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AIDS
The first of the few cases of AIDS were reported in 1981 by the Centre for Disease Control, Atlanta, USA. Isolated cases of AIDS were identified as early as 1976.
Serological data suggest that AIDS virus was not present in the human population before] 979. There is suspicion that this virus may be a monkey viq.ls which was first transmitted to man in Africa and then to USA and Europe.
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Millions of Americans are now infected with this virus. The disease is prevalent in Australia, South Africa, Central Africa. different parts of Europe, the Caribbean and Japan. Reports of the incidence of AIDS are increasing from various parts of India also. The disease that was once restricted only to the west, is gradually appearing here also. Medical researchers have been examining blood samples of the suspected individuals. Today, there are about 5 to 10 million infected persons in world who could have the disease themselves or could infect others.
More than 80% of the suspected patients of the world are in USA alone. Till 19_6 the total number of patients who have died from AIDS in the UK is about 200 and in the USA about 20,000. AIDS kills ruthlessly, deceptively, remorselessly and surely. Mortality approahces 100% in 'four years.
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On an average, most of the infected persons are men, making 92.5%, followed by women, 6.5% and children I %. The vast majority of the patients are homosexuals, making about 75% that is today the major cause of death of single man in USA in the age group of 25 to 44.
The
following
figures
show
an
average
incidence
of
AIDS
in
different
categories
of
Person
1.
(I)
Men -
92.5%
(II)
Women
--
6.5%
(III)
Children
-
1%
2.
Homosexuals -
75%
Intravenous
Drug
Users
-
15%
Blood
Transfusion
Recipients
-
1.5%
Haemophiliacs
-
0.6%
Heterosexuals
-
0.9%
Others
-
7%
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From
the
above
figures,
it
is
evident
that
vast
majority
of
the
patients
are
homosexuals
and
males.
In
1981
while
working
in
hospital
near
Los
Angeles,
Dr.
Gottlieb
was
dismayed
to
treat
ina
short
period
of
three
months
as
many
as
four
cases
of
an
extremely
rare
infection
of
the
lungs-pneumocystis
pneumonia,
an
infection
that
he
would
have
never
come
across
during
his
life
period.
It
was
an "opportunistic
infection" an
infection
that
invades
the
body
when
its
defense
system
collapse.
And
to
his
utter
surprise
they
all
turned
out
to
be
avowed
homosexuals.
After
the
publication
of
these
cases,
reports
of
similarly
afflicted
young
homosexuals
started
pouring
in
at
the
Centre
for
Disease
Control
in
Atlanta,
USA.
Most
of
the
patients
were
sexually
active.
It
was,
however,
later
found
that
all
the
subjects
were
not
homosexuals
and
a
few
were
intravenous
drug
abusers
who
often
shared
needles,
or
those
who
had
received
blood
or
its
products
(like
factor
VIII),
where
the
donor
was
an
AIDS
patient.
It
was
shown
to
occur
in
haemophiliacs.
The
female
partner
of
an
AIDS
patients
or
infant
born
of
an
AIDS
mother
may
also
develop
the
disease.
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It
could
therefore
be
assumed
that
this
disease
was
not
infectious
by
casual
contact.
The
infection
is
not
spread
by
touch
or
by
contamination
of
food
and
drinks
as
in
the
case
of
typhoid,
cholera
and
jaundice
nor
is
it
airborne
as
in
lung
tuberculosis
and
respiratory
infections.
None
of
the
health
service
staff
in
the
.
world
had
contracted
AIDS
from
a
patient.
It
is
now
established
that
AIDS
is
prevalent
amongst
male
homosexuals.
The
association
of
AIDS
with
the
life
style
is
conspicuous.
The
risk
of
contracting
the
disease
depends
on
living
in
high
risk
areas,
anal
receptive
intercourse;
multiple
sexual
partners
exposure
to
men
in
high
risk
area
(high
risk
patients
are
those
who
remain
asymptomatic
throughout
their
lives,
while
carrying
the
virus,
a
patient
may
be
suspected
to
have
AIDS
if
he
shows
unexplained
fever
muscle
pains,
night
sweats
and
persistent
lymphnode
enlargement),
multiple
episodes
of
sexually
transmitted
diseases
like
syphilis,
gonorrhea,
genital
herpes,
hepatitis
B,
giardiasis
etc.,
intravenous
drug
abuse
and
use
of
recreational
drugs
like
cocaine,
amphetamine,
methaqualone
amylnitrite
etc.
Anal
receptive
intercourse
help.s
probably
through
anal
deposition
of
semen
and
trauma
to
the
rectal
mucosa
inflicted
in
the
process,
ill
lowing
systemic
access
of
retrovirus
and
the
semen.
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Multiple
doses
of
semen
are
said
to
be
immunosuppressive.
Multiple
episodes
of
sexually-transmissible
diseases
are
also
immuno
suppressive.
The
nitrites
facilitate
entry
of
infective
agents
into
the
system
through
rectal
mucosa
by
their
vasodilating
effect.
AIDS
thus
spreads
through
blood
in
(i)
homosexuals,
(ii)
intravenous
drug
abusers,
(iii)
female
sexual
partners
of
any
of
I
or
2,
(iv)
through
open
wound,
(v)
transfusion
of
whole
blood,
plasma
or
platelet
transfusion,
(vi)
use
of
improperly
sterilised
or
unsterilised
syringes
and
needles,
(vii)
infants
get
from
their
infected
mothers.
AIDS
(Acquired
Immune
Deficiency
Syndrome) is
presumed
to
be
caused
by
a
virus,
which
has
been
isolated
from
the
infected
patient's
blood,
lymph
glands,
brain
tissue,
cerebrospinal
fluid,
tears,
bone
marrow
cells,
cell
free
plasma,
saliva
and
semen.
The
virus
responsible
for
AIDS
has
been
given
different
names,
such
as
Aids
associated
Retrovirus
(ARV),
Lymphoadenopathy
associated
virus
(LA
V)
and
Human
T-cell
Lymphotropic
Virus
Type-III
(HTL
V
-III).
HTL
V.III
has
also
been
recently
given
the
name
Human
Immunodeficiency
Virus
(HIV).
HIV
is
a
Retrovirus
i.e.
belongs
to
virus
family
Retroviridae.
HIV
is
said
to
exist
in
the
form
of
several
strains
in
human
blood.
The
other
two
viruses
infecting
the
lymph
system
of
man
are,
Human
T-celllymphotropic
virus-I
(HTLV-I)
and
HTLV-II,
that
are
oncogenic,
causing
adult
T-cell
leukaemia
and
lymphoma,
and
hairy
Tcell
leukaemia
respectively.
HIV
is
shown
to
act
as
a
cofactor
in
the
development
.
of
a
tumor
disease
in
man,
the
Kaposi's
sarcoma
caused
by
Cytomegalo
virus (a
member
of
Herpesviridae).
Proteins,
GP120
and
GP41
together
make
up
the
outer
skin
of
HIV
virus The
genetic
material
is
RNA
which
i5
enclosed
by
another
group
of
protein,
P24
that
makes
up
the
inner
core
of
the
virus.
The
genetic
information
contained
in
RNA
of
the
virus
is
reversed
by
the
enzyme
reverse
transcriptase.
The
enzyme
is
used
to
translate
its
genetic
information
into
DNA,
which
is
then
inserted
into
the
genes
of
human
cells
infected
by
the
virus.
Recent
studies
on
blood
samples.
taken
from
Madras
have
shown
the
presence
of
antibodies,
and
researches
at
AIIMS,
Delhi
presume
that
there
may
be
an
Asian
strain
of
HIV.
It
is
li\s.ely
that
HIV
exists
as
several
strains
in
different
parts
of
the
world.
HIV
-lis
supposed
to
be
the
American
strain
i.e.
it
has
typical
characteristics
found
largely
in
blood
samples
of
patients
from
the
U.S.A.,
Europe
and
Central
and
Eastem
Africa.
HIV
-2
perhaps
occurs
largely
in
blood
samples
of
patients
from
West
Africa.
Perhaps
the
Indian
isolate
may
be
an
Asian
strain
of
the
virus.
Human
beings
have
a
disease
defence
mechanism,
an
immune
system.
The
invading
microbes
are
generally
killed
by
this
system.
The
important
component
of
this
system
are
a
type
of
blood
cells
called
lymphocytes.
There
are
T
and
B
types
of
lymphocytes,
of
which
the
former
initiate
and
prime
the
immune
response.
The
AIDS
virus
has
a
liking
for
T-lymphocytes-T
helper
(T4)
lymphocytes
causing
a
decline
in
the
number
of
helpter
T
cells
and
a
change
in
the
T4
(helper):
TK
(suppressor)
lymphocyte
ratio.
It
multiplies
inside
them,
and
finally
disintegrates
them.
The
liberated
virus
particles
enter
fresh
lymphocytes
to
repeat
the
cycle,
till
all
lymphocytes
are
killed.
Thus
the
immune
system
of
the
patient
collapses
and
passes
into
defenseless
state.
This
state
is
called
AIDS.
The
AIDS
syndrome
could
be
clearly
divided
into
two
stages.
First,
there
is
an
infection
which
causes
the
immunosuppression.
The
excess
of
suppressive
activity
is
thought
to
be
responsible
for
the
resulting
immunodeficient
state
which
characterizes
AIDS.
Second,
such
immunodeficient
people
are
susceptible
to
microbial
attack
and
it
is
the
inability
to
counter
infection
which
leads
to
death.
It
should
be
emphasised
that
only
5-20%
of
those
infected
by
HIV
become
permanently
and
grossly
immunodeficient,
thus
evidence
of
HIV
infection
is
not
synonymous
with
AIDS.
AIDS
patients
suffer
from
a
variety
of
diseases
where
pneumonia
caused
by
the
protozoan
Pneumocysfis
carinii
is
common.
One
form
of
cancer,
Kaposi's
sarcoma
is
seen
more
frequently
in
AIDS
than
in
non-AIDS
people,
and
this
cancer
is
linked
to
Cytomegalbvirus.
Whatever
the
final
cause,
clinically
recognisable
AIDS
has
a
100%
fatality
rate.
The
period
from
which
the
patient
is
exposed
to
infection
to
the
development
of
the
full-fledged
clinical
picture
is
generally
between
9
to
300
months.
In
blood
transfusion
related
cases,
this
period
is
likely
between
4
to
14
months.
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