INTRODUCTION ON AIDS

One in 100 adults aged 15 to 40 years are infected by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Only 1 in 10 people know they are infected. It is estimated that currently over 30 million people living with HIV infection. For the current year is expected to rise to 40 million.

Since the beginning of the epidemic is estimated that 3.8 million children under age 15 have been infected with HIV and 2.7 million have died. Over 90% of these children have contracted the virus through their mothers with HIV before or during birth or through breastfeeding. More than 8 million children have lost their mother to AIDS before age 15, and many have also lost their father. It is estimated that this figure will nearly double for 2000.

AIDS became a major epidemic of the twentieth century and the future projection on the spread of this disease becomes a considerable burden on overstretched health care systems of most affected countries.

Many factors are affected by the impact of AIDS. This impact is not limited exclusively to health statistics. Also poses a serious economic problem, given the high cost of medical care of patients. In turn, AIDS has a social impact, and has changed behaviors and habits.

The poor living conditions, the difficulties in providing seamless access to health systems and lack of education for much of the population, favor the continued growth of the epidemic.

From a scientific point of view must be acknowledged that progress has been made in understanding the pathophysiology of infection, the mechanisms of immune damage, clinical forms, their evolution over time and the prevention and treatment of many opportunistic infections that are the usual cause of death of patients. The use of antiretroviral drugs has improved and prolonged the survival of many patients.

But reality shows us that the disease still has no cure, and for this reason, the fight should focus on appropriate prevention tasks in the fight against AIDS. And education is the key to prevention in the fight against AIDS, and should act as reinforcement in health systems.

Those countries that did not implement media campaigns at the onset of the first cases of the disease are paying a high price in lives lost. The campaigns have placed special emphasis on the preventive aspects. The campaigns should take people a clear and direct message that leaves no doubt about risk behaviors that can be exposed to HIV, and what is the way around.

You could say that at present the only vaccine is good information and that only slightly more dangerous than AIDS: Ignorance.

AIDS does not get carried away by indifference.

Learn.