1st December every year is designated to celebrate and to remember the World's AIDS Day. On this day, it is the day when we dedicate this day to raise awareness regarding the significant and impact of AIDS pandemic disease to the world population.
When it was first incepted in 1988, the day has become so significantly to recognize all those souls who had perished succumbed to AIDS, those who are embattled with AIDS and those who are struggling to find the cure for AIDS. To these peoples, let us raise our arms to reach them and comfort them with our love and care, with our ability to help to battle the human destruction.2008 signifies the two decades of journey through the darkness of AIDS. This year's theme is "STOP AIDS. KEEP THE PROMISES - LEAD - EMPOWER - DELIVER". Maybe it is time for the us to lead the human march and really do something for the world to change. Like Obama said, Let's Change.
AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a syndrome that results from the destruction of human immune system by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that may lead the sufferer exposed to many susceptible opportunistic infections and tumors. HIV is transmitted via direct contact to mucous membrane or bloodstreams, or bodily fluids (like blood, semen, vagina fluid, preseminal fluid and breast milk). As we all known, there are three possible way of transmittion mode; sexual intercourse, syringe sharing especially in drug addicts and mother-baby mode.
In 2007, 33 million people including 2.5 million children are estimated to live with the disease worldwide, with about 2.1 million (including 330,000 children under the age of 15) are dead. About three-quarter of them are living in Sub-Saharan region of Africa. 2.5 million new cases are reported in 2007
AIDS can cause many health problems related to severed immune system, thus body is unable to fight against infections, even the slighly commonest micro-organisms in our body. Therefore, opportunistic infections are so common and HIV can virtually strikes every where and every organ that it possibly reach.
AIDS patient can develops:- Systemic infections of fever, sweats at night, swollen gland, chills and weakness
- Kaposi's sarcoma (due to Human Herpes virus, HHV-8)
- Cervical cancer (due to Human papillomavirus, HPV)
- Lymphomas - cancer of the immune system
- Burkitt's lymphoma (associated to Epstein-Barr virus)
- Certain cancers: anal and rectal carcinoma, Hodgkin;s disease
- Penicilliosis (due to Penicillium marneffei) **third commonest opportunistic infection
- Pneumocystis pneumonia (due to Pneumocystis jirovecii) **common causes of death
- Tuberculosis (TB) with possible multidrug resistance and atypical types
- Esophagitis (due to fungal candidiasis, viral Herpes Simplex Virus or cytomegalovirus)
- Chronic diarrhea (due to common bacteria and parasites)
- Colitis
- Toxoplamosis encephalitis - infection of brain (due to Toxoplasma gondii)
- Cryptococcal meningitis - infection of meninges of spinal cord (due to Cryptococcus neoformans)
- Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy - gradual destruction of myelin on nerves (due to John Cunningham or JC virus)
- AIDS dementia complex, ADC
- Others.......
Until today, no vaccine and effective therapy are available for curing AIDS. The only known methods of prevention are based on avoiding the viral exposures and antiretroviral therapy following highly significant exposures. The current treatment of HIV consists of highly active antiretroviral therapy, HAART cocktails of many types of antiretroviral drugs.
Looking back over the history since the AIDS was first discovered in early 1980s, stigmas had become a public misconception and misunderstanding over the diseases itself. If you are fascinated by the history of AIDS itself, you will not missed the part ot the history with repeated mention of ostracism, rejection, deiscrimination and avoidance of people with HIV. Just read about the story of people like Ryan White, the Ray brothers, NBA star Magic Johnson or Freddie Mercury of the band Queen himself. This day, let us pour our hope, raise our hand, and together walk through this parade calling on for support to curb AIDS.For more, go to:
www.worldaidsday.org
www.ptfmalaysia.org/images/HIV-AIDS
www.worldaidscampaign.org
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