HIV/AIDS

 Hello everyone!! Today we will be discussing a disease that is contagious and is well-known in the world of today. Today we will be discussing HIV, its interrelation with AIDS, its causes, its symptoms, its side effects, and finally, the ratio of affecting and deaths globally. So let's get started!!! 

                               Beginning with its initials. HIV stands for "Human Immunodeficiency Virus whereas, AIDS stands for "Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome". HIV is a virus that affects a body by attacking its Immuno system and making it vulnerable to other harmful--- deadly, specifically diseases. HIV infection in humans came from a type of chimpanzee in Central Africa. The chimpanzee version of the virus (called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV) was probably passed to humans when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came in contact with their infected blood. Studies show that HIV may have jumped from chimpanzees to humans as far back as the late 1800s. Over the decades, HIV slowly spread across Africa and later into other parts of the world. We know that the virus has existed in the United States since at least the mid to late 1970s. You need to note that HIV and AIDS are two different things, but are interlinked. Let me make the difference clear.

                               The thing first starts with HIV. So let us first discuss it. It basically attacks the cells in the human body and makes its week and damaged. Its causes are as follows:-

1. Contact with certain bodily fluids of a person with HIV.

2. People who engage in drug use or high-risk behaviors associated with drug use put themselves at risk for contracting or transmitting this virus.

3. It is also spread by sharing the drug equipment of a person who is affected by HIV already.

 As we know that it is viral so it spreads from a person to person so it must contain stages and it has. Let us skip to the last one which revolves around the topic. AIDS.

 

I told the full form before. Now traverse to the causes. Here, I would acquaint you that AIDS is the terminal stage of HIV as if left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS  So, it is not begetting any causes but we can state that people entirely get AIDS on the stipulation that they have HIV. That is how they are interlinked with each other.

Now we will be discussing the symptoms. There are several symptoms but no guarantee. The only confirmation that you have HIV/AIDS is to get tested. It has been proved that you don't even get any symptoms for 10 years at all!!!!! That is how it is shaped. But yes! I can list the frequent manifestations of this bloodthirsty, ruthless, and ferocious venom and here they are:- 

Symptoms of HIV include:-

• Fever.
• Chills.
• Rash.
• Night sweats.
• Muscle aches.
• Sore throat.
• Fatigue.
• Swollen lymph nodes.

Symptoms of AIDS can include:

• Rapid weight loss.
• Recurring fever or profuse night sweats.
• Extreme and unexplained tiredness.
• Prolonged swelling of the lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck.
• Diarrhea that lasts for more than a week.
• Sores of the mouth, anus, or genitals.
• Pneumonia.
• Kaposi Sarcoma; This rare cancer grows in cells that line lymph and blood vessels, forming red or purple patches called lesions. They're usually in the mouth, nose, and throat but can show up almost anywhere. The patches are a sign that HIV has become AIDS. ( when CD4 cells lower from 200)

( Note that CD4 cells, also known as T cells, are white blood cells that fight infection and play an important role in your immune system. A CD4 count is used to check the health of the immune system in people infected with HIV).

Now let us get to the treatment. Unfortunately, I am really sorry to inform people that the human body can’t get rid of HIV and no effective HIV cure exists. So, once you have HIV, you have it for life. But, everything is not impossible. We know that a person who has HIV has to die. But we are happy to inform that person that he can increase their life years. Many HIV-positive people can now live much longer, healthier lives when regularly taking antiretroviral treatment.

And those who are healthy can prevent themselves from this brutal hound by:-

• Avoiding drugs.
• Keeping the immune system brick strong
• Never sharing drug equipment.
• Getting tested and treated for viral infection. People who inject drugs should get tested for HIV, HBV, and HCV.

Over time, that takes a toll on the body, putting people living with HIV at greater risk for health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, bone disease, liver disease, cognitive disorders, and some types of cancer.

Now the question comes that how many people in the world have HIV? According to UNAIDS: Number of People with HIV—There were approximately 38 million people across the globe with HIV/AIDS in 2019. Of these, 36.2 million were adults and 1.8 million were children (<15 years old).

Well, friends, so that was it. Hope I covered all the points of importance. If anything is left uncovered, kindly mention the comments. I would write my next blog soon. Till then bubyeeeeeeee!!!!!😃😃😃