An aerial view of the AIDS memorial quilt in Washington. D.C.
The AIDS Quilt has grown to enormous sizes manifesting the lost lives to "our" plague.
Children often the most affected victims in the battle against AIDS.
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"Our" Plague What is a virus? The word comes from a Latin root meaning "juice," "humor," or more commonly "poison." It is an infectious mirco-organism, smaller than a bacterium and can only reproduce inside a host cell. There is no cure for a viral infection; some are lethal, most cause a prolonged state of misery like the common cold. Viruses have shaped human history. Infections in early American history allowed for European settlement. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS is the plague of our time, a disaster shaping our history. With AIDS, once infected there is no cure, its just a matter of time. The most common theory on the origin of AIDS is that it emerged from south-central Africa. Studies confirm that the spread first started in Africa and became an epidemic in Zaire, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. The AIDS virus may well have jumped into the human race from African primates and monkeys. Perhaps when monkey hunters or trappers touched bloody tissue or were scratched. Scientists predict that by the year 2000 one in every two sexually active adults in Africa will be infected. Atlantic Monthly reported the following comment made on National Public Radio: "the World Health Organization has written off- completely written off- four central African countries because the level of AIDS infection is so high." Now 150 countries over the globe are plagued with the AIDS infirmity. What was "their" plague is now "our" plague. AIDS emerged in the U.S. in the early 1980's. Being found first among the gay community, it was referred to as the "Gay Disease." Then they uncovered it among intravenous drug users, whether gay or not. Society still felt safe. We believed if we were not gay or using drugs we would be fine. Few worried. Then the nightmare began. The scourge was found to be passed via the bloodstream or mucous membrane contact. Cases began to appear of patients who contracted AIDS through contaminated blood transfusions, careless doctors, and sex. Now it really wasn't just "their" plague, it was "our" plague. AIDS is a world wide problem that has affected every nation, whether it be severely or mildly, the wrath of its destruction has touched every place. The World Health Organization estimates that there are between 5 and 10 million people infected with the HIV virus, and the numbers are rising rapidly. The disease has become a leading cause of death in men and women under the age of 45 and in children under 5 years old. Historically it could be compared to such plagues as the bubonic, cholera, and influenza pandemics, but AIDS is different. AIDS, or HIV virus is an infection which produces a slowly progressive weakening in the cellular immune system. These immune dysfunctions reveal themselves through a range of different infections, The venom can be of any kind protozoal, fungal, bacterial, viral or cancerous. Once the immune system is broken down, AIDS can rear it's ugly head in a variety of ways. Some of the more common infections include pneumonia, lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma. AIDS is different in that no one knows the cause or the cure for it. The more doctors learn and discover about AIDS the more confusing and complex it becomes. Virologist William H. Haseltine described the mutability of the virus as "changing as it grows, which makes it difficult to achieve long-lasting immune protection." AIDS is a natural survivor, it mutates to adjust to the environment. It's just a matter of time till it mutates to the point beyond hope. The biggest difference of all is that unlike other pandemics AIDS is not self-limiting. Usually new infections for various reasons subsided, instead AIDS is multiplying exponentially. By the year 2000 it is estimated that 30-40 million people will be infected with the AIDS killer. AIDS is not just a little illness that will go away in years to come. Its a plague that is killing the human race at an enormous rate. There is no cure. No vaccine. Just prevention. We can know the precautions by knowing the facts. Still no one is exempt. No one knows when the virus may mutate and be spread by some other means such as the mosquito or even through the air. It's every ones problem. It's simply a disaster that won't go away. |
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