Nature of HIV/AIDS Virus and how It Works - Essay Example

HIV/AIDS Introduction “Most people living with HIV/AIDS are in the economically productive age-group supporting children and elderly relativesand most will receive minimal care when they finally develop the AIDS-related illness. From many aspects, the global HIV/AIDS epidemic is an enormous tragedy for humankind.” (Morison, 2001: pp.7-8) Immunodeficiency is a condition that leaves human beings susceptible to infection by the natural defect of the immune system or by viral infections like AIDS (Leksmono, 2008). Since the 1980s, the human immune system has been facing an unprecedented challenge from the deadly killer - Human Immunodeficiency Virus /Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome and this virus has succeeded in wiping out millions of people, globally. In the UK, the death of a 49-year-old man in Brompton Hospital, London in 1981, due to a very weak immune system, may have been the first recorded case of HIV/AIDS (Pembrey, 2007). Then on, entire scientific communities and medical fraternities have hastened to uncover as many details as possible regarding the killer-virus and find a remedy to its unique method of infecting cells that leads to the ultimate failure of the human immune system.  Though much ground has been covered in past fifteen years, scientists are yet to find a complete cure and the incidence of the HIV/AIDS has increased manifold in the UK. Therefore it is imperative to educate oneself regarding this virus, and actively prevent its spread. This essay shall briefly sketch the nature of the virus, and the ways in which it virus works to defeat the human immune system and study some of the factors that have lead to the spread of the disease in the UK over the last twenty-five years using charts and graphs to illustrate the trend. The essay shall also delineate the stigma and discrimination suffered by the afflicted, and shall suggest some measures to stem the spread of the disease. The process envisages shedding more light on the importance of Immunology. HIV/AIDS – The Killer Chameleon A healthy human body has a host of defense mechanisms in readiness. The immune system wards away infection through a series of cellular and chemical reactions. Leukocytes or the white blood corpuscles with all its various components is the principal defender in the immune mechanism. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is different from many other viruses in that it contains genes made of Ribonucleic acid molecules or the RNA. This category of the virus is known as the retrovirus. Furthermore, only HIV and other retroviruses produce ‘reverse transcriptase’ - an enzyme that helps convert their RNA into Deoxyribo-Nucleic Acid or the DNA (contained in cells of human beings and most other viruses), stealthily camouflaging like the host cells, to rewrite the genetic code of the host cell and gradually destroy the immune system. However, like all other viruses, they can replicate only within live cells of the human body (Pembrey, 2007). The HIV is a master chameleon since it attacks and attaches itself to these main defenders, the white blood cells called ‘CD4+ T cells’ and makes the infected body almost totally defenseless to infection, by causing the failure of these ‘T cells’ (Pembrey, 2007). There are nine steps involved in the process of assault and attachment of the virus during its lifecycle, viz. 1) Attachment/Entry 2) Reverse Transcription and DNA Synthesis 3) Transport to Nucleus 4) Integration 5) Viral Transcription 6) Viral Protein Synthesis 7) Assembly of Virus 8) Release of Virus 9) Maturation (Pembrey, 2007; NIAID, 1998) and is illustrated in Appendix 1. And finally, the ruined the immune system of the infected leaves it powerless against assault from infections like pneumonia, tuberculosis, and so on. While studying the spread of this disease, it is important to understand that the process of transmission from one person to another, takes place only in live cells. Modes of Transmission – Spread of the Terminator in the UK Since HIV/AIDS is likely to be passed on through infected blood, pre-ejaculation fluid, semen or vaginal fluids, and breastfeeding from an infected mother, HIV is less transmissible than other communicable diseases and virus like influenza. As such, HIV/AIDS is spread by means of anal, oral and vaginal sex, blood transfer, and pregnancy; the major risk groups are homosexuals and heterosexuals (unprotected sex between infected men to uninfected men or men to women); injecting drug syringes, and blood transfusion users like haemophiliacs (Noble, 2008). The spread of HIV/AIDS has been relatively less as compared to the spread in another part of the world. However, of the various modes of transmission, the spread through homosexuals (MSM) gained much focus initially; though it has later been proved that the spread through heterosexuals has been equally rampant. Much attention was given to stem the spread through injection of drug syringes, and ‘needle exchange packs' were distributed to stem the spread of the virus through this mode (Pembrey, 2007). Though initially, this yielded results and drug syringe needle spread had almost been eliminated in the UK, it staged a comeback since 1997 (See Table 1), according to the Health Protection Agency Annual Report, 2007 (p.8). The spread of the virus has long reached epidemic proportions with worldwide figures of the afflicted with HIV/AIDS being estimated at 30.6 million people in the year 1997. In the UK alone, the figures for those with HIV have tripled from about 2,764 in 1997 to nearly 8000 in 2006. Voluntary enrolments at the Genito-Urinary-Medicine clinics throughout the UK have been largely successful in maintaining a record of the HIV/AIDS infected people. More pertinently, there has been an increase in the numbers of all modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS, leading to an alarming increase in the numbers of infected people. Rob Noble in the ‘United Kingdom Statistics Summary’, reports “An estimated 73,000 people were living with HIV in the UK at the end of 2006, of whom, a third were unaware of their infection”; furthermore, there have been about 23,147 diagnosed cases of AIDS in the UK, of which 80% have died (2008) (Attached at the end are Tables on ethnic classification of the number of people afflicted with HIV/AIDS in the year 2006, in the UK as given in Health Protection Agency). HIV/AIDS may, therefore, aptly be called the ‘terrible Terminator.' Education & Awareness – A Potential Protector Significant here is the observation that nearly one-third of the afflicted were not even aware of the fact that they were afflicted. This shall obviously lead to their infecting more people, albeit inadvertently. Hence it is imperative that the general population must be educated regarding the deadly virus, and the modes of its transmission and spread of the disease. Sex-education and the importance of seeking medical and emotional help cannot be over-emphasized since till date there hasn’t been a known cure for the deadly disease. Stigma is manifested through repression and rejection by not only the society, but also within the families of those afflicted, and this “rejection holds as true in the rich countries of the north as it does in the poorer countries of the south” (Fredriksson & Kanabus, 2007, 1). Education and awareness should be imparted to even school children from ages 9 or 10 years of age. This will help children to promote an understanding of the dangers of the epidemic and guard themselves, while simultaneously developing a sympathetic view their suffering. This shall help reduce the stigma and discrimination that of the afflicted in future. Conclusion HIV/AIDS is a retrovirus that is different from many other viruses as it progressively destroys the human body's immune system and allows a host of other infections to attack the body. It's camouflage and disguise have helped it elude any remedial measures or cure, and has already succeeded in killing millions of people worldwide, including the UK, making it apt to be called the ‘terrible Terminator.' A study of its transmission has revealed an increasing trend in the UK, and a pitiable lack of awareness of the virus, in about a third of those afflicted. Education and spreading awareness of the virus in children can help contain the growth of the disease, and gradually mellow down the stigma and rejection associated with the disease. Though a lot has been done to elevate the plight of the suffering, much remains to be done as yet, causing Morison to rightly remarks that "HIV/AIDS epidemic is an enormous tragedy for humankind.” (2001, pp.7-8) Reference Health Protection Agency (2008). “Annual Report -2007” Online article accessed on February 12, 2008. http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/Stats/HIV/Prevalence/default.htm Leksmono, Leksi (2008). “Immunology” Class lecture on February 5, 2008. Roehampton University. Morison, Linda (2001). The Global Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in British Medical Bulletin 58 (1): 7. (2001):pp.7-18. Also available at http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/58/1/7 NIAID or National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (1998). “How HIV Causes AIDS” in Fact Sheet Online article, accessed on February 12, 2008. http://www.albany.edu/sph/AIDS/howhiv.html Noble, Rob. “United Kingdom Statistics Summary” in www.AVERT.org Online article, last updated on February 7, 2008, accessed on February 12, 2008. http://www.avert.org/uksummary.htm Pembrey, Graham (2007). “History of HIV/AIDS in the UK, 1981-95.” In www.AVERT.org Online article, last updated on November 13, 2007, accessed on February 12, 2008. http://www.avert.org/uk-aids-history.htm Fredriksson, Jenni & Kanabus, Annabel (2007). “HIV and AIDS – Discrimination and Stigma” in www.AVERT.org Online article, last updated on November 26, 2007, accessed on February 12, 2008. http://www.avert.org/aidsstigma.htm      Appendix 1 Life Cyle of HIV Steps in Viral Replication 1. Attachment/Entry 2. Reverse Transcription and DNA Synthesis 3. Transport to Nucleus 4. Integration 5. Viral Transcription 6. Viral Protein Synthesis 7. Assembly of Virus 8. Release of Virus 9. Maturation  Source: NIAID or National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (1998). “How HIV Causes AIDS” in Fact Sheet Online article, accessed on February 12, 2008. http://www.albany.edu/sph/AIDS/howhiv.html Table 1 Record of HIV/AIDS Spread from 1981 to 1995 Year Reported cases - Deaths 1981 1 1 1982 7 1 1983 17 1984 108 46 1985 275 1987 1170 1993 7,045 1995 37561 (Both HIV & AIDS) This table has been compiled from the data given by Pembrey, Graham (2007). “History of HIV/AIDS in the UK, 1981-95.” In www.AVERT.org Online article, last updated on November 13, 2007, accessed on February 12, 2008. http://www.avert.org/uk-aids-history.htm Table 2 Source: Health Protection Agency http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/publications/AnnualReport/2007/chap3/default.htm Table 3 Source: Health Protection Agency http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/publications/AnnualReport/2007/chap3/default.htm Table 4 Source: Health Protection Agency http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/publications/AnnualReport/2007/chap3/default.htm Read More