Stay up to date on all things HIV. Sign up and we’ll send you the latest news, resources, scientific breakthroughs, events, tips, and much more.
By the end of 2014, it was estimated that there were 1.2 million individuals living with HIV infection in the United States. It's also estimated that about 50,000-55,000 new cases of HIV occur in the United States each year. Worldwide, there are an estimated 35-37 million individuals with HIV. The unfortunate part dealing with the history of this epidemic is that there are now at least 35 million people who have died from this viral illness - similar to the magnitude of death and destruction caused by the 1918 flu epidemic and the bubonic plague in the medieval times.
By the end of 2014, it was estimated that there were 1.2 million individuals living with HIV infection in the United States. It's also estimated that about 50,000-55,000 new cases of HIV occur in the United States each year. Worldwide, there are an estimated 35-37 million individuals with HIV. The unfortunate part dealing with the history of this epidemic is that there are now at least 35 million people who have died from this viral illness - similar to the magnitude of death and destruction caused by the 1918 flu epidemic and the bubonic plague in the medieval times.
HIV is an acronym that stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. These are viruses that cause the disease known as HIV, as well as (in the untreated state, if patients have this disease) eventually they may end up with a syndrome known as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.) In the absence of any therapy, if patients or individuals acquire HIV, perhaps 10 years later and no medications or no diagnosis, they may end up with a syndrome known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. In this circumstance, these are individuals who are known to have infection with HIV, but their immunity has been destroyed over the intervening years to the point where they're subject to infections with very uncommon and weak diseases, bacteria, parasites and other viruses.
In the absence of any therapy, if patients are individuals acquire HIV (perhaps 10 years later and no medications or no diagnosis) they may end up with a syndrome known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. In this circumstance, these are individuals who are known to have infection with HIV, but their immunity has been destroyed over the intervening years to the point where they're subject to infections with very uncommon and weak diseases, bacteria, parasites, and other viruses.
HIV and tuberculosis co-infection is very common in Sub-Saharan Africa. On the other hand, when I opened the first clinic for HIV in Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City), we had a lot of interesting illnesses that we don't encounter here in the United States like penicilliosis, which is a fungal infection that behaves like histoplasmosis - a fungus we do have here in the United States and can co-infect people with HIV - particularly in the Midwest.
HIV is a virus that enters lymphocytes within the bloodstream. They get in this position by either a direct inoculation into the bloodstream (perhaps from a blood transfusion or sharing needles with people who are doing intravenous drugs) but the most common event is inoculation into a mucosal area - either the rectum or the vaginal cervical tissue. They enter into cells that are in the mucosal areas and then trafficked into the bloodstream, entering millions and millions of lymphocytes. So most of the HIV in the world is transmitted sexually. This is why there is so much emphasis worldwide on reducing sexually transmitted diseases. Those that cause ulcerations on the genitalia are particularly conducive for transmitting HIV from one individual to another.
Send this to a friend