Autor: mundo  aiddas | Publicado: 2011-12-12T09:18:00-08:00

learn more about AIDS and HIVAIDS virus
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The acronym AIDS means Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The AIDS virus is known as HIV and is found in blood, semen, vaginal secretion and breast milk of people infected by the virus. Objects  contaminated by the substances mentioned above, can also transmit HIV  if there is direct contact with the blood of a person.After infection, the disease can take up to 10 years to manifest. Therefore, the person may have the HIV virus in your body, but has not yet AIDS. In developing AIDS, HIV begins a process of destruction of white blood cells of the sick person. As  these white blood cells are part of the immune system (defense) of  human beings, without them, the patient is unprotected and several  opportunistic infections may appear and complicate a person's health. The person carrying the HIV virus, while not having developed the disease, can transmit it.Forms of contagionAIDS is transmitted in several ways. Because  the virus is present in semen, vaginal secretions, breast milk and  blood, all forms of contact with these substances can cause an  infection. The  main forms identified to date are: blood transfusion, unprotected sex,  sharing needles or sharp objects that have residues of blood. AIDS can also be passed from hand to child during pregnancy or breastfeeding.Main symptoms of AIDSAs  mentioned above, a carrier of the AIDS virus can be up to 10 years  without developing the disease and present its main symptoms. This is because HIV is "asleep" and controlled by the immune system of the individual. When the immune system begins to attack by the virus more effectively, begin to appear the first symptoms. The main ones are: high fever, diarrhea, constant growth of the lymph nodes, weight loss and skin rashes. When  the resistance begins to fall further, several opportunistic diseases  begin to appear: pneumonia, some types of cancer, neurological problems,  memory loss, impaired motor coordination, Kaposi's sarcoma (cancer that  causes lesions on the skin, intestine and stomach). If not treated quickly and correctly, these diseases can lead to death quickly seropositive.Ways to PreventPrevention is done by avoiding all forms of transmission mentioned above. With respect to transmission via sexual contact, the most suitable way is the correct use of condoms during sexual intercourse. Currently, there are two types of condoms, also known as condoms, the male and female. Another way is to use disposable needles and syringes in medical procedures. Sharp instruments that come into contact with blood should be properly sterilized before use. Blood  transfusions, there must be a rigorous system of testing for the  presence of HIV, so it does not pass from one infected person to a  healthy.TreatmentUnfortunately medicine has not found a cure for AIDS. What we have today are drugs that are controlling the virus in the person with the disease. These medications improve the quality of life of patients and increasing survival. The drug is currently the most widely used AZT (zidovudine), which is a blocker of reverse transcriptase. The main function of AZT is to prevent the reproduction of the AIDS virus still in its early stages. Other drugs used to treat AIDS are: DDI (didanosine), DDC (zalcitabine), 3TC (lamividina) and d4T (stavudine). Although  effective in controlling the virus, these drugs cause significant side  effects on kidneys, liver and immune system of patients.Scientists worldwide are working on developing an AIDS vaccine. However,  there is great difficulty, because HIV has a great capacity to mutate,  making the work of scientists in vaccine development.