Introduction Hiv Aids Essay Example For Students

Introduction Hiv Aids Essay Being one of the most fatal viruses in the nation, AIDS (AcquiredImmunodeficiency Syndrome) is now a serious public health concern in most majorU.S. cities and in countries worldwide. Since 1986 there have been impressiveadvances in understanding of the AIDS virus, its mechanisms, and its routes oftransmission. Even though researchers have put in countless hours, and millions ofdollars it has not led to a drug that can cure infection with the virus or to a vaccinethat can prevent it. With AIDS being the leading cause of death among adults,individuals are now taking more precautions with sexual intercourse, and medicalfacilities are screening blood more thoroughly. Even though HIV ( HumanImmunodeficieny Virus) can be transmitted through sharing of non sterilize needlesand syringes, sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, and through most bodily fluids,it is not transmitted through casual contact or by biting or blood sucking insects. Development of the AIDS EpidemicThe first case of AIDS were reported in 1982, epidemiologists at the Center ofDisease Control immediately began tracking the disease back wards in time as wellas forward. They determined that the first cases of AIDS in the United Statesprobably occurred in 1977. By early 1982, 15 states, the District of Columbia, and 2 foreign countrieshad reports of AIDS cases, however the total remained low: 158 men and 1 woman. Surprising enough more then 90 percent of the men were homosexual or bisexual. Knowing this more then 70 percent of AIDS victims are homosexual or bisexualmen, and less then 5 percent are heterosexual adults. Amazing enough byDecember of 1983 there were 3,000 cases of AIDS that had been reported in adultsfrom 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and the disease had beenrecognized in 20 other countries. Recognizing the Extent of InfectionThe health of the general homosexual populations in the area with thelargest number of cases of the new disease was getting looked at a lot closer byresearchers. For many years physicians knew that homosexual men who reportedlarge numbers of sexual partners had more episodes of venereal diseases and wereat higher risk of hepatitis B virus infection than the rest of the population, butconicidentally with the appearance of AIDS,. other debilitating problems began to doappear more frequently. The most common was swollen glands, often accompaniedby extreme fatigue, weight loss, fever, chronic diarrhea, decreased levels of bloodplatelets and fungal infections in the mouth. This condition was labeled ARC (AIDSRelated complex). The isolation of HIV in 1983 and 1984 and the development of techniques toproduce large quantities of the virus paved the way for a battery of tests todetermined the relationship between AIDS and ARC and the magnitude of thecarrier problem. Using several different laboratory tests, scientists looked forantibodies against the HIV in the blood of AIDS and ARC patients. They found thatalmost 100 percent of those with AIDS or ARC had the antibodies-they wereseriopostive. In contrast less then one percent of persons with no known risk factorswere seropositive. Definition of AIDSAIDS is defined as a disease, at least moderately predictive of defects in cell-meditated immunity, occurring in a person with no known cause for diminishedresistance to that disease. Such diseases include Kaposis Sarcoma, Pneumocystiscarnii pneumonia, and serious other opportunistic infections. After the discovery ofHIV and the development of HIV-antibody test, the case definition of AIDS wasupdated to reflect the role of the virus in causing AIDS, but the scope of thedefinition remained almost the same. .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a , .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a .postImageUrl , .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a , .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a:hover , .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a:visited , .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a:active { border:0!important; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a:active , .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud5a66e003d24df863f681d2f9da5422a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Mystical Caves Used Throughout Mythology EssayTransmissionHIV is primarily a sexually transmitted disease, it is transmitted by bothhomosexual and bisexual and heterosexual activity. The first recognized case wasamong homosexual and bisexual men. Many numbers of studies have shown thatmen who have sexual partners and those who practice receptive anal intercourseare more likely to be infected with HIV than other homosexual men. Researchersfound a strong connection between HIV infection and rectal trauma, enemas beforesex, and physical signs of disruption of the tissue lining the rectum. Homosexual women tend to have a very low incidence of venereal disease ingeneral, an AIDS is no exception. Female-to-female transmission is highlyuncommon, however it has been reported in one case and suggested in another. Inthe reported case, traumatic sex practices apparently resulted in transmission of HIVfrom a woman who had acquired the virus through IV drug abuse to her non-drug-using sexual partner. 1983 was when the first heterosexual (Male to female;