FREE ESSAY ON AIDS

AIDS

HIV/AIDS 
Somewhere among the million children who go to New York's publicly financed schools is a
seven-year-old child suffering from AIDS. A special health and education panel had
decided, on the strength of the guidelines issued by the federal Centers for Disease
Control, that the child would be no danger to his classmates. Yet, when the school year
started on September 9th, several thousand parents in two school districts in the borough
of Queens kept their children at home. Fear of plague can be as pernicious, and
contagious, as the plague itself(Fear of dying 1). This article was written in 1985.
Since then much has been found out about AIDS. Not enough for a cure though. There
probably will be no cure found in the near future because the technology needed is not
available.
AIDS cases were first identified in 1981,in the United States. Researchers have traced
cases back to 1959. There are millions of diagnosed cases worldwide, but there is no cure
(Drotman 163). There are about a million people in the United States who are currently
infected with HIV (HIV/AIDS 1). It infects the population heavily in some areas of the
country and very lightly in other areas. No race, sex, social class, or age is immune
(AIDS Understanding 10). AIDS has killed more Americans than the Vietnam War, which
killed 58,000(AIDS Understanding 10).
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Acquired means that it is not
hereditary or introduced by medication. Immune indicates that it is related to the body's
system that fights off disease. Deficiency represents the lack of certain kinds of cells
that are normally found in the body. Syndrome is a group of symptoms and signs of
disordered function that signal the diagnoses (Hyde 1). You don't catch AIDS, you catch
HIV. HIV is the virus that leads to AIDS. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency virus.
HIV severely damages a person's disease fighting immune system. There are two viruses
that cause AIDS. They belong to a group called retroviruses. The first virus is HIV-1. It
was isolated by researchers in France in 1983, and in the U.S. in 1984. In 1985, the
second one was identified by scientists in France. It is closely related to HIV-1. It is
called HIV-2. HIV-2 mainly occurs in Africa but HIV-1 occurs throughout the world(Drotman
163).
There are three stages of the infection. The first stage is acute retroviral syndrome and
asymptomatic period. This is the flulike or mononucleosislike illness that most people
get within 6-12 weeks after becoming infected. It usually goes away without treatment.
From this point on the person's blood tests positively for HIV. The second stage is
symptomatic HIV infection. This is when the infected person's symptoms show up. It can
last anywhere from a few months to many years. The third and final stage is AIDS. This is
when the immune system is severally damaged and the opportunistic diseases set in. The
progressive breakdown of the immune system leads to death, usually within a few years. 
HIV causes a severe wasting syndrome. A general decline in the health and in some cases,
death. The virus infects the brain and the nervous system. It may cause dementia, a
condition of sensory, thinking, or memory disorder. Infection of the brain may cause
movement or coordination problems (Drotman 164).
HIV can be present in the body for two to twelve years without any outward sign of
illness. It can be transmitted to another person even if no symptoms are present (Drotman
164). When HIV picks up speed, a variety of symptoms are possible. The symptoms include
unexplained fever, fatigue, diarrhea, weight loss, enlarged lymph glands, loss of
appetite, yeast infections of the mouth and vagina, night sweats lasting longer than
several weeks, breathing difficulties, a dry cough, sore throat caused by swollen glands,
chills, and shaking (Quackenbush 23). Pink or purple, flat or raised blotches or bumps
occurring under the skin, inside the mouth, nose, eyelids or rectum are also symptoms.
They resemble bruises, but don't disappear. They are usually harder than the skin around
them. White spots or unusual blemishes in the mouth is another symptom (Quackenbush 24).
There are two illnesses that commonly affect AIDS patients. One is a type of pneumonia
called pneumocystis carinii. The other one is a type of cancer called kaposi's sarcoma,
which attacks the skin (What are HIV/AIDS 1). Pneumocystis carinii is a yeast infection
in the esophagus. It causes severe pain when swallowing which results in weight loss and
dehydration. It is the leading cause of death among AIDS patients. Kaposi's sarcoma are
tumors that look like bruises, but grow. These two diseases plus many other are called
opportunistic diseases. For decades cases declined in the U.S. until the mid-1980's.
Since the mid-80's cases are growing especially in HIV infected people. People with AIDS
eventually contract atleast one of the opportunistic diseases. These are the diseases
that AIDS patients usually die from (Drotman 164).
HIV is transmitted three ways. One way is through unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
The most risky is anal sex because the anus doesn't stretch. Therefore, it is easier for
the skin to tear and bleed. This makes it easier for the infection to get into the
bloodstream. It can get soaked up by the mucous membranes that line the vagina, rectum,
hole in the tip of the penis, mouth, and the throat (Johnson 17). 
The second way is through direct contact with infected blood. There are a couple ways of
getting it through direct contact with infected blood. One way is by sharing a hypodermic
needle with someone who is infected. A tiny drop of infected blood stays inside the
needle and syringe. So if a person uses it he or she is actually shooting the infected
blood directly into his or her bloodstream. That little droplet of infected blood is
enough to give you HIV. Sharing needles for skin-popping can spread HIV in the same way.
This way a person is more likely to get infections such as abscesses. A person can also
get HIV from sharing other drug works with someone who is infected. Containers or cookers
such as spoons or bottle caps, crackpipes, cotton, or water for dissolving drugs or
rinsing syringes are some of the works. It doesn't matter what a person is shooting in
the needle-heroin, cocaine, speed, steroids, insulin, or any other drug. If a person
shares a needle or works with someone who has HIV, he or she could get infected
too(Johnson 20). Another way is through a blood transfusion. Chances of getting HIV
through a blood transfusion in the U.S. are now very low, but still possible. Testing
began in 1985, of all blood and plasma that is donated. The tests that doctors use are
over 99% accurate. Blood is destroyed if signs of the virus show up in the donated blood.
Therefore, it is almost impossible to get infected through a blood transfusion. Before
1985, some people became infected through infected blood and certain blood products. In
the U.S. every piece of equipment used to draw blood is brand new. It is only used once
and then it is destroyed. Therefore it is impossible for a donor to get HIV from giving
plasma or blood(HIV/AIDS 2). 
The third way of getting HIV is an infected woman transmitting it to her fetus or baby. A
pregnant woman with HIV can pass the virus to her child before or after birth. The way
this happens is the fetus gets nourishment from its mother through the placenta and the
umbilical cord. That is one of the ways. The other way is through breast feeding(Johnson
24). 
The only way to stem the spread of infection remains the public health approach,
educating people on how to avoid infection or educating the infected people on how to
avoid infecting someone else. There are many ways to prevent the transmission and spread
of AIDS. A person has to be aware, because most people who are infected don't know they
are(Nichols 3). One way to prevent infection is to not engage in the act of sexual
intercourse with anyone who is or might be infected. If someone is going to , then he or
she should atleast use a latex condom. It is medically proven that latex condoms can help
to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. HIV can not pass through the
intact rubber film. It is almost impossible to catch the virus if the condom is used
properly. This means using a good quality condom, one with the kite mark, with a
spermicide. The condom itself can kill the virus(HIV/AIDS 2). Condoms don't completely
eliminate the risk of being infected because they can tear, break, or slip off. Birth
control pills and diaphragms will not protect a person or his or her partner from getting
HIV either(HIV/AIDS 4). Drug users should seek professional help to stop doing drugs.
They should never share hypodermic needles, syringes, or other injection equipment.
Azidothymidine, commonly known as AZT, may reduce the risk of an infected woman
transmitting it to her fetus or baby. Also, infected women should not breast feed their
infants, since HIV can be present in the breast milk of an infected woman(Drotman 164).
There are a number of things that a person can not get HIV from, that people are
skeptical about. A person can not get AIDS from handshakes, hugs, coughs, sneezes, sweat,
tears, mosquitoes, or other insects, pets, eating food prepared by someone else, or just
being around an infected person. A person can't get it from sharing a cigarette, cigar,
or pipe, drinking from the same fountain, or from someone spitting on him or her. A
person also can't get it from using the same swimming pools, toilet seats, phones,
computers, straws, spoons, or cups. Although the virus has been found in saliva, medical
opinion states there is no evidence of contamination through wet kissing(What are
HIV/AIDS 1). HIV is not spread through the air or water, unlike many other
viruses(HIV/AIDS 2). No one has ever caught AIDS by going to a physician or an eye doctor
who has treated AIDS patients. No one has ever caught AIDS by eating in a restaurant
where AIDS patients have been, nor by sharing a dwelling in which AIDS victims live. No
one has caught AIDS by working, studying, or playing with an AIDS patient, unless bodily
fluids were exchanged. No one has ever gotten AIDS from an insect bite, even where there
are many people with AIDS and even where there are many people with dozens of mosquito
bites(AIDS, Understanding 2).
HIV is very fragile. It doesn't live long or well outside the human body. It is easily
killed with a 1:10 solution of bleach and water. It can be washed from skin with regular
soaps. HIV will not survive outside the human body for more than a few hours at the
most(Quackenbush 23).
If a person thinks he or she might have HIV, he or she can get tested. HIV tests
determine the presence of antibodies to the AIDS virus. Antibodies are proteins produced
by certain white blood cells to react with specific viruses, bacteria, or foreign
substances that go into the body. The presence of antibodies to HIV indicates infection
with the virus. The tests that detect the presence of HIV-1 became widely available in
1985. The tests that detect HIV-2 became widely available in 1992. All infected patients
should get blood tests done periodically. They should also have their health monitored by
a physician(Drotman 164).
There is no cure for HIV or AIDS, but treatments have been developed. The treatments help
most people live longer. The infected people have to take medications to help them keep
healthy and possibly postpone the development of AIDS(Johnson 33). Most of the medication
has difficult side effects. Even with all of this, about 18 months after a person has
been diagnosed with AIDS, he or she usually get quite sick and require hospital
care(AIDS, Understanding 4). 
Scientists are not sure how, when, or where the AIDS virus originated. Researchers have
shown that HIV-1 and HIV-2 are more closely related to simian immunodeficiency viruses
than to each other. Simian immunodeficiency viruses infect monkeys. It has been suggested
that HIV evolved from viruses that originally infected monkeys in Africa. It was somehow
transmitted to people. There are many arguments to this theory. One is that HIV has only
been found in human beings. It has never been isolated from any other animal species.
Scientists believe The infection became widespread after significant social changes took
place in Africa. Somewhere around the 1960's and the 1970's. HIV was isolated as being
the cause of AIDS in 1983, and 1984. Tests were then developed to detect the virus. These
tests have been used to analyze stored tissues from people who had undetermined deaths in
the 60's and the 70's. Scientists found that some of these people died from AIDS. During
the 1990's an estimated one million people in the U.S. had the HIV infection or AIDS.
There are millions more throughout the world(Drotman 165). 
AIDS deaths has dropped significantly for the first time since the epidemic began in the
early 1980's.They fell 13 percent in the first six months of 1996, to 22,000 people, down
from 24,900 deaths in the same period a year earlier, reported by the Centers for Disease
Control. The number of people diagnosed with AIDS still continues to grow, but the growth
rate is slowing. From 1995 to 1996 the growth rate was less than 2%. The growth rate from
1993 to 1994 was 5%. First signs of drop in deaths of AIDS victims came in January 1997,
when New York City reported a 30 percent drop in the number of Aids deaths in 1996. The
Center for Disease Control credits better treatments, new drugs, and better access to
treatment through state and federal programs. Some think that the decline is
unfortunately only a standstill, because for some patients the new drugs are not
effective(Meyer A1). 
Doctors and researchers have been doing research on the virus. They have studied several
drugs that stop the growth of HIV in laboratories. One of the drugs is zidovudine,
formerly called azidothymidine and commonly known as AZT. Research suggest that
azidothymidine can delay the onset of opportunistic illnesses. This drug produces toxic
side effects. Some other ones are didanosine(ddl), zalcitbine, which was formerly known
as dideoxycytidine and commonly called ddc, and stavudine, which is commonly called D4T.
These three drugs also produce dangerous side effects. Researchers are investigating
treatments to help restore normal function to the immune system. They believe that any
eventual cure must stop the growth of the virus, prevent opportunistic illnesses, and
restore the immune system(Drotman 164). Some vaccines are being tested on animals and as
of 1993, one is being tested on people who are at very high risk(Nichols 11).
Magic Johnson's HIV is now undetectable, but not absent. Though he is not cured, powerful
drugs have reduced the AIDS virus in his body to undetectable levels. Undetectable does
not mean absent. Activists hope that his progress encourages people to get tested and
take advantage of improved treatment. Thousands of HIV patients have had their infections
recede to undetectable levels after taking drugs called protease inhibitor. Even though a
person with undetectable virus levels can still infect other people. Even if the virus is
undetectable in blood or semen, it can still be present in other areas such as
intestines. Protease inhibitors reduce illnesses in infected people. These drugs are
taken on a strict schedule along with two other AIDS drugs. It requires particular
timing. Some drugs must be taken an hour before eating or two hours after. Even with this
patients still get side effects. Some of the side effects are nausea, vomiting,
headaches, backaches, and gastrointestinal problems. As many as forty percent of the
people who take the concoction of drugs develop a resistance to them either because the
virus becomes resistant after years of on other drugs, or because patients don't or are
unable to take the drugs as ordered. These wonder drugs are expensive costing between
$12,000 and $15,000 a year. Although these drugs are expensive it is still worth
prolonging a person's life.
The virus infects children and newborns, too. Newborns become quite ill by age 1, because
their immune system has not fully developed. Most babies that are infected die by 18
months(Quackenbush 23).
Today kids need to know about HIV and AIDS. They need to know how a person gets the
virus, how it is spread, how they won't get it, what it is, how they can protect
themselves from it, and what's going to happen to them if they get it. The real risk of
infection for them is through sexual molestation by an infected adult. There are three
main reasons why children need to know. One is natural curiosity. AIDS is now an
undeniable part of the world. They are curious about the world. They have questions about
the world. Another reason is the anxiety children may have about the disease. They
understand that AIDS is a very serious disease. The thing they don't understand is the
concept of not casually transmitted. The final reason is some children have family
members or friends with HIV or AIDS. The kids that have an infected family member or
friend face many personal challenges. They get harassed by their peers because their
peers don't know what HIV or AIDS is. They think that the kid has cooties or something.
Children need to know about HIV and AIDS so they can understand and so they don't harass
other kids about it(Quackenbush 27). 
In the United States, federal, state, and local government have provided funds for
education, treatment, and research of AIDS. Public health clinics have counseling and
HIV-antibody testing to people who have symptoms or are at risk of infection(Drotman
164). 
Community organizations hope that greater awareness will lead to more compassion and more
funding. One project is the AIDS quilt. It was begun in 1986 by an organization called
the NAMES Project. This quilt consists of thousands of individually designed panels,
which memorializes a person who died of AIDS. This quilt has been displayed in many
cities throughout the world(Drotman 164). 
AIDS has killed many people. People need to be more aware and protect themselves so they
don't become another statistic, because HIV and AIDS are serious, deadly, and they will
be with us for a long time. There will not be a cure found anytime soon, but hopefully
there will be a cure found.
Bibliography
www.aids.com