Today, a disease such as AIDS is known in every corner of the globe. It is rightly called a large-scale epidemic, the plague of the 20th and 21st centuries, which really threatens humanity. Every year, December 1, the whole world celebrates AIDS Day. This is not just another significant date on the calendar, but the day of mourning for the millions of deaths from this incurable disease.
Statistics
Today, over 42 million people living in various parts of the world suffer from a deadly virus that causes a person to have a deficiency of immunity. Every day, about 15 thousand people fall into the category of patients.
AIDS Day, December 1, aims to stop these terrible statistics and reduce the spread of the epidemic around the world.
Terrible find
As already mentioned, every year people celebrate World AIDS Day on December 1. The history of this disease at the same time totals about 35 years. In 1981, the United States of America first registered AIDS or AIDS, the cause of which is the human immune deficiency virus (HIV). After that, an emergency meeting of health leaders from countries around the world took place, at which an agreement was reached on the exchange of information on HIV / AIDS and respect for social tolerance.
Some scientists blame the monkey for the occurrence of HIV, which infected this terrible human virus in the 1920s. past century. Recent research has revealed that West Africa has become the focus of the epidemic. In 1959, the first person died of AIDS in the world. In any case, this was recorded for the first time. The carrier of the virus was a resident of the Congo. Ten years later, symptoms of the disease were identified in women of easy virtue in the United States of America.
At that time, scientists did not attach any importance to this, considering that prostitutes had pneumonia. Nine years later, in 1978, localized foci of the epidemic were recorded throughout the world - in the USA, Tanzania, Haiti and Sweden.
And just three years later, the specialized Center for Disease Control and Prevention officially recognized the existence of HIV and AIDS. Moreover, the lion's share of patients was homosexual. At that time, 440 carriers of the virus were discovered in America, provoking a lack of immunity. Half of these people have died.
Origin of the disease: medical discoveries
Scientist Michael Gottlieb came to the conclusion that the cause of the disease is a severe defeat of the human internal system, which is responsible for immunity. In 1982, AIDS began to be called the disease of the four English letters "H", based on the fact that most of the immunodeficiency virus affected homosexuals, Haitians, as well as drug addicts who inject heroin, and patients suffering from hemophilia.
It is noteworthy that the presence of reduced immunity was previously recorded in children born prematurely. However, medical studies have shown that AIDS patients suffered from an acquired immunodeficiency virus, but not congenital.
The viral origin of the disease was discovered by scientists from France - Montagnier. In 1983, he found a virus in the lymph nodes of an AIDS-infected person called LAV.
A year later, Robert Gallo, head of the University of Maryland Institute of Virology, issued a statement stating that the true cause of the disease was found. His study was to isolate the virus from the patient’s blood. An isolated retrovirus was named HTLV-III and turned out to be the same as LAV.
In 1985, scientists came to the conclusion that the immunodeficiency virus is transmitted to humans through blood, breast milk and sexually. Thanks to the developed test, donor blood was first checked for the presence of immunodeficiency virus.
Another discovery shocked the world in 1986. Together with his colleagues, Montagnier discovered a new virus, which was discovered in Guinea-Bissau and on the Cape Verde Islands. A comparative analysis showed that both viruses are completely different, different infections, caused by different pathogens, having a different course of the disease and symptoms. Moreover, it was proved that both viruses exist for a long time, in particular, before the spread of the AIDS pandemic.
AIDS Day - December 1
In 1987, an official statement by the World Health Organization was announced , in which it was reported that the causative agent of such a terrible disease as AIDS is a virus that causes a lack of immunity in humans. In the same year, a program and strategy was developed and adopted, providing for a number of measures aimed at combating this terrible disease. One of them was the introduction of the drug "Azidothymidine", designed to fight the virus.
World AIDS Day was first celebrated on December 1 in 1988. This date symbolizes the joint efforts of all people living on planet Earth in the fight against this terrible tragedy. The organization of measures implies primarily the support of preventive measures and maximum access to information about this ailment. Many countries around the world not only on the day of December 1 - World AIDS Day, but also before and after it carry out all kinds of activities aimed at combating AIDS.
World famous pandemic symbol
Today, the majority of the population knows such a symbol as a red ribbon. On AIDS Day, December 1, millions of people fasten it on clothes as a sign that they understand how terrible the consequences of this disease can be.
The red ribbon was invented in 1991 by the artist Frank Moore. He borrowed the idea of creation from neighbors who wore yellow ribbons. Thus, they expressed their hope for the soon return of their daughter, who served in the Persian Gulf.
During the military conflict, green ribbons appeared in the bay, resembling the shape of the letter V. They symbolized the bitterness of loss caused by the killing of children in Atlanta. As a result, the New York artist decided that the tape could also become a symbol of the fight against AIDS. Today, the red ribbon is not just a fashionable attribute, but a peculiar, unwritten slogan saying that December 1 is World AIDS Day, a plague of two centuries. This is a terrible, incurable disease, and its causes must be combated.
Professional marketers and artists have developed a whole concept for the introduction of this symbol as a metaphor in activities aimed at preventing this disease. Officially, the Red Ribbon project started in 2000 at the 45th Tony Awards official ceremony. Its participants and nominees pinned a red ribbon with an English safety pin to their clothes as a sign of understanding, sympathy and hope for a future without AIDS. Most of all, then everyone wanted that on World AIDS Day, December 1, all the inhabitants of the planet Earth wore red ribbons.
Hopes were justified. After a short time, the red symbol became very popular and was almost an obligatory part of the decoration at many social events. Fierce opponents of ongoing preventive measures, which were also numerous at that time, did not stop this.
HIV and AIDS: what is the difference
Often these two concepts are called synonyms. However, this is fundamentally wrong. AIDS means immunodeficiency in the human body. Many different reasons can lead to this. Among them are severe, prolonged, chronic diseases, radiation, congenital malformations, age-related changes in the body, potent drugs and medications. Modern medicine refers to AIDS as the penultimate stage of the defeat of the immunodeficiency virus.
HIV is characterized by a special way of defeating. The infection spreads very quickly and causes an acute lack of immunity, which, in turn, provokes malignant neoplasms, other infections and secondary diseases.
Transmission ways
AIDS Day - December 1 - annually becomes a terrible date for millions of people, who often neglected themselves and their health. The main way the virus enters the human body is through blood. You can become a carrier of the virus during sexual intercourse, especially often this happens with homosexual contacts.
Also, a mother who has this virus can pass it on to her baby, who is in the womb, through the placenta, when the baby passes through the birth canal, and is fed with breast milk.
Personal hygiene items, such as a razor, toothbrush and other similar items
, are also dangerous in this regard. Airborne droplets, as well as feces and urine, are not carriers of the virus.
There are several other ways the virus can enter the human body - through damage to the skin, as well as through the mucous membrane during medical procedures or body diagnostics, artificial insemination of the egg, drug injections or tattoos.
In most countries of the world, millions of booklets are printed that describe how the virus is transmitted. They are handed out free of charge on World AIDS Day, December 1st. Prevention is the main lever in the fight against this infection.
Risk group
Most often the disease affects homosexuals, as well as people leading an immoral lifestyle. Another category is drug addicts who inject drugs intravenously. The vast majority of sick children have contracted the disease from their mothers who are AIDS-infected and have HIV. Second place for infection is occupied by children who underwent a blood transfusion. Infection is carried out by medical personnel specializing in contacts with blood and other fluids of patients with HIV or AIDS.
Moreover, the virus can doze in the human body for 10-12 years. Initial symptoms are often attributed to other, less dangerous diseases and do not attach special importance to them. However, it should be understood that in this case, without proper medical care, HIV goes into the last stage - AIDS.
Conclusion
December 1 is International AIDS Day. This date annually urges the entire world community not only to remember this as yet incurable disease, but also to be tolerant of those who are already a carrier of this disease. And, most importantly, what everyone living on the planet should understand for themselves - it should be understood that prevention is very important in the struggle for health.