AIDS itself does not cause deaths among people with AIDS; rather, death usually results from one of the many infections or cancers to which the syndrome makes the body vulnerable. It is monumental modern medical plague.
The origin of HIV is unknown. The earliest documented case of AIDS appeared in 1981; however, researchers acknowledge that there may have been unidentified cases in the 1970s.
Whatever its origin, HIV is a type of virus known as a retrovirus that is spread primarily through sexual or blood-to-blood contact. It can also be spread by blood transfusion or the use of blood products such as blood clotting factors, if the blood used for these purposes is infected.

It is possible HIV-infected blood may occasionally pass through the careful screening processes. HIV antibodies may not appear in the blood for as much as three to six months after a person is infected, so their presence in blood taken from a person who contracted the virus recently may not be detectable. It is possible for dentist and medical workers who come into close contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons to become infected under certain conditions. This is why paramedics, emergency medical technicians, dentist and dental hygienist, hospital and clinic employees, emergency room personnel and law enforcement officers wear rubber gloves to prevent contact with blood products or saliva.
Babies of mothers with HIV can contract the virus during pregnancy or birth, or through breast-feeding, accounting for 91% of all AIDS cases among U.S children. However, this is not inevitable. Infact, statistics indicate that most such babies do not contract the virus themselves. A surgeon General’s report on HIV and AIDS estimated about 25% of these babies do become infected, either before or during birth, resulting in an estimated 1,750 HIV-infected infants annually in the United States.
Government research shows a rapid HIV test can be used on women during childbirth. An estimated 700,000 worldwide developed HIV infections last year, most in Africa and from mother-to-child transmission during childbirth or early infancy. Doctor hope that the rapid test will help to reduce HIV infections in newborns.

Many people who are infected with HIV are not even aware that they have it. The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that one- quarter of the approximately 950,000 HIV-infected people in the United States are not aware that they are infected.
Those who abuse drugs and those who engage in sexual intercourse with persons whose sex or drug history places them at risk of HIV, with persons whose sex or drug history is unknown, or who have had multiple partners, are likewise considered to be at risk for the disease.
Worldwide, more than 40 million people are carrying the HIV virus and more than 20 million have died of complications of AIDS. In Africa, roughly 8,500 new infections occur each day. Alarmingly, millions of people living outside industrialized countries are infected with HIV, and most of these cases are due to a different strain of the virus than cases commonly studied in the Unites states and Europe. An estimated 5 million people in low- and middle income countries do not have the AIDS drugs that could save their lives.

CAUSE AND RISK FACTORS FOR AIDS
Most people get the HIV virus by:
Having sex with an infected person.
Sharing a needle (shooting drugs) with someone who's infected.
Being born when their mother is infected, or drinking the breast milk of an infected woman.
Since the beginning of the epidemic in the 1980s, a number of health conditions and lifestyle factors have been identified that increase an individual’s risk of contracting HIV and developing AIDS. The more factors present, the greater the risk. They include the following:

• Overuse of certain drugs, especially antibiotics and steroids.

• High-risk sexual activity.

• Substances abuse, including the use of alcohol, cigrattes, cocaine, amly nitrate, marijuana, and other recreational drugs, especially intravenous drug use.

• Preexisting herpes infection, hepatitis, and/or mononucleosis.

• Preexisting sexually transmitted disease, especially syphilis.

• A diet high in processed foods, refined sugars, and fat.

• Infection with yeast (Candida albicans) and /or parasites.

SIGN AND SYMPTOMS
While some people experience a mild flu like illness within two to four weeks of exposure to the virus, it generally takes at least two to five years before any symptoms of HIV infection appear.
The first symptoms of HIV and AIDS are nonspecific and variable. One of the most common is a tongue coated with white bumps. This is oral thrush, or candidiasis. Candidiasis indicates a compromised immune system. Intestinal parasite is another common problem. Other possible symptoms include: -------
Prolonged, unexplained fatigue.
Swollen glands( lymph node)
Unexplained fever lasting more than ten days.
Excessive sweating (especially at night).
Mouth lesions, including thrush and painful, swollen gums.
Sore throat.
Cough
Shortness of breath
Changes in bowel habits, including constipation.
Frequent diarrhea.
Symptoms of a specific opportunistic infection.
Tumor (Kaposi’ sarcoma).
 Skin rashes or lesions of various types.
Unintentional weight loss.
General discomfort or uneasiness (malaise).
Headache.

 Additional symptoms that may be associated with HIV and/ or AIDS include speech impairments, memory loss, joint swelling, joint pain, bone pain or tenderness, a lumpor lumps in the groin, blurred vision, genital sores, muscle atrophy, decreasing intellectual function, joint stiffness, unusual or strange behaviour, anxiety, stress, tension,pruritus, sensitivity to light, decreased vision or blindness, blind spots in the field ofVision and chest pain.

HIV/AIDS SELF TEST

There is a new test available called the OraQuick HIV-1 Antibody Test .Because of the potential public health benefits of rapid HIV testing the CDC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service are working with officials to make the test widely available.

• The FDA has approved only one home test kit, the Home Access Express HIV-1 Test

• System from Home Access Health Corporation. Beware of fraudulent or unproven home

• HIV test kits. Doctor say if a kit claims to provide” instant” test results through a visual

• Indicator such as a colored dot on a piece of paper after saliva has been applied, the

• Outcome may be unreliable. If you believe you have used a questionable test kit, contact

• Your doctor for another test or use the approved test kit.

DIETARY AND NUTRITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
This is very important, many people want to lose weight, but for people with HIV, it can be dangerous. First, eat more. Extra muscle weight will help you fight HIV. Make sure you eat plenty of protein and starches, with moderate amounts of fat.

• Protein helps build and maintain your muscles. Meats, fish, beans, nuts, and seeds are good sources.

• Carbohydrates give you energy. Complex carbohydrates come from grains, cereals, vegetables, and fruits. Simple carbohydrates, or sugars, give you quick energy. You can get sugars in fresh or dried fruit, honey, jam, or syrups.

• Fat gives you extra energy. You need some — but not too much. The “saturated” fats in butter and animal products are “bad” fats

• Increase your intake of fresh fruits and green vegetables such a broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower. Also consume yellow and deep-orange vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, squash and yams.

• Eat onions and garlic, or take garlic in supplement form.

• Avoid alcohol, noxious chemicals, and anything else that can damage the liver.

A moderate exercise program will help your body turn your food into muscle. Drinking enough liquids is very important when you have HIV. Extra water can reduce the side effects of medications. Remember that drinking tea, coffee, colas, chocolate, or alcohol can actually make you lose body liquid.