The World Health Organization (WHO) established December 1 as World AIDS Day in 1988. The day allows people all around the world to unite in the fight against the disease and express their support for those who are affected by it. As of July 17, 2021, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the illness that causes AIDS, had claimed the lives of 36.3 million people. There will be roughly 37.7 million individuals living with the illness by the end of 2020. If the World Health Organization’s numbers are any indication, HIV/AIDS is one of the world’s most critical public health concerns.
Symptoms
HIV symptoms vary from person to person and are also affected by the stage of infection. Despite the fact that persons living with HIV are most infectious in the first few months after infection, many do not realize they are infected until much later. In the first few weeks after infection, people may have no symptoms or signs of an influenza-like illness, such as fever, headache, rash, or sore throat.
When the virus weakens the immune system, people may have various symptoms such as enlarged lymph nodes, weight loss, fever, diarrhea, and cough. In the absence of therapy, they may get severe diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), cryptococcal meningitis, bacterial infections, and malignancies such as lymphomas and Kaposi’s sarcoma.
The disease can spread in the following ways:
- Via infected people’s bodily fluids, such as blood, breast milk, sperm, and vaginal secretions.
- From a pregnant woman to her kid
- By engaging in unprotected intercourse.
- Sharing or exchanging infected needles, syringes, or other injecting equipment.
- While undergoing risky injections, blood transfusions, or medical procedures involving unsterile cutting or piercing.
Research finds exposure to harmless coronaviruses increases immunity
Treatment
HIV damages the immune system, lowering the body’s defenses against diseases and malignancies that healthy people can withstand. According to the World Health Organization, there is no cure for HIV infection. However, due to increasing access to efficient HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, the virus has evolved into a manageable chronic health condition, allowing people living with it to enjoy long and healthy lives.
HIV wreaks havoc on the immune system, weakening the body’s defenses against illnesses and cancers that healthy people can survive. The World Health Organization states that there is no cure for HIV infection. However, as effective HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment have become more widely available, the virus has developed into a manageable chronic health condition, allowing individuals living with it to live long and healthy lives.
