Mankind had to deal with many infectious diseases, but people called the plague the most severe and ruthless disease. Not so long ago, namely in 1981, a new disease was recorded, which was called AIDS. It was later called the plague of the 21st century for its rapid spread and destructive effect on the body.
Description of disease
AIDS is a viral disease. "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome" - this is the name given to it by WHO, which corresponds to the destructive effect of this disease on human immunity. Once infected, an AIDS patient loses the ability to resist any infection and becomes ill with a wide range of life-threatening diseases, including cancer.
There is a version that AIDS existed in remote African communities for a long time, but over time, the isolation of these communities was broken and led to the spread of the disease. It first appeared in the United States in 1981, when doctors encountered an unusualform of Kaposi's sarcoma and malignant pneumonia. Several groups of young people fell ill, all of them were homosexuals. Then there was an assumption that this is a viral disease, which subsequently began to spread rapidly. In 1985, it was already discovered in 40 countries. And according to WHO, by the end of 2017, the number of HIV-infected people in the world was from 35 to 40 million people, while the number of deaths from this disease was about 30 million! Humanity is faced with the most formidable disease in the history of its existence. Indeed, AIDS is the plague of the 21st century.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Researchers who have studied HIV have understood how it works. It, like any virus, is a microorganism that exists at the expense of the host cell. By attaching to a cell, a normal virus injects its DNA into the cell and, becoming its host, produces new viruses. The immunodeficiency virus acts from the opposite: its genetic information, with the help of the transcriptase enzyme, is first included in the RNA, and then in the DNA of the cell. Such viruses that adapt to the host's DNA with the help of a transcriptase are called retroviruses. These include the plague virus of the 21st century - AIDS.
HIV has such a genetic apparatus that allows it to multiply 1000 times faster than other viruses. In addition, it has a high degree of variability. It is higher than the variability of the influenza virus by 30-100 times. This was confirmed by laboratory studies, which revealed the variability of strains not only in different patients, but also inone patient examined at different times. This fact has presented physicians with a big problem: it is difficult to get a vaccine against this plague of the 21st century - AIDS - due to such a drastically changing strain.
How HIV is transmitted
In the course of studying the problem of AIDS around the world, the following body fluids have been identified through which human infection is possible:
- Blood.
- Breast milk.
- Semen.
- Vaginal discharge.
It should be noted that AIDS cannot be contracted through food, water, hugs, or airborne droplets. Mosquito bites also do not transmit the disease. The saliva and tears of an AIDS patient are not infectious unless blood is present, so there is no reason to isolate patients.
One disease, two problems
The immunodeficiency virus infects about 10 people every minute in the world. These people acquire a severe lifelong illness and look to the future with fear. At this time, they especially need the support of others. But our society is wary of contacts with such patients, sometimes they are not supported and shunned, in some cases they become outcasts. Therefore, the disease AIDS reveals two problems at once:
- How to stop the spread of HIV.
- How to make society not turn away from HIV patients.
Explanatory work among the population
AIDS belongs to the group of socially dangerous diseases. He reveals the vices of society, without whichmay exist. In order to stop this formidable disease, tireless educational work is required. This explanatory work should be carried out with the entire population, but special attention should be paid to adolescents, conducting conversations with them, for example, "AIDS is the plague of the 21st century".
These conversations for teenagers of different ages should be conducted in different ways. But with children 9-11 years old, it is already necessary to speak frankly about this problem.
Class hour "AIDS - the plague of the 21st century"
December 1 is World AIDS Day. On this day, a lesson is traditionally held in all secondary school classes, the theme of which is dedicated to the prevention of AIDS.
The teacher in the opening remarks should indicate to students the existing problems. Having talked about wars and the ecological crisis, it must be emphasized that the spiritual emptiness and corruption of youth threaten the very existence of mankind. Drugs and AIDS lead to self-destruction of man. Therefore, the younger generation should be informed about the problem and know how to behave in this situation.
Each teacher should develop a class hour "AIDS - the plague of the 21st century" and draw up a plan. Mandatory components of such a plan should be the following items:
- Signs and definition of the disease.
- Paths of infection.
- People at high risk of getting AIDS.
- Stages of disease development.
- Disease prevention activities.
- Your attitude towards HIV patients.
Groups of people with highchance of getting AIDS
The AIDS-Plague of the 21st Century School Talk should include a paragraph about AIDS risk groups, that is, groups of people who are most likely to get AIDS:
- People who use drugs.
- Sexual people.
- Individuals who have made sex their means of income.
- People who have received someone else's blood.
- Inhabitants of areas where there is a high prevalence of AIDS.
- Doctors, particularly surgeons, whose patients are people with AIDS.
Stages of disease progression
Open lesson "AIDS - the plague of the 21st century" should be held at school with invited parents. Some parents don't know how to start this important conversation with their child. But if it is already started at school, then it will be easier to continue the conversation at home. In this lesson, one of the points of the plan is to raise the question of the stages of the development of the disease.
After being infected with HIV, it takes 2-6 weeks for antibodies to appear in the blood. It is at this time that you need to take a blood test to determine HIV, you will not be able to find the virus earlier. At this time, those infected feel a deterioration in their he alth, which after some time normalizes and the disease enters the stage of the incubation period.
HIV has a long incubation period, which can be up to 10 years. But more often the disease manifests itself after 2-3 years, after which the last stage of the disease begins. Here you can seedifferences between HIV and AIDS: AIDS is the last stage of HIV.
AIDS Prevention
At an open lesson at school and at extracurricular activities “AIDS is the plague of the 21st century”, the main topic that students need to focus on should be the topic of AIDS prevention. It should be fully disclosed, let teenagers take part in it, expressing their opinion.
It is known that AIDS can be obtained in different ways, but most often people with casual sex get sick with it. No wonder this disease is called a disease of behavior. This idea needs to be conveyed to students, emphasizing that the choice of sexual partners must be approached selectively, sex must be safe, that is, with a condom.
HIV patients and our attitude towards them
Success in the fight against a terrible disease depends on how society treats these people. First, they are not dangerous if they behave reasonably. Secondly, for purely humanitarian reasons, they deserve compassion. And thirdly, the isolation of HIV-infected people can lead to aggression on their part, then all educational work on the prevention of AIDS will be destroyed.
The globally adopted symbol of the fight against AIDS is the red ribbon in the form of an inverted V. It symbolizes worldwide support for HIV patients.
AIDS is a disease of society and it is necessary to fight it with the whole society, making explanatory work among the population, especially among young people, the main means of struggle. The result of the work should be a reasonable and responsible behavior of the population in relation to itshe alth.
