Hiv Antibodies In The Blood example essay topic

AIDS and HIV are becoming more and more of a problem in the world. In Canada there have been "14,500 AIDS cases reported and "50,000 Canadians" have come in contact with the virus. "5000 people become infected each year. (The Canadian AIDS Society 1997 [poster]) AIDS and HIV can affect people of all ages, whether they are "old, young, male, or female" (Basic facts about AIDS / HIV).

People of all ages should have a general knowledge of AIDS and HIV. They should be fully aware of how to protect themselves of this disease, what the disease can do to their bodies, and how to go about testing for the HIV virus. AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is the most developed stage of HIV (Griege 1987, p. 22). HIV cannot cause harm unless it enters the bloodstream. If the HIV virus was to enter the body's bloodstream, it would destroy the white blood cells called "helper-T cells". This would affect the body's "immune system" because the role of the white blood cells is to protect the body from diseases.

The immune system would not be able to perform without the white blood cells (Griege 1987, p. 22). AIDS causes infections to occur that is not normally seen in "normal individuals". This is true because the immune system is so weak that it can not prevent these infections (Collier's Encyclopedia 1984, p. 241). AIDS is not the disease that is being transmitted from person to person, it is HIV. HIV can be transmitted in a few different ways. One way that it can be transmitted is through "sexual intercourse" without the use of a condom.

It can be transmitted through the "vagina or the anus" if the penis was to enter either one. The disease is transmitted easier through "anal intercourse" than through vaginal intercourse because "of the thin lining of the rectum". The sharing of sex toys is also another way of catching HIV virus. The virus can be also transmitted through the sharing of needles, with an infected person, for drug use (Canadian AIDS Society 1997, p. 1-26). If someone catches HIV through injecting drugs, themselves and their sexual partners have a higher risk of developing AIDS.

These people hold the highest percentage of AIDS (Levy 1998, p. 776). Tattooing and skin piercing with dirty needles is also a risk of catching HIV. This happens because HIV is transmitted through blood. There is a possibility the HIV can passed from mother to fetus or if the mother was to become infected after the baby was born, it could be past through breast feeding the baby (Canadian AIDS Society 1997, p. 1-26).

Traces of HIV have been found in saliva; However, HIV cannot be transmitted through kissing but heavy kissing should not to be practiced. It has been said that there is a slight possibility that HIV could be passed from a bite from one human to another. These two statements are still being discussed between the experts (Landau-Staton and Clements 1993, p. 174-175). Blood transfusions were once a risk of getting HIV but is not anymore because HIV test are done on all blood that is donated.

HIV cannot be transmitted through the air or by touching an infected person. Also insects, such as mosquitoes, cannot infect a person with HIV. When the HIV virus is outside the body it is very weak and cannot be transmitted through the water. Drinking or eating from an infected person is not a way that HIV can be transmitted, neither is using the same washroom (Canadian AIDS Society 1997 p. 1-26). There are ways in which a person can protect him or herself from catching of transmitting HIV. One way is, not to have sex at all.

This is the only hundred percent way of not catching the HIV virus. Another way is to have sex with only one partner that is very faithful. Using a latex condom during sexual intercourse is one way to reduce the risk of catching or transmitting the virus, but it is not a hundred percent safe. Condoms have to used right in order to provide protection.

The use of lubrication with a condom, helps prevent the condom from tearing and therefore provides more protection. Also, for oral sex practiced on a man, use a latex condom over the penis, and for a woman cut a condom open and place it over the vagina. Practicing safe sex reduces the risk of HIV in a society. Using clean needles and not sharing them with someone else, while injecting drugs, provides protection from coming in contact with HIV (Canadian AIDS Society, 1997 p. 2- 4).

If HIV was present in the body, the body would then produce "antibodies" to try and delete the virus. These antibodies however, is not able to get rid of the virus. There is a test that can be done to see if there are HIV antibodies present in the blood. This test is called the "Elisa test". In order for the "Elisa test" to detect the HIV antibodies in the blood, there has to be enough antibodies available. There is a waiting period of about fourteen weeks, from the time of contact with the virus, for the body to produce enough antibodies for the test to detect.

Any doctor can do this test. The test results could be negative or positive. If the test turns out to be negative, it means that there are no HIV antibodies present in the body. If the test turns out to be positive, it means that HIV antibodies have been detected in the body (AIDS PEI, pamphlet). It is still questionable about where the HIV virus has come from. Some experts have ideas about where the virus came from, but they do not know for certain.

Some scientists think that the virus has been around for a while, but has just recently, become more serious and destructive. It is also believed by some, that there is a possibility that the virus came from monkeys transmitting it to men in Africa. Some tests were done on the monkeys and it showed some similarities to HIV but was different in the cause of AIDS (Greig 1992, p. 23-24). Right now, the highest group of people that has HIV / AIDS is homosexual. However, the population of homosexuals that has AIDS and HIV, is slowly declining, and drugs users and heterosexuals is increasing. This means that HIV transmission has become greater with the heterosexuals (Kelly 1995 p. 7).

AIDS and HIV have become a very big concern in the world. In order to keep AIDS and HIV from infecting more people than it already has, is to provide plenty of information of how to protect themselves from this deadly disease. There should be television ads about AIDS and HIV on every channel. Everyone should have the opportunity to know all the general facts about this disease.