1 - AIDS in general

AIDS is the abbreviation of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, it means that AIDS isn’t an hereditary illness, but it transmits by sexual way, by blood and can transmit by a pregnant woman to her child. Without any treatment to stop the progression and the virus action, AIDS affect people more or less quickly : the issue is surely mortal.

It lives in immunity system cells and destroy some of the T4 lymphocytes. The virus proliferates in the infected cells which, before being destroyed, make new virus that will infect other cells. It is the viral replication phenomena.

A human being has normally between 800 et 1000 T4 lymphocytes by cube millimetre in blood : it’s called AIDS, or declared AIDS, when the number of lymphocytes is less than 200.

All the HIV’s infected people aren’t automatically ill of AIDS ; but they are likely to transmit it.

Just as the contamination starts, the virus grows quickly in the organism, then it stabilises at a level which varies from a person to an other. This period can not be noticed or manifests by a grippe state that disappears itself after few weeks. Unluckily, during this phase, the organism is totally infected by the HIV : the blood and sexual secretions are full of a big quantity of virus, the unprotected sexual contacts are particularly infectious.

2 - The figures

One person dies because of AIDS each 10 seconds, an other is infected each 6 seconds.
In 2002 AIDS epidemic causes more than 3 million deaths and it seems that 5 millions people have been infected by HIV the same year.

Today, more than 40 million people live with the AIDS virus. They will be 100 million in 2007 and the majority will die in 2015 if they can’t access to the treatments.

42 million people infected in the world : AIDS hasn’t got any limits.
6 people younger than 25 years old are contaminated each minute : AIDS continues is progression.

3 - Prevention and tracking

We can’t cure the AIDS virus : prevention the only craft we have against it.
Nowadays, even if the therapy helps the patient to live longer, the majority of these treatments are difficult for all day’s life. Some contaminated people can’t stand it. And in any case, they cure AIDS. Two solutions : to prevent and to protect.

How ?
Not to be contaminated, we must use condoms and avoid blood’s contacts.

We can detect the AIDS virus in the organism making a blood test.

>> If the test is positive (= contaminated by the AIDS virus)
- We can have an adapted treatment. Nowadays, even if we can’t cure the AIDS, drugs can slow down the infection.
- When you know that you are infected, you have to be systematically protected during sexual relations. Some associations helps to live with this virus because it is psychologically hard to accept.

>> If the test is negative (= no contamination by the AIDS)
- Now you are not contaminated but carefulness is necessary not to be infected one day.

4 - Treatments

We can look after AIDS but not cure it.After the infection, the immunity system degrades itself and can’t defend the organism facing all sorts of bacterium, parasites, fungus, virus and facing the multiplication of cells cancerous. Result : apparition of illnesses called «opportunist infections». They take advantage of feebleness immunity system, theses sicknesses, inoffensive for good wealth’s people , are very dangerous.The research has made lots of progress : treatments are nowadays available and allowed us to fight against the multiplication of the virus, to help the immunity system and to cure the opportunist infections. Unfortunately, any treatment or vaccine can make the HIV and allowed the complete cure.

The “antirétroviraux” are treatment-based molecules for the infection by the HIV. Nowadays there are 18 molecules. A treatment is composed by several molecules (multitherapy). Most of the person are treated thanks to tritherapy, combination of 3 molecules. Treatments master the virus, reduce his quantity in blood and prevent the quick degradation of the immunity system. But the virus stays in the organism.

The efficacy of a treatment is bound to the cure taking : you mustn’t forgot, during all your life, to take your cure, or virus’ resistance reappeared. The secondary effects are frequent :diarrhoeas, nausea, neuropathies (nervous cells affection), modification of the grease repartition in the body, dizziness, humour troubles, depression.

Return to AIDS's homepage

Copyright © 2004 Atoussa B. and Camille B. All rights reserved.