AIDSs

AIDS

1. 1. About AIDS

   • Collection of opportunistic diseases associated with immunodeficiency caused by HIV virus infection
     • About HIV virus
       • retrovirus (genetic material is RNA)
       • infects and destroys cells of the body immune system
         • decrease T helper lymphocyte
           • immune system becomes weak
           • body is vulnerable to opportunistic infection
       • protein core has RNA and two enzymes: protease & reverse transcriptase
       • viral RNA is converted to DNA & combine with human chromosome inside the whole cell

2. 2. Transmission of HIV

   • sexual intercourse
   • infected blood or blood products
     • haemophiliacs at higher risk
   • contaminated hypodermic syringes
   • mother to fetus across placenta
   • mother to infant in breast milk

3. 3. Symptoms of

   • HIV infection
     • flu-like symptoms --> symptomless
   • AIDS
     • opportunistic infections
       • pneumonia
       • tuberculosis
       • cancer. e.g. skin cancer
     • weight loss
     • diarrhoea
     • fever
     • dementia (degenerative brain disease)

4. 4. Treating HIV/ AIDS

   • no cure for AIDS & no vaccine for HIV
   • drug therapy - slow down progress of AIDS
     • ZIdovudine - binds to reverse transcriptase & stop replication of viral genetic material

5. 5. Prevention

   • education
   • barrier methods. e.g. condoms
   • contact tracing - identifying people who are at risk
   • needle exchange schemes
   • heat treated to kill viruses