The Epidemic Of Hiv / Aids - 1013 Words

A story was told of a young woman who went to Miami Beach, Florida for spring break. She went out to a club, had some drinks and met a guy. Unfortunately, she later had unprotected sex with this guy she just met. The next morning went she woke up in her hotel room on her night table was a note which read, â€Å"I gave you AIDs last night.† Can you imagine how heartbroken this young girl felt, is my life over, what do I do now? HIV/AIDs is a plague that is unleashed through sexual contact or the body fluids of an infected individual. AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome surfaced in late 1970, as doctors across the United States reported cases of an unusual disease among healthy homosexual men. In 1983 research in laboratories in the†¦show more content†¦The treatment of HIV/ AIDs is very complex and the medications are quite costly. If not treated HIV will eventually become full blown AIDs. Treatment begins in an infected individual when their CD4 T cell count begins to be affected by the infection. According to Dr. Linda Street, â€Å"CD4 T cell are a type of white blood cells that fight against infection in the body. They also indicate or measure the HIV virus in the body.† The higher the CD4 count the stronger the immune system. The appropriate medication regime is then mapped out for the individual’s care. HIV/AIDs medications are usually referred to as antiretroviral or combination therapy drugs. Antiretrovirals are need to treat the HIV within the body; it helps to rebuild a weaken immune system. Antiretrovirals often can repair the damages HIV infection has already caused in the body. If an individual is given two different antiretrovirals this is called combination therapy. This measure is often done because one form of antiretroviral will not be able to combat against the infection effectively. HIV medications are taken on a daily basis for the rest of the individual’s life. To date the FDA has approve the use of thirty one antiretrovirals to fight against HIV infection and improve the quality of life for infected persons. There are side effects associated with these antiretrovirals and combination therapy drugs. Some of the common side effects associated with HIV treatments are