunodeficiency virus. If the virus gets into the bloodstream, it attacks parts of the body’s immune system. It means that the body cannot fight off any disease because the immune system is not functioning normally. Luc Monatagnier and Robert Gallo reported the discovery of AIDS in 1980, although it was reported that AIDS existed in Africa before that period.
AIDS will be a health problem for a long time. It is important for you to know how to avoid infection. As a young individual, you need to take responsibility for protecting your own health. Correct decisions and values can help avoid many serious problems later.
AIDS is a pandemic or global disease. There is growing evidence that HIV/ AIDS pandemic has reached the major areas of the world. The prevalence is increasing among persons with multiple sexual partners, such as among the commercial sex workers or prostitutes and men who have a male sex partner. This is also true to the intravenous (IV) drug users.
AIDS is deadly because there is no cure for it at present and there is no vaccine against it. It is accepted that one prevention strategy for AIDS is through education. Adolescence is the best time to learn about AIDS because of the secondary physical changes taking place. Adolescent tent to experiment with many types of behavior, some of which may be dangerous. It is hoped that education should fully inform you about HIV, AIDS, STD infection, transmission and prevention. This type of education should give you the opportunity to develop skills in making responsible decisions, particularly on your own sexual behavior. You have the right to say “no” to sex because you can get AIDS virus or HIV from even one sexual experience alone. Saying “no” now does not mean “no” forever. When you say “no”, you are postponing sex, and you are preparing to say “yes” later when you make a life-long decision in marriage.
The following are five ways that a person can get infected of AIDS:
- Having sex with someone who is infected with the AIDS virus.
- Sharing intravenous (IV) needles with someone who is infected with the virus.
- Receiving blood transfusion or blood products from someone who is infected with the AIDS virus.
- Using sperm from an infected donor for artificial insemination.
- Being born to a woman who is infected with the AIDS virus.
This means that you will not get AIDS/ HIV from a handshake, a hug , a cough or sneeze, sweat or tears, pets or eating food prepared or served by someone infected with the virus. Nor will you get it from using the toilet bowls and other facilities or swimming pools, food utensils, chairs or bus seats, drinking fountains or sport’s equipment.
The following signs and symptoms are present and common in other illnesses. However, in AIDS, they tend to be longer lasting or more severe. It is best to consult a qualified physician when any of these symptoms are felt:
- Unexplained and persistent fatigue
- Unexplained fever, chills, or night sweats for weeks
- Unexplained weight loss of more than ten pounds
- Swollen glands or enlarged lymph nodes for more than two weeks
- Persistent and unusual white spots in the mouth
- Persistent diarrhea
- Unusual bruises or bleeding
The person suffering from AIDS shows the following characteristics: pneumocystic carinii, which is an infection that produces pneumonia with shortness of breath, persistent dry cough, sharp chest pain and difficulty of breathing. Another problem is kaposis sarcoma, which is a form of skin cancer. It produces purple or brown lesions that do not heal. The lesions can occur on any part of the body, such as the nose, mouth or rectum. Meningitis can also occur.
Prevention is possible through information and education. It should be designed to help young people like teens to modify behavior or to refrain from behavior that carries a risk to HIV infection. One should know how it spread and what virus can cause it.
One should attend counseling and similar social services in order to avoid the behavior that carries the risk of HIV transmission. One should understand, appreciate and practice the social norms and policies with respect to the rights and dignity of people infected with HIV and people with AIDS. In fact, the whole world is united against AIDS. There is a global mobilization to prevent AIDS in 140 countries, which are participating in and support in various programs to stop its spread. It is but best to remember that “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE!”