Human Immunodeficiency Virus
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Joshua Igoe-Muzorewa
Introduction Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) continues to be an incredibly important health concern for not only the United States (US) but across the Globe (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016a). In the US alone, there are an estimated 1.2 million people that as of 2013 are living with the disease (CDC, 2016a). Scientists believe that HIV derived and mutated from a virus known as the Simian Immunodeficiency virus which was prevalent in chimpanzees, during a time that humans were hunting and consuming chimpanzee meat (CDC, 2016a). HIV in the US was primarily discovered and defined
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Stages of HIV HIV is categorized into three possible stages of disease. Stage 1 is considered the Acute HIV infection stage. In 2 to 4 weeks following exposure to the infection, individuals have reported experiencing flu-type symptoms which last at a varying rate and individuals are extremely contagious without knowing they are infected (CDC, 2016b). Stage 2 is known as HIV inactivity or dormancy (CDC, 2016b). This is a phase that is typically asymptomatic, where there is still a live, active virus, but it is reproducing itself at a significantly low level (CDC, 2016b). With proper medication intervention, this stage can last for several decades, without it, they become more symptomatic (CDC, 2016b). As an individual’s viral load increases, they become more symptomatic, and their risk of infecting others also increases significantly. These individuals are at risk of moving into stage 3 known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS); requires a CD4 cell count less than 200 cells/mm or specific opportunistic illness (CDC, 2016b).
Populations at Risk HIV goes beyond race and ethnicity, into a category that is called ‘Transmission Category’. The most at risk group here are gay and bisexual men, which are noted for making up 67% of all new HIV diagnoses compared to heterosexual sex which accounts for 24% of new diagnoses (CDC, 2015). Another group that is considered to be most at risk for HIV infection are
The term Human Immunodeficiency Virus is commonly known as (HIV), which is a virus that attacks the immune system of humans by destroying the amount of CD4 cells in their bodies. Without CD4 the human body is unable to fight against diseases, which can lead to Acquired Immune deficiency syndrome known as AIDS for short. The first case of the HIV/AIDS virus in the U.S. occurred in the early 1980’s. The first spark of the virus was found in San Francisco with couple of homosexual Caucasian American males. Today African Americans account for the largest proportion of HIV and AIDS in this country, represent approximately 13% of the U.S. population, but accounted for an estimated 44% of new HIV infections in 2010(the last year a study was
It is believed that the first case of HIV/AIDs was first recorded somewhere in West Africa somewhere in the beginning of the twentieth century. Since then, it has spread across central Africa, undetected for a long time. But the question that has bewildered many, is how HIV spread in the first place. According to “Natural Transfer Theory”, HIV was spread to humans through chimpanzees. “Africans have been killing and eating monkey for at least fifty thousand years” (43). It was common for small African communities to hunt and eat chimpanzees. Chimpanzees were said to have “SIVs, simian immunodeficiency viruses that closely resembles HIV” (41). The virus is said to have spread to humans through these infected chimpanzees. The blood of these chimpanzees could have
Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or better known as HIV, has been in the United States since the mid to late 1970’s. HIV, if left untreated can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Once HIV is contracted it is a life-long disease and as of today there is no cure for the virus. The virus works by destroying CD4, or T cells, and eventually destroys enough to break down the body’s ability to fight off infection and disease. If left untreated the virus will break down the CD4 cells and once these cell levels drop below 200 cells per cubic millimeters of blood you are then considered to have developed AIDS (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). The virus is thought to of come from West
HIV/AIDS is acquired when there is an unprotected sexual intercourse, exposure to infected blood or body fluids, sharing of needles or syringes with an infected person and from mother to child through breast feeding or vaginal birth. The most prevalent places are the urban cites in the U.S. As discussed earlier, the population at risk for the infection are gay and bisexuals, IV drug users and heterosexuals. Within the first two weeks of acquiring HIV infection, the infected person develops fever usually 100.4degrees, fatigue, sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pains. This normally resolves itself without any intervention. Some people might also develop a digestive and respiratory problem such as nausea &vomiting and dry cough. If untreated, it can result in low TCD4 lymphocyte count below 200 resulting in AIDS. Statistically, from the national level, the most prevalent states in the U.S in
It is proven that the source of the HIV virus was from a type of chimpanzees located in West Africa ("Where Did HIV Come From?"). The chimpanzees carried a virus called simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) which is similar to HIV ("Where Did HIV Come From?"). It is thought that when it was transferred the humans it mutated into HIV ("Where Did HIV Come From?"). The disease was transferred to humans by hunting the chimpanzees and eating the meat off of them ("Where Did HIV Come
In this study, I will try to discover why this epidemic has run out of control, especially among African Americans, in the United States which has continued to rise, reaching more than 160,000 by the end of 1990 (CDC, 1994). And through December 2000, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has received reports of 774,467 AIDS cases, of those, 292,522 cases occurred among African Americans (CDC, 2000).
History: HIV was believed to have originated in the Congo, where it was transmitted when a human came in contact with a species of chimpanzee that had acquired the virus. From then on, the virus only continued to spread, where it could have been believed to infect anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 people (“History of HIV and AIDS Overview”). The first forms of confirmed HIV discovered in the world took forms in two highly dangerous illnesses, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and Kaposi’s Sarcoma. These rare diseases were first discovered and researched, although they didn’t know they were directly linked
Unlike the plague, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus is species specific and has puzzled many scientist about the possibility of overcoming its harsh implications. This mean that HIV can be found only within a particular species and, in this case, this virus tends to attack the human race. Many blame that the very existence of AIDS emerged from gay people or relations with animals, but it’s believed that transmission of this virus originated from a close derivative of HIV, SIV. SIV in known as Simian Immunodeficiency Virus which the Monkey virus that is equivalent to HIV. It has been known that the development of AIDS started with the transmission of SIV to humans via being bitten by a primates or the consumption of a primate who is infected
HIV and AIDS have affected millions of people throughout the world. Since 1981, there have been 25 million deaths due to AIDS involving men, women, and children. Presently there are 40 million people living with HIV and AIDS around the world and two million die each year from AIDS related illnesses. The Center for Disease Control estimates that one-third of the one million Americans living with HIV are not aware that they have it. The earliest known case of HIV was in 1959. It was discovered in a blood sample from a man in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Looking further into the genetics of this blood sample researchers suggested that it had originated from a virus going back to the late 1940’s or early 1950’s. In 1999,
In the past four decades, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been discovered, developed into an international epidemic, and
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV is a virus spread through body fluids that affect specific cells of the immune system, called CD4 cells, or T cells (CDC, 2014). These CD4 or T cells serve as a defense mechanism, which fight off infections and diseases. Once this occurs, HIV leads to AIDS. Scientist identified a type of Chimpanzee in West Africa as the source of HIV infection in humans, it is believed to be called simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) (CDC, 2014). The virus was most likely transmitted to humans and mutated into HIV when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came into contact with their infected blood (CDC, 2014). Studies show that HIV may have jumped from apes to humans as far back as the
HIV is a disease with multiple stages of severity. Persons who acquire this disease may unknowingly be a carrier for years without realizing it. At early onset of acute HIV infection (Stage 1), a few weeks after exposure, viral replication is rapid and there may be mild, generalized flulike symptoms such as low fever, fatigue, arthralgia, and sore throat (VanMeter, 2014). Following this brief illness, if any, of stage I the person would then go into Stage 2 or clinical latency. This period can also be referred to as asymptomatic HIV infection due to the low levels of HIV reproductions. For some, this period can last many years to a full decade or beyond, but without treatment many will go through this phase quickly. Those that test
HIV-1, responsible for most of the disease today, was first discovered to have originated from Chimpanzees in 1999. HIV-2, the second type of the virus, was discovered to be transmitted through monkeys most likely through the consumption of their meat. There are two different types of the illness: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, essentially breaks down the body’s CD4 cells which help to assist fighting off infections in your body. Overtime, this will hindrance your body’s ability to fight off diseases which can be potentially life threatening. The last stage of HIV is linked to AIDS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. AIDS is a specific group of diseases/conditions that are indicative of severe immunosuppression related to infection with HIV. This makes people infected with the disease more vulnerable to opportunistic infections which their body will be unable to fight off towards the later stages of the disease. Most people diagnosed with AIDS have an estimated three years to live, but people that do not get diagnosed have an estimated one year to survive.
HIV is a global epidemic that has haunted our world for many years. In 1968, a 15 year old black male was hospitalized and died from complications of Kaposi Sarcoma. This is the earliest diagnosis of HIV in North America. The purpose of this paper is to identify Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and describe its history, character, determinants, epidemiological triangle, and demographic of interest. Within this document the reader will learn the community health nurses’ role in case finding, reporting, data collecting, data analysis and follow-up. The reader will learn about the chain of infection and the epidemiological triangle and how to prevent contracting the virus and care after diagnosis. Resources for people living with HIV will
Scientist believe that HIV came from a chimpanzee in Central Africa HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. The chimpanzee transmitted their version of HIV, called simian deficiency virus (SIV), when humans would hunt and eat the meat of the chimpanzee or come in contact with its blood. Over time the virus slowly spread across Africa and other parts of the world. HIV has existed in the United States since at least mid 1970’s. To contract HIV it will usually come from contact of any bodily fluid or the engagement of sexual intercourse. HIV destroys the body by attacking the body's