HIV Virus

If a person acquires HIV, is there any hope for recovery? I've been asked by people about this for maybe a hundred times. I'm not the "Doc", but as a former hospital intern I gained some knowledge about HIV since we were treating HIV positives in the center. Sadly, there's no vaccine against HIV. But there are medications against further infections and complications since it can take 10 years before the symptoms of AIDS manifest. The only thing to watch out for here is the blood -- to make sure that the HIV infection is still in its latent stages.

Blood tests are important in the medication of HIV infection. The trouble with people is that unless they develop the symptoms, they don't visit the physician for necessary blood exams. Sometimes, the doctors make use of cell count in order to discover if the body has enough strength to fight HIV. For example, doctors measure the number of CD4 cells in our body. Normally, we have 500-1600 cells. Those who are HIV positive and are already exhibiting the symptoms of AIDS have fewer than 200.

HIV, it turns out, is not just an ordinary virus, but a "retrovirus" which multiplies by using the other cells in the infected person's body. The role of "antiretrovirals" is to simply reduce the number of multiplying HIV-infected cells before it's too late. The scary thing about this is that HIV cells multiply by the billions everyday! But antiretrovirals, when combined with other drugs, can help reduce this number, slow down the infection, and eventually stop the spread of the disease.

My friend Karren is positive for HIV. But she never stop doing all things that she wants to do. She travels a lot, eats the food the wants, attends her Saturday gym class, and seldom visits her doctor. In fact, she is happier now than the time she was not infected by the virus. And now, she is pregnant and a happy wife. For her, HIV is not a big problem, as big as her tons of debts.

Karen is a positive thinker. She always think that everything that happens on earth has its purpose. And when she learned that she has the virus, she thought of the best way that would turn the news into an inspiration. And until now, she treats the HIV as just a simple flu.

Do you believe that she already quit her medications? When the time she had her HIV test, her condition did not progress. For how many years, she maintains the level of her T cell count. It's probably a miracle for some, but for Karen, it is just an attitude. For her, if you will believe that HIV is living in you, you won't really live that long. Be possitive that you can still live happily with an HIV.

Many people today are suffering from the threatening virus called human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV is included in the family of viruses known as retroviruses. These retroviruses contain genes made of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules. The human genes and many other organisms consist of deoxyribonuleic acid (DNA).

Similar to other known viruses, HIV is capable to grow and reproduce inside cells. But only this virus and other similar retroviruses can utilize an enzyme known as reverse transcriptase to change RNA into DNA. HIV put its own RNA into the genes of the host cell. It prevents the host cell from bringing out its own functions, and leading it to become an HIV producer.

Based on studies, about 4.1 million new infected individuals have added to the long list of HIV victims worldwide in 2005. And for how many years, doctors and scientists have been trying to discover the best possible cure for HIV infections. However, because of advanced medicines, treatment and care for HIV victims are being provided to slow down the replication of the harmful virus in human body. These drugs can prevent people from experiencing the illness for years. Unfortunately, HIV infections can end to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which one of the primary causes of death in the world.

Proper HIV testing is necessary to diagnose the symptoms that appear to the body of the infected person. There are many symptoms of HIV/AIDS. And sometimes, it appears on the mouth. Although HIV is a sexual transmitted disease, it can also be transferred through needle sharing, pregnancy, and blood transfusion. Hence, if the HIV positive person kisses a HIV negative partner who has badly bleeding gums, there is a possibility that the infected person would transfer the virus to his partner.

Aside from damaging the immune system of the body, AIDS can also cause serious damage to the mouth and its surroundings. Mouth can be a home for all types of microorganisms, including the AIDS virus. Next to teeth; the tongue, lips, gums and cheeks are also affected by the virus. And one of the conditions of AIDS that is related to mouth problem is the Oral Hairy Leukoplakia (OHL). Normally, OHL is present on the sides or under the tongue, and sometimes located inside the cheek. It's described as a white lesion which cannot be scraped off. However, OHL does not cause any symptoms. It doesn't affect the taste of the person, or cause him pain or discomfort.

The rate of HIV victims is increasing every year. Unprotected sexual activity with HIV/AIDS infected partner is one of the causes of HIV transmission. However, sharing of contaminated drug needles has also become a channel for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, specifically to teenagers and pregnant mothers.

HIV and other contagious diseases can be easily transferred through utilizing dirty-blooded and contaminated needles or syringes. Thus, HIV/AIDS educators inform the public to use clean and sterilized syringes, needles, and other medical tools when injecting the required drugs. Doctors should assist their patients when using the needles, too. Some health centers and communities, promote the needle exchange program, where one can exchange the used needles as well as syringes for new and sterilized equipment.

The increasing number of HIV victims through injection of dirty needles is really alarming. Health practitioners, educational institutions, and families should work hand-in-hand to inform and educate people to use clean needles and other injection paraphernalia. Information about the peril of sharing needles is one of the best ways to keep people away from the threats of contagious diseases, like HIV.

We all know that AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome is caused by the HIV virus. But didn't you know that there was a time in history when the question as to where the HIV virus originated propelled debates in the medical field. For two decades, this has been a much talked about subject because there weren't any scientific study that would shed light to this problem.

Scientists found out that the second type of HIV, originated from another strain of virus known as Simian Immunodeficiency Virus discovered to affect the green monkeys in Western Africa. In 1999, the other HIV type was discovered to resemble another SIV that are carried by chimpanzees. Scientists have then assumed that HIV really came from Africa. But the question as to who or what caused the HIV to spread to other parts of the world is still hidden in the dark.

Scientists, however, believed that the factors that caused HIV to spread include travel, blood industry and drug use. The first known case of AIDS in the US transpired in the early '80s. Many gay men in the areas of San Francisco and New York were diagnosed with infections and cancer that were very resistant to treatments. All of these men suffered from the same syndrome. And it was also at this period that the scientists discovered that HIV causes AIDS.

Viruses are evey where and they cause numerous kinds of illnesses to humans such as flu and colds but there are others that cause sickness that are more serious like HIV, AIDS, and herpes. A virus cannot spread and live without the cells of humans. The virus of HIV infects the immune system cells. The immune cells protect a person from diseases. When a cell is accumulated by a virus it will not able to perform its job. Hence, leaving the body unprotected.

Everyday, millions of viruses are created by the HIV and the body also produces antibodies that counters the production of virus but HIV virus produce faster. Because of this the system gets weaker and weaker. But having this kind of disease does not mean that the person has AIDS because this could only be acquired if the immune system has totally stopped to function or damaged.

Today there are drugs that are meant to counter HIV, they are called antiretroviral. These are drugs used to reduce the virus amount in the cells. The effects of these drugs help people, who are carrying this disease, live longer and remain healthy.

We’ve all heard the term before being thrown by doctors and experts. They say that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a type of a retrovirus. All of us understand the dangers of HIV and how they are transmitted but I’m sure that not everyone is familiar with what exactly a retrovirus is. So what is a retrovirus? A simple explanation is that a retrovirus is a type of RNA virus. Unlike other RNA viruses, it reproduces by transcribing itself into the cell’s DNA. Another deadly illness that is caused by a retrovirus is leukemia.

The term retro in retroviruses refers to the reversal of DNA and RNA transcription. That transcription only occurs from DNA to RNA. Retroviruses transcribe genetic information from its RNA to DNA which is then inserted to the host cell. Once the DNA strand from the virus is synthesized into the host cell, a complementary viral DNA strand is produced. This reverse transcription lacks the customary proofreading if DNA transcription. This causes the virus to mutate very often, thus making it immune to antiviral drugs fast which makes it hard to develop an effective vaccine for HIV.

A disease like HIV is something that some people take seriously. They take vitamins for health and exercise in gyms. Unfortunately, for others they never even bother to care whether or not they already have the virus. As much as these people are aware and educated on the effects of the disease or know someone that has HIV, they still do not have an idea of what it is like until they themselves are infected with HIV.

If the increase in the number of HIV cases is not alarming enough, then you should probably be aware of the fact that HIV does not easily manifest itself to its victims. HIV is considered a retrovirus that is replicated into the DNA by RNA. While the genetic information of the virus is being integrated into the nucleus, the virus actually may stay dormant for a long time for cell divisions prior to reactivation and further reproduction and infection of viral particles. This explains most likely the reason why people already ill with HIV do not feel sick with HIV, and why they can mistake other symptoms of the virus for complications not related to HIV.

It is a common fact that illnesses weaken the immune structure of the individual. The immune cells or T-cells can be said to be the favorite enemies of the HIV, since CD4 cells, which are one kind of immune cells. T- cells help produce the white blood group that are in turn, responsible for responding and blocking off bacteria and other infections brought about by various sicknesses.

Another kind, the CD-8 cells are in charge of fighting these parasites. Now, we know why we should be living healthy lifestyle so we would not be susceptible to any disease, including the deadly HIV.