Dispelling The AIDS Myths Once And For All

Although we have been aware of AIDS now for over 30 years, this modern day scourge is still vastly misunderstood. Due the fact that the first stars that we were told to be suffering from from it were homosexual, Rock Hudson, Freddie Mercury et al, it was quickly dubbed `the gay plague`. The rumor mill went into overdrive and suddenly you could catch it by touching, kissing and eating from the same crockery as a sufferer, all of which was a complete load of rubbish obviously!

The first step to developing AIDS is to be infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV. This results in the diagnosis that you are HIV positive. AIDS is actually the latter stages of this virus, but you do not die from AIDS, you die from the fact that it completely destroys your immune system, so even a common cold can proved fatal. Pneumonia is one of the most common causes of death for AIDS sufferers.

Only 20 years ago, being diagnosed as HIV positive was a death sentence, thankfully this is no longer the case. Thanks to the inception of drugs such as AZT, which are known as antiretrovirals, the life expectancy of a new diagnosed HIV suffer is now 49 years. These drugs don`t cure HIV, sadly there is no cure as yet, but they keep the immune system ticking over so that it fights off the outside infections that can cause fatality.

The only way to be infected by the HIV virus is by the bodily fluids of a sufferer to enter the system of another. The main sources of transmission are blood (including menstrual), semen, breast milk and vaginal fluids. You can NOT contract HIV through saliva, tears or sweat. There are to very simple ways to ensure that you don`t contract the virus; drug users should never share needles, and you should never have unprotected sex, heterosexually or otherwise.

So, if it so easy to avoid, why are there still so many being diagnosed with HIV every day? I wish I could answer that, but sadly I can`t. Alcohol is widely blamed, as in you get so hammered you have sex with a stranger without thinking about using a condom. Seriously, if you get so drunk that you are prepared to risk your life, you don`t need me to tell you that the first problem you need to address is your drinking! Drug users are clearly at risk due the extent of their addiction. If they are so desperate for a fix they don`t care how they get it, hence the sharing of dirty needles.

The infection has reached epidemic proportions in third world countries, where condoms are luxuries and ignorance prevails. Many babies are born HIV positive and are given drugs from birth to try and give them some quality of life, although their life expectancy is obviously greatly reduced. With such prolific fund raisers as Elizabeth Taylor, Oprah Winfrey and Sir Elton John, money is still flooding in to support research into finding a cure for AIDS. With the progress that has been made so far, hopefully that day isn't too far away.