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AIDS history begins in 1981. It was at this time that an atypical manifestation of immunodeficiency in homosexual men was first described. The entry was made in the American journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly.
The virus that causes AIDS was first isolated 2 years later at the Pasteur Institute in France. At the same time, he was discovered at the National Institutes of Health in the United States. The Nobel Prize for the discovery of the virus that causes AIDS was awarded to Frenchmen Francoise Bare-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier.
What is AIDS?
AIDS is the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This is not a disease, but a syndrome that manifests itself in a variety of diseases that can lead to death.
AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It belongs to viruses that have their own RNA, to the genus Retrovirus, family Lentivirus. Scientists distinguish between HIV-1 and HIV-2. It is HIV-1 that drives the epidemic, while HIV-2 is rare, most common in West African populations. Having penetrated into the human body, the virus is looking for CD4 cell receptors, attaching to which it enters the cell.
Inside the cell, the RNA of the virus synthesizes DNA on itself, it is introduced into the host nucleus and exists with it until the cell dies. Viral DNA makes RNA for new viruses. They, in turn, infect new cells. CD4 receptors are located in the nervous and immune tissues, so it is these systems that the virus infects in the first place.
HIV-1 is spread only by a sick person. There is speculation that this virus may infect chimpanzees.
HIV-2 in addition to humans can exist in the body of some African monkeys. In the external environment, the virus quickly dies; it does not tolerate dryness and heat. Almost all antiseptics lead to its instant destruction.
An infected person has the virus in all fluids, including tears, milk, spinal fluid, saliva, etc. Most viruses are found in blood, vaginal secretions and semen.
How is AIDS transmitted from person to person?
AIDS is caused by HIV that infects CD4 lymphocytes (cells that destroy infectious agents and pathogens). With a decrease in the number of CD4-lymphocytes, an almost irreversible failure of the body’s defense systems begins and a sick person develops infectious processes and malignant tumors. More than ten years can pass from HIV infection to the development of AIDS. The advanced stage of AIDS is characterized as incurable and fatal.
In many cases, HIV infection occurs from an infected person during sexual contact. Infection can also occur during breastfeeding, childbirth or through blood. In an infected woman, the virus is present in the blood and vaginal secretions. An infected man has blood and semen. Transmission of infection is possible with all types of sexual contact. The risk of its transmission increases significantly with casual sex or the presence of several sexual partners.
Infection through the blood can occur if the blood of an infected person enters the body of a healthy person. Such a possibility exists when using poorly sterilized syringes and medical devices, transfusing infected blood, using medical needles that were used by an HIV patient. Drug addicts are at particularly high risk of infection in this way, since they often use one syringe for several people.
In addition, infection can occur from mother to child. This can happen during breastfeeding, at birth, or in utero. Pregnant women are encouraged to get tested for HIV. The disease is rarely transmitted through the placenta. The probability that a sick woman will have a healthy child is 70-75%.
In normal contact with infected people, HIV is not transmitted, so you should not be afraid of infection.
AIDS risk groups:
Drug addicts who use intravenous drugs.
People who practice anal sex. In this case, the sexual orientation of a person does not matter.
People receiving blood transfusions or organ transplants.
Medical workers.
Prostitutes and their clients.
How is AIDS not transmitted?
Despite the fact that the biological fluids of a sick person contain viral particles, infection does not occur in the following ways:
When using a swimming pool or public toilet.
When kissing, shaking hands or hugging (naturally, if people don’t have open bleeding wounds at the point of contact when shaking hands and kissing, but it’s quite difficult to imagine this).
By airborne droplet.
When using household items.
Through food.
When bitten by various blood-sucking insects (for example, mosquitoes).
By touching the doorknob.
When in contact with pets.
There is no risk of infection when using shared utensils.
This is due to factors such as:
Two liters of saliva cannot be on any dish and on any dish.
If so much saliva has accumulated somewhere, it cannot enter the human body.
Even under the condition that the dishes contain saliva with blood (when the patient has periodontal disease or stomatitis) and it is swallowed by a healthy person, he still does not get infected. In air, the virus dies very quickly.
Since the causative agents of AIDS are unable to exist in the external environment, infection does not occur either by talking, or by conscientious eating, or by using towels. Infection does not occur when using public toilets, showers or other household items.
Infection does not occur with a handshake. The skin protects a person well from viruses. The infection can only be transmitted if people have bleeding wounds on their hands that are in contact with each other.
Mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects do not spread AIDS. The organs with which they feed are arranged in such a way that the blood of the previous owner is not able to be transferred to the next victim. Science knows not a single case of transmission of AIDS by insects.
You can safely visit swimming pools, saunas and baths. AIDS does not spread through water.
The first signs of AIDS in men and women
Absolutely asymptomatic onset of HIV infection is typical for most cases. How long it takes for HIV to develop in the body can depend on a variety of factors, such as the general health of the infected person. Many people do not show any symptoms after being infected, and some people develop flu-like symptoms after a few days or weeks. This may be an increase in the lymph nodes in the neck, excessive fatigue, fever.
These symptoms often go away on their own after a few weeks. Until the patient pays attention to any changes in well-being, it may take a long time (even several years), but during this period he is able to infect his partner. When the immune system is weakened, an infected person may experience certain symptoms:
Frequent sweating and fever.
Weight loss.
Loss of energy.
Short-term memory loss.
Peeling of the skin and persistent skin rash.
Herpetic eruptions in the anus, genitals or mouth.
Chronic fungal infections.
Common symptoms of AIDS include:
Lack of coordination and convulsions.
Persistent diarrhea.
Painful or difficult swallowing.
Shortness of breath and cough.
Mental symptoms such as forgetfulness and confusion.
Vomiting, stomach cramps, nausea.
Severe headaches.
Heat.
Extreme fatigue and weight loss.
Loss of vision.
[Video] How to recognize HIV:
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