Posted By: Stella Pike | December 1, 2021
AIDS stands for Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome and it is caused by HIV (Human Immuno Deficiency Virus). It is a serious disease because HIV causes harm to the cells which fight for any infections in your body – i.e., white blood cells. As white blood cells are destroyed, there will be no immunity in your body and hence your body will become prone to various diseases. You should be clear that not everyone with HIV develops AIDS. Because HIV is just a virus causing AIDS and AIDS is the last and final stage of infection with HIV. You will only have AIDS when your immune system is badly damaged from the virus.
AIDS is not caused by just coming in touch with the infected person. So it is not a contagious disease. It is only spread by 3 major causes:
The disease is usually asymptomatic till it advances to AIDS. Hence it is hard for doctors to find out the virus because it doesn’t show any signs until it damages the immune system completely. Common symptoms of AIDS are recurrent infections such as fever, sore throat, cold, fatigue, weight loss, night sweats, pain in different parts of the body, nausea, vomiting, mouth ulcers, swelling, headache, pneumonia, skin rash, etc.
Scientists are constantly working upon finding any cure for AIDS, but till now no specific treatment has been found. So the death ratio of AIDS is increasing tremendously. But as we know prevention is better than cure, AIDS patients are treated with Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) with can slow down the growth of the disease. It can also prevent secondary infections and complications and thus extends the lifespan of a person. Medication like HIV antiviral is also used for the same reason and when consumed, it reduces the risk of infecting others.
Most of the people never heard or knew about this before the UN decided to start celebrating 1st December as World AIDS Day. It is celebrated internationally as it is a global pandemic and it is one of the 11 official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO). The number of deaths and the number of people currently living with AIDS shows the seriousness of the disease. The total deaths were approx. 36.3 million in the year 2020 and there were around 1.5 million new cases of AIDS worldwide. As the frequency of this disease in people is very high, it is the most important global public health issue in history.
This day is celebrated to create social awareness among the people regarding AIDS and also to show gratitude towards the one who died because of AIDS. Awareness is very much necessary to stop the spreading of diseases. The most important thing is not to treat AIDS patients as inhuman. Always remember, AIDS is not a transmissible disease, so you cannot just get AIDS by touching the infected person. Treat them well; support them as much as possible in whichever ways you can. Certain points you can consider to stay safe is never indulging in unprotected sex with a stranger, getting blood tests done before marrying your partner and always making sure that doctor uses a new and clean needle for injections.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day, you can indulge in certain social activities such as joining the campaign or any community, who is working towards creating awareness about the disease, encouraging the people to take the HIV tests, meet the HIV patients and motivating them, show your support to them, educate people about any misunderstandings they have regarding this disease, attend several events etc.
Remember, Humanity is very much greater than any other thing. Share your Love, Compassion and support.