HIV stands for "Human Immunodeficiency Virus" - The virus for human immunodeficiency virus, while AIDS stands for "Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome".
HIV / AIDS is spread through sexual contact with an infected person, the use of the same syringe with an infected person, through transfusions of infected blood or through an infected mother.
People infected with HIV go through three stages of infection:
1. Acute infection, or acute retroviral syndrome, which can produce flu-like symptoms in the first month after infection.
2. Asymptomatic HIV infection, in which HIV reproduces at lower levels.
3. AIDS, in which the amount of CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood (compared to the normal level of 500-1,500).
HIV-1 and HIV-2 can cause both AIDS. HIV-1 is the most common human immunodeficiency virus; HIV-2 is mainly found in West Africa.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) involves taking a cocktail of medications used to treat the virus. In 1987, Azidothymidine (AZT) became the first FDA-approved drug to try to treat HIV / AIDS.
Statistics:
37.6 million - Number of people living with HIV / AIDS worldwide in 2020.
6 million - Approximate number of people living with HIV globally but unaware of their HIV positive status in 2020.
160,000 - Children infected worldwide by 2020.
1.5 million - New infections worldwide by 2020.
690,000 - Approximate number of AIDS-related deaths worldwide by 2020.
Out of 4,500 new infections every day in 2019, 59% are in sub-Saharan Africa.
1981 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes the first reports of men in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco who were previously healthy and suffering from rare forms of cancer and pneumonia, accompanied by "opportunistic infections. ".
1982 - The CDC first refers to the disease as AIDS.
1983 - French and American researchers determine that AIDS is caused by HIV.
Further:
November 6, 2019 - According to a study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, a team of scientists has discovered a new type of HIV.
June 15, 2020 - A study published in the journal JAMA Network Open shows that the life expectancy of people living with HIV is closer to that of people without the virus when antiviral therapy is started early during infection. However, there are still a number of problems that people with HIV go through with chronic health problems.
July 7, 2020 - Scientists announce a new study that found that an injection of the research drug "cabotegravir" every eight weeks was more effective in preventing HIV than daily oral pills. It has also been reported that a Brazilian man may be the first person to experience long-term cure of HIV after being treated with only one antiviral medication regimen.
For more, read: From prevention to cure: Everything you need to read about AIDS
