& quot;This is the strongest science on AIDS!
December 1 marks the 31st World AIDS Day, and this year's theme is "Know Your HIV Status.
Since 1988, significant progress has been made in the global AIDS response. By the end of 2017, 3/4 of people living with HIV knew their HIV status.
China's HIV infection rate for the whole population is about 9 per 10,000, and with reference to international standards, the epidemic is at a low epidemic level compared to other countries.
However, due to the large population base in China, the absolute number of infections is still large despite the low infection rate.
According to a joint assessment by the CDC, UNAIDS, and the World Health Organization, as of the end of 2018, the estimated number of surviving HIV infections in China was about 1.25 million, and the estimated number of new infections was about 80000 cases per year.
So where exactly does AIDS come from? Why is it so difficult to cure?
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Orangutans transmitted HIV to humans
In the late 1970s
The U.S. National Center for Disease Control in Los Angeles
A strange disease was discovered.
The patient's entire immune system nearly collapsed
And a variety of other unusual diseases.
What's more frightening is that
All medical treatments are useless
The cure rate was zero!
Then, it was discovered that more and more people were getting the disease
And the patients have one thing in common-they are all gay men
As a result, some researchers simply called the disease
"immunodeficiency in gay men."
Image credit: Documentary "The Mystery of AIDS Origins
However, as time went on
Some women, heterosexual men, hemophiliacs, and
Addicts who use syringes for drugs, and even children
Also developed the disease
In 1982
The disease was named by the Centers for Disease Control as
"Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome"
Or AIDS.
To cure the persistent disease
We must start from its source
So, the CDC organized a team
Of cancer specialists, parasitologists
Virologists and sociologists
Through multiple sampling, analysis and research in multiple locations
They figured out a "HIV-like" virus
The virus first appeared in 1908 in
In monkeys and orangutans.
It was transmitted to humans by orangutans around 1930
Image credit: Documentary "The Mystery of AIDS Origins
Image credit: Documentary "The Mystery of the Origin of AIDS
Orangutans and monkeys have a strong immune system
30% to 70% of monkeys infected with "HIV-like" disease
They only carry the virus and do not develop it
Once the virus enters the body
Once the virus enters the human body, it moves unchecked through the body
Evolving into the human AIDS virus
At a time when medical treatment was not advanced
Once infected, it was a death sentence.
So, how did AIDS spread so quickly?
"Needle contamination" is one of the major causes
Although since the 1950s
Cheap, non-sterile, disposable plastic syringes
Have been used on a large scale in medicine and health
However, in less economically developed Africa
One syringe may be used thousands of times
Causing rapid spread of the virus from one population to another
Image credit: Documentary "The Mystery of AIDS Origins
In the 1960s
AIDS virus gradually spread through the Caribbean
To the eastern and southeastern United States
And then to Europe and Asia
Now, the whole world is in the grip of it
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How terrible this virus is!
In 2002, AIDS, the leading journal for the study of AIDS, reported
In the absence of anti-retroviral drug
Without treatment
An infected person
From the official "onset of AIDS"
The median survival time was only 9.2 months
The duration of the asymptomatic period in an infected person can be short or long
From as little as 2 years to as much as 20 years
The length of this period is closely related to the route of infection
In general
4-5 years for those infected via blood
11-13 years for a sexual infection
If an infected person can be asymptomatic for 13 years
Can be called "long-term survivor"
Image from the Internet
Currently, there is still no cure for HIV infection worldwide
There is still a lack of effective drugs to cure HIV infection
The goals of treatment at this stage are
* Maximize and sustain viral load reduction
* Acquire immune reconstitution and maintenance of immune function
* Improve quality of life
* Reduce HIV-related morbidity and mortality
Image Source: "The Principle of AIDS AIDS and the Process of HIV Infection
In other wordsWith the current level of medical treatment
AIDS can only be controlled, not cured
There is one issue that needs to be noted.
HIV (short for human immunodeficiency virus)
And AIDS (short for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
Are not the same thing
HIV is a virus, AIDS is a disease
A person who is infected with HIV does not necessarily develop the disease immediately
It is only after the onset of the disease that the person is said to have AIDS
Image from the Internet
Currently, HIV infection in humans can be broadly classified into two types
In terms of genetic makeup
HIV-1 is very close to the immunodeficiency virus (SIVcpz) of chimpanzees
HIV-2 is very close to the immunodeficiency virus (SIVsm) of the ebony white-browed monkey
This also confirms that HIV
Original primate origin of the study
The main difference between the two types is that
HIV-1 is more common
The majority of people currently infected are type 1
HIV-2 is concentrated in the West African region
In addition, the progression of type 2 is much slower than that of type 1
When the immune cells in the infected person's body
Are no longer able to fight against HIV
It marks the final stage of HIV infection
Called the "symptomatic phase."
It is at this point that the infected person becomes an AIDS patient
Their immune system has been eroded to the point of near collapse
A few common illnesses can kill a person with AIDS
Image Source: "How AIDS Happens and How HIV Infects
February 2011
A middle-aged man
Admitted to hospital with sore throat, hemoptysis, fever and dyspnea
Clinical consideration was lung infection
But was eventually confirmed to be
HIV-negative AIDS with KS
As his disease had progressed to end-stage AIDS
The man died two weeks after diagnosis
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Miracle: The "Berlin patient" who was cured
However, one AIDS patient did get cured
There is only one case in the world!
This lucky man is Timothy Brown from the United States
Because he lives in Berlin
He is known as "The Berlin Patient"
Brown smiling in the street (photo from the internet)
Brown was unlucky enough to have AIDS and leukemia.
His health was deteriorating and he was almost on the verge of death
However, just when his life was about to "hit bottom"
He met his savior, Dr. Hoot
On the advice of this doctor, who specialized in blood diseases
Brown decided to treat his leukemia first.
In February 2007, he underwent a bone marrow transplant.
As a result, the transplant not only cured his leukemia
He was also cured of AIDS!
And, after more than 3 years of clinical observation
HIV was no longer found in his body
It turns out that the CCR5 variant gene in the donor's bone marrow
Is resistant to the AIDS virus!
According to previous research findings
According to previous studies, this mutated gene is only found in a few Northern Europeans
Since then, the hospital has found six more people
Patients with both AIDS and leukemia
And followed the same procedure
They were given bone marrow with the mutated gene.
However, none of them worked.
These patients either died of leukemia
Or complications from the stem cell transplant.
The common denominator was that the HIV virus remained in the body.
As a result, Brown remains the world's first
And currently the only AIDS patient to have been cured
In July 2012
At the World AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., USA
Brown announced the creation of a foundation bearing his name
To work with research institutions around the world
Explore the ultimate cure for HIV
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Once you have the disease, treat it for life
Although there is no cure for AIDS
But it can be stopped at the early stage of infection
HIV can be blocked by taking medication quickly
After having high-risk behavior
Condomless sex or sharing needles and syringes, etc.
"HIV blocking pills" are used to prevent the spread of HIV.
The cut-off time is 72 hours
The sooner the better
After the onset of the disease
Most people with HIV need to be treated with medication
A recent report from 2017 says
The currently accepted clinical treatment for HIV
Is "antiretroviral therapy" (ART for short)
This therapy reduces the virus in the patient's body
To the level of a normal person
But cannot be completely eliminated
Once the patient stops receiving treatment
The virus will replicate wildly again.
In other words, AIDS patients must be treated for life
Take the medication on time and in the right amount
Currently, our National Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Provides free
Treatment medication for AIDS patients on this therapy
Image credit: "The Principle of AIDS AIDS and the Process of HIV Infection
As of the first half of 2017
20.9 million people worldwide with HIV infection
Received antiretroviral drug therapy
Statistics from the last six years show
The number of new HIV infections worldwide has fallen by 16 percent
The number of fatalities fell by 32% over the same period
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What are the ways in which HIV is transmitted?
There are three main routes of HIV transmission.
1. Sexual transmission
If a person has sex with an HIV-infected person
If a person has sex with a person who is infected with HIV and does not use a condom
If a person has sex with an HIV-infected person without using a condom, he or she can become infected with HIV
2. Blood transmission
Sharing syringes with an HIV-infected person
Inputting HIV-infected blood
Even used scalpels, blood transfusion equipment, etc.
If not properly sterilized
Can become a vector for HIV transmission
3. Mother-to-child transmission
If the mother is infected
She may transmit the virus to her child through pregnancy, childbirth
And breastfeeding.
However, mothers with AIDS can also give birth to healthy babies
In 2000, Shenzhen was the first to launch a
Pilot project to prevent HIV transmission
Between 2012 and 2016
A total of more than 300 HIV-positive mothers were helped
Give birth to healthy babies
A 39-year-old mother with HIV defied her family
Decided to keep the baby in her womb
Received antiviral medication from early pregnancy
To stop mother-to-child transmission as much as possible
Finally, she gave birth to a healthy baby
For this type of mother
Doctors do not recommend a normal delivery
Do not breastfeed after delivery either
Normal contact, such as eating together, shaking hands, etc.
Will not transmit AIDS
We should treat people with AIDS properly in our life
Image from the Internet
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How to prevent AIDS?
1. Safe sex.
Strengthen moral education and prohibit promiscuous sex
Avoid sexual contact with HIV-infected people, AIDS patients
And high-risk groups
Use condoms in all sexual activities
2. Do not share needles.
If you need anesthetics such as heroin
Do not share needles with others
Don't use needles that have already been used
Health care workers who follow certain safety precautions
Can prevent the spread of HIV between patients
Avoiding unnecessary blood exposure
3. Avoid unnecessary blood exposure.
Such as cosmetic procedures, tattoos, ear piercing, pedicures, etc.
These are all blood exposures
If you have to perform these operations
Do not try to inexpensive operation room
Or institutions without health certification
Do this high-risk operation behavior
Because if these tools are not strictly sterilized
It is easy to cause HIV infection
4. Do not share household items.
Avoid sharing toothbrushes, razors and other items
Women should pay attention to hygiene during menstruation
5. Pay attention to trauma protection.
If you have trauma at work
Sports trauma caused by bleeding
Be sure to pay attention to protect themselves
When rescuing the sick and wounded
Avoid contact of broken skin with the blood of the wounded
Image from the Internet
More awareness of AIDS
Will bring more warmth to AIDS patients