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HIV and Aids are two correlated ailments which have serious consequences for patients. The aim of our discussion today is to understand what each entails and the issues that must be dealt with.

Defining HIV

First and foremost, HIV is a deadly virus that has a significant impact on the person’s immune system. The immune system is the all-important defense mechanism of the body. Its main objective is to protect the body from diseases. When the body’s natural armor against unfavorable agents becomes comprised, there is a definite cause for concern.

The acronym HIV, which means Human Immunodeficiency Virus, decimates the white blood cell count in the body. These cells are known as T-helper or CD4 and are replaced by HIV, which multiplies once it enters these spaces.

Gradually, the white blood cell count declines as the HIV spreads further. This results in the failure of the immune system to act appropriately. Therefore, an HIV patient would find it increasingly troublesome to deflect diseases since his/her body’s natural defense will fail to do so.

Thankfully, there are legitimate antiretroviral options available to combat HIV in patients, which can afford them a chance at a normal life again. Of course, treatment depends on the stage at which HIV is diagnosed. If the patient is lucky and the diagnosis is done relatively early, then doctors can work their way to better long-term health in patients. This is precisely why regular HIV testing is recommended.

HIV can be found in a person’s semen, blood, body fluids and even breast milk in some cases. It cannot be transmitted through urine, saliva or perspiration. However, individuals must be extraordinarily cautious when they initiate sexual intercourse, as adequate protection is obligatory to avoid transmission of HIV (or any type of sexual disease).

There are other factors which pertain to HIV as well. A contaminated or used syringe can be the cause of HIV. This is why it is imperative to use a sealed and brand new needle to inject any drugs or execute a blood test. Last but not least, women who are expecting and develop HIV, unfortunately, must act promptly. Pregnant females must be aware of the fact that if the virus is situated in their blood, it can easily pass on to the unborn child. Alternatively, the virus may be carried into the child’s body through breastfeeding. Pregnant women must already exercise every caution in the book and this is amplified when motherhood is imminent.

Understanding Aids

Aids and HIV are frequently mentioned in tandem which begs the question: how are they different? Aids is actually the syndrome or symptoms that are caused by HIV.

Aids stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is also called advanced HIV or late-stage HIV by doctors. A person with Aids is said to have a weak immune system which is unable to stave off ailments and infections. Aids is essentially the final phase of HIV, which means the infection has manifested itself considerably. The consequences of this can be fatal.

Carriage of HIV

Now that we’ve shared the fundamental details of HIV and Aids, we can shift the focus to learning how it is transmitted from one person to another person.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus is disseminated through a number of ways. The most common theme is that a person may make contact with specific bodily fluids which emanate from a person who has HIV. Examples include the blood of a patient. For instance, if a person is subjected to a syringe which was used by another patient, then the blood of the former may already be contaminating the needle, which is how it could find its way into the bloodstream of the other. Semen can be transmitted through unprotected sex and so can pre-seminal lubricants. A mother may directly affect her infant child through the process of breastfeeding.  

The actual procedure is called HIV transmission. The most common of the aforementioned causes is sexual intercourse. In the US, it is the number one reason for contracting HIV. Obviously, to greatly diminish the likelihood of HIV, individuals must be responsible and use precautions. Condoms are a given and instructions on how to use these are provided with the packaging.

Moreover, agents which do not transmit HIV include basic contact between humans such as exchanging pleasantries or embracing another person. Coming in contact with commodities such as dishes or doorknobs does not mean HIV is transferable (although it is always advisable to wash your hands frequently in order to help avoid any number of other diseases, including the common cold). Foreign carriers such as mosquitoes and fleas, which are known to carry multiple diseases, also do not carry this virus either.

Treating HIV Patients

Antiretroviral therapy can assuage and alleviate is when medication is prescribed which tackles the HIV infection. People who undergo this therapy are required to consume a combination of medicines on a daily basis. They actively prevent the virus from multiplying and replacing white blood cells in the human body. Additionally, the medication vastly reduces the quantity of the virus in the body. Naturally, lesser HIV is tantamount to better health and a greater capability of the body to combat concerns is restored.

In terms of the actual diagnosis, there is a fixed criterion to determine whether a person is suffering from HIV. Tests may indicate that determining a person’s white blood cell. A low count can indicate numerous issues, HIV being one of them. A CD4 count below 200 cells per cubic millimeter is a sign that HIV is at play. The average or healthy count of CD4 ranges from 500 to 1600 cells per cubic millimeter. Alternatively, the other reason may be that the person develops an opportunistic infection, which brings about HIV.

There is no cure for AIDS, but it can be controlled and people can live a fairly normal lifestyle as former NBA star Magic Johnson can attest to. With that said, careful practices during sex and when using injections is paramount to avoid the possibility of contracting this disease.  

Doctors think the head trauma Muhammad Ali suffered during his boxing career might have contributed to his Parkinson’s disease. Approximately 1.5 million Americans have Parkinson’s disease and 60,000 more are diagnosed with it each year. Boxing may have influenced Ali’s disease, but the data are far from conclusive. His family has suggested that his disease was due to the exposure to pesticides he had experienced earlier in life. But the truth is that we may never know what caused his Parkinson’s—or that of the vast majority of those diagnosed.

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder in which cells in a part of the brain that controls movement begin to die. As a result, patients slow down, lose coordination, and tremble.

Ali referred to his condition as a “trial” from God and spoke of preparing for death. He said he thought about it during each of his five daily prayers, but he did not give the impression it prayed on his mind. If anything he seemed at peace with the idea.

He would say that speaking in public was something he had to strive to overcome: “I realize my pride would make me say no, but it scares me to think I’m too proud to appear in public  because of my condition.”

Ali never complained. He would wake, shower and sit in his arm chair watching old boxing reels.  There were no complaints.  No time blaming others for his fate. “He would always say to his family, ‘These are the cards I was dealt, so don’t be sad.”  

How did Ali stay so positive? “He would say, ‘I’ve got the best-known face on the planet. I’m the three-time heavyweight champion of the world. I’ve got no reason to be down.”

Ali will be remembered as more than just “the greatest”.  He was a powerful force on humanitarian missions. He spoke out against racism, war and religious intolerance, while projecting an unshakable confidence that became a model for African-Americans at the height of the civil rights era and beyond.

Ali was known to be a friend of the Jewish people.  Although he railed against Jewish promoters at times and slammed ‘Zionist control of the world’, he also attended his grandson’s bar-mitzvah and appealed to Muslim extremists to release Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl. In an article in USA Today, written by Ali’s good friend, Billy Crystal, boycotted a country club after being told they did not allow Jews.  Ali never attended that club again.

Through expert care, research and grants, it is the goal of the Parkinson’s Foundation and patients everywhere to make the world a better place for people suffering with Parkinson’s until there is a tomorrow without this dreadful disease.

The number of pregnant women in the US with the Zika virus is going up as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reevaluates how it reports cases.

Previously, pregnant women with an asymptomatic Zika virus infection who do not have known pregnancy complications were not reportable. However, the CDC established new surveillance systems to monitor pregnancies and congenital outcomes among women with laboratory evidence of Zika infections but no symptoms.

As of May 12, 157 pregnant women in US states and 122 pregnant women in US territories were being monitored for evidence of possible Zika virus infection. These systems are monitoring clinical presentation of the infection, all prenatal testing, and adverse consequences of the virus during pregnancy in order to better understand the risk for congenital infection and the spectrum of adverse congenital outcomes.

“These data will improve clinical guidance, inform counseling messages for pregnant women, and facilitate planning for clinical and public health services for affected families,” according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The criteria for the Zika virus among asymptomatic or symptomatic pregnant women include the presence of fever, rash, arthralgia, or conjunctivitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, or an adverse pregnancy outcome, such as fetal loss or in utero findings of microcephaly. The clinical criteria for Zika virus congenital infection in infants include microcephaly, intracranial calcifications, or other central nervous system abnormalities.

Among the 157 women in the states being monitored, only 49% reported clinical symptoms consistent with Zika virus and among the 122 pregnant women in the US territories, 66% reported clinical symptoms.

“Limiting surveillance to symptomatic women with confirmed or probable Zika virus disease or to women already affected by an adverse pregnancy outcome excludes a substantial proportion of women with asymptomatic and possible Zika virus infection during pregnancy,” according to the report.

However, the expanded definition being used can also overestimate Zika virus infection among pregnant women being screened because of crossreactivity with dengue and other, similar viruses.

“Findings from these U.S. surveillance systems are expected to improve understanding of Zika virus infection during pregnancy, enhance risk assessment and counseling of pregnant women and families, advance clinical care, and assist states and territories to anticipate and plan needed resources and increase prevention efforts,” the report concluded.