The Pandemic Known As Aids - 1728 Words

The pandemic known as AIDS was first found in a human blood sample around the year 1959 and was later introduced to the United States in the late 1970s to early 1980s. â€Å"From 1979–1981 rare types of pneumonia, cancer, and other illnesses were being reported by doctors in Los Angeles and New York among a number of male patients who had sex with other men (â€Å"Where did HIV come from?†).† Due to these occurrences, doctors did their research and were able to trace the cause of this fatal disease called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is a disease that developed from the virus, HIV, which is a virus that attacks the immune system. AIDS can commonly be called the third and final stage of HIV, because the virus has entered its most severe stage in its life span and the cell count of a person’s immune system has dropped below 200. â€Å"When the number of your CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood (200 cells/mm3), you are considered to have progressed to AIDS. (In someone with a healthy immune system, CD4 counts are between 500 and 1,600 cells/mm3.)(â€Å"What Are The Stages of the HIV Infection?†).† The disease has shown to increasingly weaken our immune system by killing off T-cells that act as defenders to prevent illnesses and diseases. Although, AIDS has been reported in many cases all over the world, the actual spreading of AIDS is impossible. People who have AIDS are not infected with the disease directly, instead they are infected with HIV which laterShow MoreRelatedThe Presence And Outbreak Of An Infectious Disease1176 Words   |  5 Pagesconsequences. Such consequences include the deaths of many people due to an inability to contain the disease. When an infectious disease spreads to, and affects, different populations, this is known as a pandemic. One pandemic that has had far reaching consequences is that of HIV (human immunodeficiency)/AIDS (acquired immune deficiency symp toms), which officially began in 1981 and since has taken the lives of over 39 million people worldwide (PBS). The HIV virus attacks one’s â€Å"T-cells,† which areRead MoreHuman Development Index to Measure Living Standards Within a Country, Especially HIV883 Words   |  4 Pagesand global partnership. (Nations, n.d.). For this paper, the HIV pandemic shall be analysed. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that serves as root for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS which is a disease that compromises the human immune system supressing it and leaving the body open for other diseases and infections (Kent, 2001). â€Å"The disease now known as the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS, was first reported 20 years ago this week in the Morbidity andRead MoreThe Impact of One Infectious Disease on Health , Economic Development and Lifestyle of the Area Where It Occurs944 Words   |  4 Pagesand lifestyle of the area where it occurs? An infectious disease that affects health, economic development and lifestyle is HIV/AIDS. This disease is a pandemic that has spread over continents and all over the world. An area where this disease has effected the most is in South Africa, this is because it’s estimated that 5.6 million people are living with HIV and AIDS. Leading on to my next point, this has a massive effect on health due to the fact that this disease affects the immune system andRead MoreCommunicable Disease: HIV/AIDS1243 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Communicable Disease: HIV/AIDS What is a communicable disease? A  communicable  disease  is carried by microorganisms and transmitted through people, animals, surfaces, foods, or air.  Therefore, communicable diseases rely on fluid exchange, contaminated substances, or close contact to travel from an infected carrier to a healthy individual. The  disease  might need a blood exchange via an injection, float along a  sneeze  in a movie theater, or transmitted through childbirth. Hence, a human-to-humanRead More The Potential for Avian Influenza to Cause Another Worldwide Pandemic1709 Words   |  7 PagesThe Potential for Avian Influenza to Cause Another Worldwide Pandemic Abstract There are three major factors involved in the start of a pandemic; the viral strain must be new, able to cause serious illness, and transmit efficiently between humans. This article explores the avian influenza virus?s potential to cause another global pandemic through its ease of transmission and ability to evade treatment. Avian type A influenza virus generally spreads either through an intermediate vector duringRead MoreHiv/Aids854 Words   |  4 Pages------------------------------------------------- REACTION PAPER â€Å"HIV / AIDS† I. Title: HIV / AIDS Date: December 10, 2011 Name of speaker: Darius Umande II. Overview of the topic As I have learned from my past lessons in high school and elementary, HIV which stands for human immunodeficiency virus is a kind of virus, specifically lentivirus, that causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome better known as AIDS. As what our high school teacher taught us, HIV can be transmittedRead MoreThe Epidemic Of The Aids Epidemic1438 Words   |  6 PagesThe AIDS Epidemic â€Å"According to the New England Journal, by September 1987, more than 40,000 cases of AIDS had been recognized in the United States and 50,000 cases in different countries.†(Swenson par. 1) The events that took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s changed the world as we knew it. It also challenged some of the greatest medical minds of that time, as they continually searched for a cure worldwide. An examination of primary and secondary sources will reveal the significance of theRead MoreHuman Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv )1416 Words   |  6 Pagescells as a moderator for their existence. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is classified as a syndrome because it is a complex illness with a wide range of complications and symptoms. (No Author 2014 what is HIV/AIDS) AIDS is the final stage of HIV where the immune system has been totally consumed and simple cold is deathly. AIDS develops when the HIV virus has dominated the immune system. HIV/AIDS is a pandemic and affects anybody who contracts the virus. It is a worldwide problem and isRead MoreEssay on Causes of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic1189 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"It killed more people in twenty-four weeks than AIDS has killed in twenty-four years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. – John Barry Many historians call the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 the deadliest disease outbreak of all time. As many as 100 million people were killed as a direct result of this disease (Taubenberger 1). The Great Pandemic affected everyone, the prosperous and the poor, developed and underdeveloped nations. Entire villages in Alaska were wiped outRead MoreGlaxosmithkline and Aids Drugs for Africa1195 Words   |  5 PagesGlaxoSmithKline and AIDS Drugs for Africa What comes to mind when you hear the words â€Å"pharmaceutical company†? There are many ways to define a pharmaceutical company. According to the Princeton review, a pharmaceutical company is a drug company that makes and sells pharmaceuticals. Another definition for a pharmaceutical company is an industry that develops, produces, and markets drugs licensed for use as generic and/or brand medications. These companies are subject to a variety of laws and