Swobidu Health

Posts Tagged ‘aids statistics’

With the number of HIV cases increasing year after year, it is not a surprise that there are also an increasing number of deaths caused by the infection and AIDS. Statistics show that about 25 million individuals have died all over the world due to the disease. The medical industry is concerned by these statistics and so medical professionals are trying hard to enhance awareness of this medical condition.

You need to be aware that there is no cure for human immunodeficiency infection. Although there are several medications available, it is still not enough to curtail the growing number of those who suffer from HIV/AIDS.

During the early stages of the infection when there are few if any symptom, medical professionals apply the term HIV for their diagnoses. But in the later stages when the body’s immune system is severely damaged, the condition is called AIDS.

Prevention and education are the best ways to reduce the number of deaths every year.

Here are some facts that you should know about this condition:

oThe condition can be life-threatening in the late stages. Once the immune system of the body is too weak, you will be more susceptible to certain cancers and other infections .
oSymptoms vary depending on the phase. Asymptomatic phase usually takes several years (several months to about 10 years) and so many individuals are not aware that they have the infection until it’s too late. During the asymptomatic phase, you can already transmit the infection to others unknowingly.
oWatch out for swollen lymph nodes, thrush, weight loss, diarrhea, shortness of breath, fever, and cough.
oTen years after the initial infection, the symptoms are more evident and if you seek medical attention, you will be diagnosed with AIDS if you have HIV infection and it is accompanied by any of these conditions: – pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, less than 200 CD4+ T lymphocyte, very high fever, dry cough, chronic diarrhea, shaking chills, night sweats, unusual lesions and white spots, distorted or blurred vision, weight loss, and headaches.

It’s a good thing that the cases of infected children have gradually decreased in the recent years. Seeking medical attention is more of a personal choice. The infection is usually associated with sexual activities or intravenous drug abuse and so it can be very embarrassing for an individual to be diagnosed with the condition. Medical counseling is very important at this stage. only you can tell if you’re experiencing the early symptoms, especially if you tend to engage in unprotected sex frequently or if you share needles for the use of intravenous drugs. Never hesitate to consult medical professionals because the results will not be released in public although it will be reported to concerned state agencies or departments.

HIV infection and AIDS are serious conditions that are closely monitored by governments from all over the world. help fight HIV/AIDS by being well informed so that the number of deaths due to the HIV pandemic can gradually decrease.

In 1995, Aids was the number one cause of death in the United States. Today, it ranks fifth as the primary cause of death of people between the ages of 25-44 years old. it is estimated that approximately 25 million people have died in different countries since the epidemic began. Truth was the 2007 AIDS statistics recorded 33.2 million people are AIDS positive, with 2.1 million deaths in which 330,000 are children. These figures proved to be real as recent estimates show that in Africa alone, 40 percent of the total African population is HIV and AIDS positive plus the people, both children and adults, in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East who are also inflicted with HIV and AIDS.

HIV and AIDS go together as AIDS is the full manifestation of the effects that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus has done to the infected person’s immune system. what is the difference between the two? a person can have HIV and be HIV positive for many years without necessarily becoming an AIDS positive. AIDS on the other hand, is already a full blown disease with no other recourse but death.

Exchange of bodily fluids during sex between homosexuals and heterosexuals; sharing of needles among drug dependents and exposure to HIV contaminated blood and blood products are the common causes of HIV and AIDS. however, it should be noted that one of the reasons in the increase of people suffering from the deadly disease includes children who just inherited the virus from their parents whom one or both is AIDS positive.

The first stage of HIV infection is not scary as it is only in the form of an ordinary cold, with sore throat and swollen lymph node. During the second stage, called the latency period, HIV virus lays inactive for period which could last to more than a decade.

Those who suffer from the disease bear a burden of feeling the pain as the virus attacks the different parts of the body. it attacks the brain resulting to neurological and psychiatric involvement in the form of encephalitis and meningitis; the eyes as retinitis; the lungs as tuberculosis, neumocystis pneumonia and tumors; tumors in the skin, and gastrointestinal problems such as esophagitis, chronic diarrhea, and tumors. The disease slowly damages almost all major organ systems in the body making its effects more severe at later stages.

There is no hope of cure for HIV and AIDS patients as of the present in spite the vigorous study and research conducted by doctors and scientists. HIV and AIDS know no gender. it goes beyond one’s life time, beyond culture, and religion. it chooses no one, thus, afflicting both adults and children.even infants.

Every person has a choice. if one wants to remain clear and free of HIV one has to be willing to sacrifice. no more use of drugs of any type, say goodbye to sexual promiscuity, and remain steadfast and vigilant against temptations. there are many ways to check whether one is AIDS, but the best way to know if one has HIV and AIDS is through laboratory tests.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 11.4 million people in the world have both tuberculosis bacilli and HIV; and the main cause of death in these people is from tuberculosis (TB) and not AIDS. Statistics show that in the United States, two out ten people who have the disease also have HIV.

When a person is infected with TB, the bacteria may lie dormant for years without causing the disease. however, in people with compromised immune systems, the bacteria become active causing the manifestation of the disease. and, this is exactly what happens to people who have HIV.

It is a serious infection when it comes to people with HIV. Under normal circumstances, only 10 percent of people will get the disease even if they have the disease-causing bacilli. however, in people who have HIV infection, the chances of getting TB increase significantly. One out of three HIV infected people will get the disease in the first year of the infection and thereafter one in ten will get it.

A person who has HIV should get tested for the TB bacilli because the chances of getting the disease are extremely high. however, the normal TB skin test result may be false negative and that is why it is best to have a skin test along with a chest X-ray to rule out the disease completely.

A person with active TB can infect another person immaterial whether he has HIV or not. however, a person with the disease and full blown AIDS cannot spread it more easily than a person who has just TB. But the fact remains that people who are HIV positive are more likely to develop TB once they are infected with the TB-causing bacilli.