Introduction
AIDS is a disease of human immune system. It stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This disease is caused by a virus HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This disease is often referred as HIV/AIDS. This disease is becoming common and spreading actively and people are losing their lives because of it. The World Health Organization (WHO), in 2009, estimated that 33.4 million people are living with AIDS, 2.7 million people came with new infections and about 2.0 million died with this disease. Many people end up getting AIDS as they do not have any information regarding it. They do not know how Aids is caused and about its transmission. The question about how Aids spreads was unanswerable before, but now research has enlightened us about how this disease is transmitted.
History
AIDS was first discovered in 1982. At that time it was known as Gay Related Immune Disease (GRID). At that time there was no answer as to how Aids spreads and the reason behind this disease. So there was no treatment for this disease and people were dying because of it. But now conditions have changed, and people are not scared of the disease anymore. But in spite of the knowledge they have of the disease, people are still getting this disease at a higher rate and are suffering from it. The reason is that they are not taking precautions.
Features
AIDS is transmitted in three major ways; one, through contaminated blood, secondly, through sexual intercourse and thirdly, through a pregnant mother to a child. HIV occurs when an infected virus enters the body. AIDS usually occurs in drug dealers because they share needles and syringes that are contaminated with the virus. In some hospitals the doctors do not dispose of the used injections and the used injection is injected to another person. That is why it is advised by doctors that you should make sure that the syringe you are going to be injected with is new. Secondly, unprotected sex is the main cause of AIDS. If your sex partner has AIDS, through intercourse the infected virus can enter into your body and can result in AIDS. Oral sex can also be a reason. There is a possibility that your sex partner has STDs and if you do not use protected sex, you might get AIDS. In spite of all the knowledge media gives us, people are still having sexual intercourse without condoms. This is a major factor as to how Aids spreads and if it keeps on continuing, the disease will never end. If a mother has AIDS and is pregnant with a baby there are chances for the baby that he or she might be born with it. People who already have Sexually Transmitted infections like syphilis, herpes and gonorrhea etc have chances that they might get AIDS if they have sex with an infected partner. These are the major causes of AIDS. It does not just happen because of physical contact like sharing food, using the same toilet, but also via swimming pools or even kissing.
Tips and comments
After reading this article there is nothing new we are reading. We all are aware of this. We are familiar with how Aids spreads and how it can be controlled. It is the lack of education and knowledge. Seminars and debates take place to provide awareness to masses. It is our duty to be responsible citizens and take control of our lives.
