Essay on History of HIV/AIDS

📌Category: Health, Illness
📌Words: 947
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 22 June 2021

“It is bad enough that people are dying of AIDS, but no one should die of ignorance” (Elizabeth Taylor). HIV is an incurable infection that has cost many their lives. It is believed that HIV originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1920 after a chimpanzee passed it to a human. Many years later, during 1981 AIDS was discovered in America after people began to contract rare diseases. The virus spread quickly, specificaly in tha gay community, before people were aware how it worked. Eventually, the FDA approved treatment for the virus. However, many had already died or been diagnosed with AIDS. In 1999, the World Health Organization announced that thirty-three million people were living with HIV and fourteen million had already passed from AIDS. Today, in America most people with HIV will never contract AIDS and will be able to live happy and fulfilling lives thanks to modern medicine and knowledge of the virus. So what exactly is HIV/AIDS?

What is HIV?

To begin, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infections. These cells are known as T-helper cells; they are white blood cells designed to protect the body’s immune system. HIV can be spread through unprotected sex, sharing injection drug equimpent, or from a pregnant mother to her child.  In order to take over the body, HIV goes through a lifecycle. First, the HIV attaches to a T-helper cell and releases genetic information. Next, the HIV converts the T cell DNA into HIV DNA, this process is called reverse transcription. The new HIV DNA enters the T cell nucleus and takes control of it. Then, the new HIV is put together and released into the body to go and infect other T cells. HIV is unable to reproduce on its own, so it must use this process to successfully spread. The cycle will repeat itself over and over again. In this way, HIV weakens the body’s immune system.

Infection Stages of HIV

 Furthermore, there are different infection stages of HIV. The period in which someone first contracts HIV is primary infection or acute HIV. During primary infection victims develop a flu-like illness two to four weeks after the virus enters the body. Many people might be unaware they have HIV because the first symptoms are often mild or undetectable. Signs and symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle aches, joint pains, rash, sore throat, painful mouth sores, swollen lymph glands, diarrhea, weight loss, cough, and night sweats. HIV is much more contagious during the primary infection stage and spreads much easier from person to person. After the first one to two months with HIV, clinical latent infection will begin. This stage is also referred to as chronic HIV. In this stage the body appears to be healthy and most people do not experience any symptoms. HIV continues to take over the body and is present in white blood cells. Chronic HIV is the longest stage and can last many years. The next stage, symptomatic HIV infection is very similar to chronic HIV. However, you will experience sickness with symptoms such as fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, diarrea, weight loss, oral yeast infection, shingles, and pneumonia. Last, is the progression to acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS). Luckily, in America most people never reach this stage. But for those who are untreated HIV typically turns to AIDS in eight to ten years. If you have AIDS it means that your immune system has been severely weakened. You will be more likely to contract opportunistic infections or cancers. Symptoms of AIDS include sweats, chills, fever, chronic diarrhea, swollen lymph glands, white spots on tongue and mouth, weakness, weight loss, and skin rashes. 

What is AIDS?

In depth, AIDS is the last stage of HIV infection that occurs when the body’s immune system has been badly damaged by the virus. There are two ways to determine if someone has AIDS: one, is if the number of CD4 T cells falls below two hundred cells per cubic millimeter of blood and two, if they develop one or more opportunistic infections such as cervical cancer, herpes, tuberculosis, and more. Without medicine, people with AIDS typically survive three years after their diagnosis. This number changes to one year if someone contracts an opportunistic illness.

Treatment

HIV testing is incredibly important because the faster one is treated for their HIV, the more likely they will not be harmed by the HIV and will lead productive, happy lives. There are three main ways to be tested for HIV: antigen, antibody, and nucleic acid tests. Antigens are detectable substances that reside on the HIV virus itself. An antigen test is a blood test that looks for the antigens of  HIV. It takes two to six weeks for the test to come back as a positive. Antibody tests take three to twelve weeks to go through and test the body for HIV antibodies in the blood and saliva. Nucleic acid tests check for actual HIV within the blood and have the fastest test results. While there is no cure for HIV, there is effective treatment. The medication is called antiretroviral therapy (ART).  Treatment for HIV combines different types of drugs; each drug targets a certain part of the HIV life cycle. If taken correctly, the medecine keeps the immune system happy and healthy. If taken incorrectly, the level of HIV in the bloodstream will increase and the virus will develop drug resistance. 

HIV/AIDS Research

In years past, researchers have learned a lot about HIV and the disease it leads to, AIDS. Unfortunately, work still needs to be done, as there is still no cure. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) is currently leading the search for more information on AIDS. Recently, there have been experts working at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland to find better ways to cure and treat AIDS. Every day that goes by, NIAID comes closer and closer to a vaccine for AIDS. All things considered, humanity has made great progress in eradicating AIDS. Hopefully, in years to come we will see the cure for HIV and the freedom for people suffering from it.

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