I want to explain what HIV/AIDS is, HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It harms your immune system by destroying the white blood cell that fights infection. HIV is the virus that expands and multiply in the body once it catches the immune system.
AIDS means acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The acquired is that process where it is transmitted from person to person, the person was not born with this disease. The immune is the body’s defense system, it affects the body’s immune system, the part of the body which usually works to fight off the germs such as the bacteria and the viruses. The deficiency is the malfunctioning of the body’s immune system. The syndrome is the group of signs and symptoms, someone with AIDS may experience a wide range of different diseases and OIs.
The difference between HIV and AIDS is that HIV infection indicates that a person infected with HIV may or may not have symptoms depending on the stage whereas AIDS indicates an advance stage of illness with multiple infections like Tuberculosis candidiasis infections. HIV is a retrovirus, meaning that once it enters the body it infects the cells in the immune system and changes their genetic makeup so that rather than protect the body as they are meant to, they now create more human immunodeficiency virus. This eventually kills the body’s T cell.
AIDS is acquired by transmitting from one person to another. This happens when the person infected with AIDS is involved in sexual intercourse with the person who is not positive. It only happens when the two are not using protection which is a condom. The disease can also be acquired if the person who is positive is bleeding then the other person touches their blood this a cut skin. HIV/AIDS also transmit though the immune system during pregnancy. I child can be infected while still in the womb of an HIV/AIDS positive mother.
The department of health organization has managed to come up with the knowledge of protecting a child in the womb of a positive mother from the disease. This simply means a child of positive parents can be borne negative. This goes under some restrictions and the doctors’ care. If the parent, especially the mother who is responsible for the pregnancy, cannot follow the regulations and indications directed or given by the doctor can leads to affecting the child.
HIV/AIDS was found in the 80s and it was very powerful by that time. It took so many lives away as there was no cure for it, it was traveling very fast and strong. It was time-limited, if not taking the medication properly you would die very fast. But if the person takes the medications very well, they could live longer with the disease. The person with HIV/AIDS was even identified with; a big stomach, cracked and red lips and slow movement when walking.
Since the cure of HIV/AIDS was found, people were accepting to live with this disease. People who are positive were even free to talk about this disease in public. People with HIV/AIDS are given counseling after they tested positive results. This helps the people to appreciate living with their status and that they can still live a normal life with others. They can only take care of themselves and take the medication accordingly.
Living with HIV/AIDS is now normal just like other diseases like cancers and all those. You cannot tell that the person is positive or not, we are all same and equal. People have to just be careful to touch others’ blood and always use condom.