AIDS: Acquired Immuno Deficiency Sydrome

What is AIDS? 
 AIDS is the final stage of HIV disease (HIV: Human immunodeficiency virus), which causes severe damage to immune system. Common bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses that usually do not cause serious disease in people with healthy immune systems can cause fatal illnesses in people with AIDS. HIV virus is estimated to spread in people of age 25-44 years.

Transmssion
 80% of this virus spread through sexual contact; 18% spread by untidy blood transfusion to infected patients; and 2% of this virus spread through used and infected syringes, needles etc.A pregnant woman can transmit the virus to her fetus through their shared blood circulation, or a nursing mother can transmit it to her baby in her breast milk.

Symptoms
 People with AIDS have had their immune system damaged by HIV and are very susceptible to these opportunistic infections. Common symptoms are:

• Chills
• Fever
• Sweats (particularly at night)
• Swollen lymph glands
• Weakness
• Weight loss

Note: At first, infection with HIV may produce no symptoms. Some people, however, do experience flu-like symptoms with fever, rash, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, usually 2 - 4 weeks after contracting the virus. Some people with HIV infection stay symptom-free for years between the time when they are exposed to the virus and when they develop AIDS.

AIDS: as viewed by society
 People often discriminate against people suffering from HIV-AIDS because they perceive that the AIDS-infected person must have sexual contact with someone and got the disease. But that is not always true! Victims of AIDS get the disease because of the several factors as mentioned above.

AIDS is not spread by

• Casual contact such as hugging
• Mosquitoes
• Participation in sports
• Touching items that were touched by a person infected with the virus
  
  
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  The video uploaded here is a dance performance by Shafeer at indian reality show 'Dance India Dance Season 3' (DID3). Here the performer expresses the grief of an AIDS victim. 
  Must Watch!!!