Precisely, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has covered almost all the continents at present. For extremely short time, it has become the number one problem for the World Health Organization and the UN, submerging cancer and cardiovascular disease. For the first time, HIV infection in the final stage, as it was later called "Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)", was discovered in "several men-homosexuals and described in one of Atlanta's weekly medical journal", which was published by the "Center for Disease Control in the 80s"; while "the assumption of the infectious nature of the disease was made in June 1982', on the grounds that the majority of AIDS patients-homosexuals had a sexual relationship with someone of the other patients with the same disease within the previous 5 years (Loeb, Smaill, and Smieja 291). At the same time, researchers discovered the link between the increased risks of the disease with a large number of sexual partners. In September 1982, the first statistics of AIDS cases in the US since 1979 appeared in the same journal, which stated that the increase in the number of cases ("there were 7 cases of infection in 1979, 46 cases in 1980, 207 cases in 1981, and 249 cases in the first half of 1982") testified of "the epidemic nature of the disease and the high mortality rate (41%) among these patients", i.e. the growing social and economic importance of the disease (Loeb, Smaill, and Smieja 292). Scientists, who have studied the first cases of AIDS, concluded that its main feature was the predominant affection of immune system, which manifested itself in a complete helplessness of body in front of "relatively harmless microorganisms, as well as malignant tumors" (Loeb, Smaill, and Smieja 292). It has become clear now that HIV transmission occurs by the transfer of a number of liquid substances present in body from one (infected) person to another. The virus enters the body via the inner shells of organs (such as the "vagina, rectum, section of urethra, and mouth") or through openings in skin, such as small cuts or open wounds (Loeb, Smaill, and Smieja 291).
Risk of HIV and Its Treatment. HIV is recognized the most dangerous virus, which humankind has had to face. It can be proved by the fact of its nature and that it is impossible to recover from it completely. Though a complete cure of HIV is impossible, nevertheless, there are treatments that allow living with it. HIV infection is considered an "ongoing process", starting with a primary infection until a "brief acute illness" followed by a chronic illness after months or years and the most serious manifestations of advanced HIV disease, i.e. AIDS (Loeb, Smaill, and Smieja 292). The course of the disease is characterized by its unpredictable and irregular nature. Today scientists continue to acquire a better understanding of the mechanisms by which HIV destroys immune system, and now they have achieved encouraging results on the effective means of HIV treatment and prevention. Despite the fact that the final HIV stage, i.e. AIDS, is not curable, an adequate medical care at an early stage of infection can prolong patient's life and make it more valid. A majority of antiviral drugs have been tested since the beginning of the search for the medicine against HIV. "The main objective of the treatment is to have a permanent impact on HIV and keep it under control"; and for this purpose, a patient takes "2-3 medicines" (Loeb, Smaill, and Smieja 293). Unfortunately, "one patient treatment costs more than 10 thousand dollars a year" (Loeb, Smaill, and Smieja 293). The search for a vaccine against HIV is a priority task in medicine since 1984, and experts continue to believe that humanity needs this vaccine mainly. A number of reasons seriously complicate this search. Firstly, HIV is able to "hide" in the cells, positioning its genes within the cell genes (Loeb, Smaill, and Smieja 296). Secondly, it is "impossible to achieve good results in the disease modeling in animals", but any investigation begins with this type of research (Loeb, Smaill, and Smieja 298).
Work Cited
Loeb, Mark, Fiona Smaill, and Marek Smieja. Evidence-Based Infectious Diseases. Hoboken, GB: BMJ Books, 2009. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 19 March 2016.
