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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 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 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.
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.
I think everyone (every adult) in the United States should receive a HIV test at least once in their life. Those who have risk factors for HIV (for example: gay men who are practicing sex without condoms, intravenous drug users) should have it more often. This extends to people even to the age of 13, where they become sexually active. These individuals should be tested. People should not wait until they feel sick to get this test because the sooner we can intervene with antiretroviral drugs, the better it is for the patient and the better for our community because we reduce the ability of these individuals to transmit it to others.
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