AIDS

To start off, AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. This disease is caused by a virus known as HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is most common in rural locations like Africa. This virus goes back to the year 1983 and a cure hasn’t been discovered until recently.

Once a person is infected with this virus, he will have a flu-like illness in the beginning. Soon enough, AIDS will affect the body’s immune system. This virus will actually target our most vulnerable white blood cells, and they’re known as the lymphocytes. Without lymphocytes, it will be more difficult for a person to heal from major or even minor sicknesses. Also, antibiotics will have no effect towards this virus because viruses do not have a cell wall like bacteria. Furthermore, it increases the chances of a person getting more diseases. Instead of just being infected with AIDS, he/she could be developing brain cancer.

There are various ways on how this virus spreads. Some of them are listed below:

• Unprotected Sex – Having unprotected sex with a person infected with the virus will definitely transmit the virus because there’s a transfer of body fluids. To prevent this from happening, the answer is very simple. Use contraceptives like condom/spermicide/femidom.
• Sharing Needles – When people are sharing needles and injected themselves with most probably drugs, it’s dangerous because they are also transferring body fluids in the form of blood. Any blood that contains the HIV virus can enter a new person and infect him/her straight away. To lower the chances of obtaining this virus from sharing needles, the needle needs to be sterilized.
• Blood Transfusions – This happens when a patient is undergoing surgical operations. The doctor might accidentally use blood that contains the HIV virus. If there’s any blood contact with that patient, then he/she will get AIDS. These days, blood transfusion doesn’t happen that often because hospitals and blood banks check the blood for any signs for the virus. If the blood doesn’t have the virus, then the blood can be used on patients.
• From mother to child – When a mother is infected with the AIDS, the virus will be carried on to the child. After that, it just depends on whether the child is HIV+ or HIV-. The child could have the virus but not develop AIDS, or the child could have both the virus with AIDS.

As mentioned above, HIV virus can only be transmitted through an exchange of body fluid. Here are a few ideas which people think that it will transmit the virus, but actually, it doesn’t.

• Casual touching – This does not involve any exchange of body fluids. It’s only physical touching. Therefore, transmission of HIV is not possible.
• Kissing – It’s only a physical contact between 2 lips, therefore transmission of HIV is not possible.
• Sharing drinks – Although there’d be an exchange of saliva, HIV can’t be transmitted because in saliva, there’s an extremely low quantity of that virus.
• Hugging – Again, only physical contact is involved. So, HIV can’t be transmitted.