Important Facts about the AIDS Virus
Important Facts about the AIDS Virus
AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency, is a deadly virus that kills and damages cells of the body's immune system. When the immune system is attacked, the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers becomes considerably weaker. (Malan, Rian p70) AIDS is caused by the human immune deficiency virus (HIV) and both can be transmitted through sex, contact with contaminated blood, sharing or syringes or needles, and through birth. Africa, unfortunately, is home to the world’s largest number of victims suffering from the AIDS virus. (Malan, Rian p70)
Those experts who immediately began plotting graphs have seen their conclusion come true. Since 1983, when Pait accidentally discovered that AIDS had spread around the globe, AIDS in Africa has grown at a rapid pace year by year. As the epidemic continues to spread, it has had a severe impact on Africa. The virus affects people of all ages throughout the entire continent. It is at the point where AIDS in considered no longer a public health crisis, but rather a mass murderer. (Time Magazine – Death Stalks A Continent – 12 Feb 2001 – Vol, 157 No. 6) Since that first case back in 1983, twenty-five million people have died from the horrific virus, three and a half million of them children under fifteen. (Time Magazine) Currently, it is estimated that twenty-eight million people are currently living with AIDS in Africa. More than half of them will die. The twenty-eight million people who live with AIDS in Africa are three-fourths of the AIDS cases reported globally. In 2001 alone, the virus infected an estimated three and a half million people. (AIDSandAfrica.com) That is roughly 9340 people infected a day or one person every twenty-six seconds. (Time Magazine) AIDS is the leading cause of death in Africa, with statistics showing that roughly 6,000 Africans die each day. (Royal, Leslie & Alleyne, Sonia - Black Enterprise, October 2001, Vol. 32, p166). About 13 million children have been orphaned by AIDS in Africa. (Time Magazine) Those who have lost family are usually children under the age of 12 and must find ways to survive despite their dire poverty. (Time Magazine) AIDS itself as the disease, is not only the major killer of people. Many who have AIDS do not seek help for fear of fellow villagers discovering their problem and murdering them. AIDS infected individuals have two options. They...