Question

Discuss what AIDS is and how it is spread.

Answer 1

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was originally defined emprically as the presence of a reliably diagnosed disease that is at least moderately indicative of an underlying defect in cell mediated immunity. Typical example of such diseases are Kaposi sarcoma in a 60 years old person or a life threatening Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

No according to new definition the presence of positive serological or virological tests for HIV,any of the diseases are considered indicative of AIDS i.e., disseminated histoplasmosis,chronic diarrhoea,bronchial or pulmonary candidiasis, non Hodgkin's lymphoma of high grade and Kaposi's sarcoma diagnosed by biopsy in patients who are 60 years old at the time of diagnosis.

AIDS is caused by HIV that belongs to family of retroviruses. The HIV-retrovirus occurs in two main types, HIV-1 and HIV-2.

Spread-

1.Sexual intercourse between an infected and a healthy partner.

2.Mother to foetus (prenatally,perinatally, breast feeding).

3.Contaminated blood,blood products and organ donations.

4.Contaminated needles (intravenous drug abuse, injections or pinpricks injuries).