Question

With the increase in lifespan due to new drugs, why are so many people around the world still dying from AIDS, including babies born to infected mothers?

What can be done to decrease the incidence of AIDS and the mortality rate?

Answer 1

HIV/AIDS

Also called as human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. HIV causes AIDS and interferes with the ability of body to fight infections. The virus can be transmitted through contact with infected blood, semen or vaginal fluid or By mother to baby by pregnancy, labour or nursing.

No cure exists for AIDS, but strict adherence to antiretroviral regimens (ARV) can effectively slow  the disease's progress as well as prevent secondary infections and also complications.

Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a condition caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Following initial infection a person may not notice any symptoms, or may experience a brief period of influenza as  illness.

HIV is a virus that damages the immune system. The immune system helps the body fight off other infections. Untreated HIV infects and kills CD4 cells, which are a type of immune cell called T cells. Over time, as HIV kills more CD4 cells, the body is more likely to get various diseases.

HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids that include that may include

• blood
• semen
• vaginal and rectal fluids
• breast milk

The virus doesn’t spread in air or water, or through other casual contact. HIV is a lifelong condition and currently there is no medicine, although many scientists are working to find one. However, including treatment called antiretroviral therapy, it’s possible to manage HIV. Without treatment, a person with HIV is likely to develop a serious condition called AIDS. At that point, the immune system is too weak to fight off other diseases and infections. Untreated patients,  life expectancy with AIDS is about three years.With antiretroviral therapy, HIV can be well-controlled and life expectancy can be nearly the same as someone who has not contracted HIV.If AIDS does develop, it means that the immune system is severely developed. It’s weakened to the point where it can no longer fight off most diseases and infections. That makes the person exposed to a wide range of illnesses like influenza.

AIDS is a disease that can develop in people with HIV. It’s the most advanced stage of HIV. But just because a person has HIV doesn’t mean they’ll develop AIDS. A person can also be diagnosed with AIDS if they have HIV and develop an opportunistic infection or cancer that’s rare in people who don’t have HIV. An opportunistic infection, such as pneumonia, is one that takes advantage of a unique situation, such as HIV.

The shortened life expectancy linked with untreated AIDS isn’t a direct result of the syndrome itself. Rather, it’s a result of the diseases and complications that arise from having an immune system weakened by AIDS and exposed to many other diseases.

As HIV lowers the CD4 cell count, the immune system weakens. A typical adult’s CD4 count is high and above 500. A person with a count below 200 is considered to have AIDS.How quickly a case of HIV progresses through the risk stage varies significantly from person to person. There is no cure for HIV, but it can be controlled. People with HIV often have a near-normal lifespan with early treatment with antiretroviral therapy. Along those same lines, there’s technically no cure for AIDS. However, treatment can increase a person’s CD4 count to the point where they’re considered to no longer have AIDS.

The virus can also be transmitted through a blood transfusion or organ and tissue.HIV does NOT spread through skin-to-skin contact, hugging, shaking hands, or kissing,air or water, sharing food or drinks, including drinking water, saliva, tears, or sweat (unless mixed with the blood of a person with HIV, sharing a toilet, towels, or bed, mosquitoes or other insects.

HIV can cause changes throughout the body and all the functions.To develop AIDS, a person has to have contracted HIV. But having HIV doesn’t necessarily mean that someone will develop AIDS.

After birth, babies born to a mother with HIV are given ART right away for 4 to 6 weeks. If you are treated for HIV early in your pregnancy, the risk of transmitting HIV to your baby can be 1% or less. Breast milk can have HIV in it. So, after delivery, you can prevent giving HIV to your baby by not breastfeeding.Over above 300 children and adolescents die every day from AIDS-related causes.

Children get pretty much the same treatment as adults: a combination of medications called ART (antiretroviral therapy). But it isn't that simple, because some HIV drugs don't come in a liquid form that babies and small children can swallow. And some drugs cause serious side effects for kids.Through the ART children can treated this disease and reduce the mortality rate.