HIV, A Pandemic Still on the Loose

Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV was once unknown to the world prior to December 1, 1981.  When it first hit worldwide recognition, so much mystery surrounded it that everybody was gripped with fear at the thought of its prevalence.

Twenty-seven years later, the dreaded HIV has reached pandemic levels and left in its wake 25 million known fatalities.  The world was correct to fear it.  But now the monster has been demystified, giving people a fighting chance over the once seemingly unstoppable adversary.

HIV is a disease that strikes the human immune system making the body susceptible to different opportunistic diseases.  It is transmitted primarily through sexual relations although it can also be spread through infected needles and through childbirth.  People who are hit by some sexually transmitted diseases are predisposed to HIV infection.  The end stage of HIV is AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

Worldwide Statistics

The staggering mortality rate due to HIV puts it in the top of the list along with the other deadliest pandemics of the world.  Statistical reports in 2005 show an estimated 4.8 million new cases of infection while about 2.8 million deaths were attributed to the disease.  Further, an estimated 64% of the average 39.7 million people currently positive for HIV are natives of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Two member countries head the list of those with the largest number of HIV cases, namely South Africa and Nigeria.  The South and South East Asian region lands second place contributing 15% of the total number of cases worldwide.  This can be attributed to the high incidence of cases in India with 2.5 million known cases, making it the 3rd country hardest hit by HIV.

Role of Treatment in HIV Transmission

While HIV or AIDS has no known treatment, the world relies on highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART as an early intervention for patients to reduce susceptibility to infection.  The treatment seems to prove successful in the places where it is heavily administered judging from the reduction of mortality rates attributed to the disease.

This, however, belies the fact that the infection is still present in patients and continues to pose a real danger of contaminating other unsuspecting people.  As can be seen in statistical reports, the incidence of AIDS increased significantly in areas where death rates due to the disease have dropped owing to the breakthrough drug.  In the US alone, cases have increased by 528.6% in 1996 to a figure of 220,000 in a span of 8 years. Six years later, in 2002, the figure jumped 41.8% to 312,000. GP