African Traditional Herbal Research Clinic STD's ... - Blackherbals.com

Continued from page 47 – Tanzania: Aids at 30 - What Does
the Future Hold for Us
to uninterrupted access to lifesaving medicines and
supportive care, a HIV positive pregnant woman lives
long enough to see her newborn live to adulthood and
Aids orphans grow up to become responsible members of
the society, the fight against Aids in Africa remains a
matter of life and death.
The future of Africa may depend on the bold moves it
makes today to wage a fight to the finish against Aids.
The fight against Aids in Africa will be won one family,
one neighbourhood and one community at a time, led by
dedicated teams of Africans refusing to back down
against tremendous odds and difficulties.
The author is the former chairman of the Technical Advisory
Board of the Africa Center for Health and Human Security at
the George Washington University, Washington, DC.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201107110335.html
☻☻☻☻☻☻
Nigeria: HIV/Aids - If You're
Not Infected, You're Affected
By Sola Ogundipe and Chioma Obinna
4 December 2010
Analysis
If mankind was asked to name the most troubling viral
disorder of all time, the acronym "HIV & AIDS" is most
likely to be repeatedly mentioned. HIV (Human
Immunodeficiency Virus) is the name of the virus that
results in AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome) which describes the collection of symptoms
caused by HIV after it destroys a person's immune
system.
The HIV & AIDS epidemic was once described as man's
nemesis because of its long "dormant" period that allows
hosts to infect others with the virus without being
immediately detected by either person. This factor alone
makes this disorder nearly impossible to control.
HIV is spread through sexual contact and blood. As a
result, people can pass on HIV long before they notice
symptoms, which is why AIDS remains a pervasive
disease around the world.
AIDS may not be the most deadly of disorders man has
encountered, however, the level of decimation,
deprivation and despair that comes with the disorder is
almost beyond measure. Although preventable, AIDS is
incurable.
No one is safe from its onslaught. If one is not infected,
-48- Traditional African Clinic October 2011
one could be affected. A person can be infected with
HIV, but not have AIDS. The virus typically takes around
10 years to destroy the immune system. Afterwards,
people die from AIDS, usually a mild infection that turns
deadly.
Unfortunately, the virus load (the amount of infectious
HIV active in the system) is highest early on, when the
patient is symptom free.
To make matters worse, conspiracy theories claiming the
virus is an engineered attempt to inflict genocide upon
Africans, has led some leaders on the continent to claim
AIDS as myth. As a result, the general population
distrusts western healthcare providers and avoids
medications that could slow its spread. In the end,
widespread ignorance and fear can prescribe all kinds of
bizarre treatments and lead to the continued spread of
HIV.
Unfortunately for Nigeria and most of Africa, virgin
cures and other misconceptions (like the "not me"
syndrome) contribute to the newly diagnosed cases of
HIV infection reported each day.
When first identified as a disease, it was known as GRID
(Gay-Related Immune Deficiency). This term described
the mysterious cluster of symptoms first identified in gay
men in 1981. Today in Nigeria, many people still believe
that if HIV doesn't kill them, then HIV-related
complications will. But this is not true. Managing
complications from HIV is a far cry from what it was in
the past.
However, scientists say the immune system may never
fully recover from damage after HIV infection. This
becomes more apparent as people with HIV reach their
50s. Severe weakening of the immune system can also
lead to opportunistic infections.
HIV - a retrovirus
HIV belongs to a class of viruses called retroviruses .
Retroviruses are RNA (ribonucleic acid) viruses, and in
order to replicate (duplicate). they must make a DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid) copy of their RNA. It is the DNA
genes that allow the virus to replicate. Like all viruses,
HIV can replicate only inside cells, commandeering the
cell's machinery to reproduce.
Only HIV and other retroviruses, however, once inside a
cell, use an enzyme called reverse transcriptase to convert
their RNA into DNA, which can be incorporated into the
host cell's genes.
HIV belongs to a subgroup of retroviruses known as
lentiviruses, or "slow" viruses. The course of infection
with these viruses is characterised by a long interval
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