Let's Fight AIDS
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| Let's Fight Aids |
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World AIDS Day is celebrated every 1st of December each Year. Since AIDS was first identified in the early 1980s, an unprecedented number of people have been affected by the global AIDS epidemic.
Today, there are an estimated 34 million people living with HIV and
AIDS worldwide. So now the question is what AIDS really is?? What cause
it?? And how AIDS develop today??
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. In medical condition people can get aids when
their immune system is too weak to fight off infections. AIDS it self
is cased by Human Immunodeficiency Virus or more well known as HIV. HIV
is a virus that gradually attacks immune system cells. As HIV
progressively damages these cells, the body becomes more vulnerable to
infections, which it will have difficulty in fighting off. It is at the
point of very advanced HIV infection that a person is said to have AIDS.
If left untreated, it can take around ten years before HIV has damaged
the immune system enough for AIDS to develop.
When someone is infected by this HIV virus they will shown condition or symptom, called an opportunistic infection,
or an AIDS related cancer. The infections are called ‘opportunistic’
because they take advantage of the opportunity offered by a weakened
immune system. But, it is possible for someone to be diagnosed with AIDS even if they have not developed an opportunistic infection. AIDS
can be diagnosed when the number of immune system cells (CD4 cells) in
the blood of an HIV positive person drops below a certain level.
Unfortunately,
even there are many people think there is a cure for AIDS, the fact is
until today there is no cure for AIDS. The only way to stay safe is to
be aware of how HIV is transmitted and how to prevent HIV infection.
And because of this situation Since the first cases of AIDS were
identified in 1981, more than 30 million people have died from AIDS. An
estimated 1.8 million people died as a result of AIDS in 2010 alone.
Although
there is no cure for AIDS, HIV infection can be prevented, and those
living with HIV can take antiretroviral drugs to prevent or delay the
onset of AIDS. However, in many countries across the world access to
prevention and treatment services is limited. Global leaders have
pledged to work towards universal access to HIV prevention and care, so that millions of deaths can be averted.
Antiretroviral treatment
can significantly prolong the lives of people living with HIV. Modern
combination therapy is highly effective and someone with HIV who is
taking treatment could live for the rest of their life without
developing AIDS.
An AIDS diagnosis does not necessarily equate to a death sentence. Many people can still benefit from starting antiretroviral therapy
even once they have developed an AIDS defining illness. Better
treatment and prevention for opportunistic infections have also helped
to improve the quality and length of life for those diagnosed with AIDS.
It is also important that treatment is provided for AIDS related pain, which is experienced by almost all people in the very advanced stages of HIV infection.
Even
though antiretroviral treatment can prevent the onset of AIDS in a
person living with HIV, many people are still diagnosed with AIDS today.
There are four main reasons for this:
· In many resource-poor countries antiretroviral treatment is not widely available.
Even in wealthier countries, such as America, many individuals are not
covered by health insurance and cannot afford treatment.
· Some
people who became infected with HIV in the early years of the epidemic
before combination therapy was available, have subsequently developed
drug resistance and therefore have limited treatment options.
· Many people are never tested for HIV
and only become aware they are infected with the virus once they have
developed an AIDS related illness. These people are at a higher risk of
mortality, as they tend to respond less well to treatment at this stage.
· Sometimes people taking treatment are unable to adhere to, or tolerate the side effects of drugs.
In the later stages of AIDS, a person will need palliative care and emotional support. In many parts of the world, friends, family and AIDS organisations provide home based care. This is particularly the case in countries with high HIV prevalence and overstretched healthcare systems.
End of life care
becomes necessary when a person has reached the very final stages of
AIDS. At this stage, preparing for death and open discussion about
whether a person is going to die often helps in addressing concerns and ensuring final wishes are followed.
So
now, as we know that AIDS can be really life threatening, Let's we
fight against AIDS and ask peope around us to do the same. Hopefully a
little act that we do to against AIDS can be a big impact for decreasing
a number of death because of AIDS.
- AMSA UPH -
Sources :
http://www.avert.org/aids.htm
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