AIDS

AIDS

In some parts of the world there are still wars being fought and dictators in power. There are societies which consider themselves at the peak of evolution and progress. They are able to create state of the art automobiles, luxurious homes, efficient and organized industries, complex computerized machinery and atomic weapons. Many societies are governed by a democratic system which herald a belief in freedom. All societies, regardless of their political and economic makeup, are also ruled by a special class of dictators; these dictators are unseen to the naked eye, and are invincible. These invisible tyrants are microorganisms. Underdeveloped countries, technologically advanced countries, and those in between are at the mercy of these microorganisms, which come in many forms - viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. The most dangerous of these forms is the virus. Some viruses, such as the common flu, are considered to have a fairly detrimental capacity. The flu can incapacitate a human for several weeks with various symptoms such as bodily soreness, fever, bronchial complications, and even pneumonia. But while these conditions can be painful and frightening, we are usually confident th

Other distantly related strains of HIV-1 have been identified in various areas of the world. The major strain of HIV in the North America, Europe, and central Africa is known as HIV-1. At this juncture, the chance to find a cure for retroviruses, especially the HIV virus, are less likely than it is for the virus to evolve into a non-deadly form. We need to reason and evaluate the truth of the matter and to adapt to a way of life in order to minimize further casualties. Scientist believe that the disease originated somewhere in Africa about 20 years ago. However there is a much more severe and indiscriminate tyrant, with enormous corrupting influence, capable of infiltrating all of civilization. AIDS has already become a crisis of staggering proportions in parts of Africa. In western Africa, AIDS is also caused by HIV-2, a strain of HIV closely related to HIV-1. Once again I ask "Is AIDS a modern plague?" I guess it remains to be seen. AIDS was first recognized as a disease syndrome in 1981; HIV was identified as its cause in 1984. If we declare war on HIV, educate in preventing the spread of this disease, and avoid stigmatizing and discriminating based on misinformation, we are well on our way to at least neutralizing HIV. Socially, it is responsible for an enormous amount of chaos and fear in the world today, and pronounces the human fault of ignorance. In comparison, North America and South America combined account for less than 20 percent of the adult HIV infections. Only 18 cases of HIV-2 have been documented in the United States, and transmission in these cases was linked directly to western Africa.