NYSC members sensitized students on HIV&AIDS in Ogun
NYSC members sensitized students on HIV&AIDS in Ogun
The constellation of medical illnesses altogether known as AIDS is caused by an infection with the virus known as HIV in a sensitization delivered by Anti HIV&AIDs Vanguard CDS group in Ipokia Local government area of Ogun State coordinating by Comrade Bright Tunde Olorungbotemi.
In a lecture delivered by Salau Adekunle with the state code number OG/18B/3197, HIV is an RNA virus belonging to the family of viruses known as retrovirus and the subfamily, Lentivirus.
There are two types, HIV 1 which was first discovered in the U.S and which has the highest distribution worldwide.
HIV 1 is believed to have originated from chimpanzees or Gorillas. HIV 2 was first discovered in West Africa and it's believed to have originated from a species of monkeys called Sooty Mangabey.
HiV/AIDS is a pandemic and has a world wide distribution. Two thirds of the population of people living with HIV and AIDS(PLWHA) are in Africa. Worthy of note is the fact that the AIDS has been seen to affect more severely, parts of the world where there's severe poverty. It's also commoner among people of low income status.
In lecture made available to the audience confirmed by VAM News revealed that Over 70million have had the disease from 1981 to the end of 2017 and about 35 million have died from it. About 36.9million people were living with HIV/AIDS as at the end of 2017.
AIDS (Acquired immune deficiency syndrome) was first recognized in a small group of homosexual men in the summer of 1981.
The virus known as HIV ( Human immuno deficiency virus) was isolated in 1983.
In 1984, it was proven that HIV was indeed the cause of AIDS.
In 1985, the test ELISA ( enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) was developed to detect the presence of the organism.
Mode of transmission
Unprotected sexual intercourse remains the major mode of transmission of the virus.
Sharing of sharp objects e.g needles as may be seen in intravenous drug abuser, blades, hair clippers etc with someone who's already infected with the virus.
Mother to child transmission.
This can occur in a while the woman is still pregnant with the baby, during the delivery of the baby of via breastfeeding.
Transfusion of blood or blood products
Transmission of the virus can occur if the blood donor was not properly screened or the individual is newly infected and has not had the infection long enough for the screening laboratory test to detect it's presence. The screening laboratory test can only detect the presence of the virus after 2 - 4 weeks of infection.
There's no evidence that HIV can be transmitted through feces,urine,tears,sweat,sputum,nasal secretions or saliva of an infected person. It can also not be transmitted by insects e.g mosquitoes.
Once in the body,the virus infects a type of white blood cell called CD4 + cells, duplicates several copies of itself in the cell, destroys and moves on to other cells while making more copies of itself. The CD4 + cells are important in defending the body against infectious organisms and with them reduced in number, the individual becomes susceptible to all kinds of infections.
A person is said to have AIDS when the CD4 + count is low, in the presence of a positive HIV test and with any of the AIDS defining illnesses which affects different parts of the bodies organs/system and includes:
Brain : Toxoplasmosis, Encephalitis, AIDS dementia complex, lymphoma of the brain ets
Eyes: cytomegalovirus retinitis Wich could easily to loss of vision.
Oral cavity: oral thrush, Kaposi's sarcoma, aphthous ulcer etc
Respiratory system: pneumocystis jiroveci pnemonia, reactivation of tuberculosis, fungal infections of the respiratory airways
Kidneys: Nephrotic syndrome, HIV associated nephropathy
Stomach and intestines: Chronic diarrhea
Etc.
Everyone but especially those experiencing symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease, pregnant women, anyone with a history of multiple sexual partners,anyone experiencing frequent unexplained fever, anyone with a persistent diarrhoea ( passing watery stool), anyone with unexplained weight loss.
The early symptoms of HIV/AIDS are unspecific, meaning that can be seen in other illnesses as well. A high index of suspicion of the physician is therefore key to making the diagnosis.
Prevention can only be by avoiding habits, lifestyle that could enable getting the virus through any of the modes of transmission aforementioned.
There's no vaccine yet with which one can be immunized again getting infected with HIV.
However all pregnant mothers should be screened as part of antenatal care in order to forestall transmission to their babies. Babies born to mothers with HIV must be given drugs as a post exposure prophylaxis. If you get a puncture from a needle of sharp objects from unknown or suspicious origin, put the puncture site under running water and express out the blood for a few minutes.
Treatment is by a group of drugs, Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy ( HAART). These drugs will not provide a cure but will reduce the population of the organisms in the individual thereby allowing him to live longer with the disease.
There are people who have lived for 50yrs more or even longer after they were diagnosed and commenced on the medications.
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