World AIDS Day observed annually on December 1st, was first established in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness the solidarity and the importance of the early detection of HIV infection and AIDS-related diseases.
What are AIDS and the HIV virus?
AIDS, stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is a disease of the immune system. It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus – HIV – and takes about 8-10 years to develop. Two groups are known: HIV-1, the pandemic virus, and HIV-2, which is predominantly found in West Africa.
AIDS is the final stage in the process of HIV infection, when the progressively weakened immune system becomes exposed to infections and tumors.
In the early 1980s, the life expectancy of HIV-infected people was still extremely poor, with the infection reaching the fatal AIDS stage within a few years. Thanks to modern medicine, this has changed a lot, with treatments and drugs allowing HIV-positive status to be maintained for decades without the onset of AIDS.
How is the infection transmitted?
The disease is primarily sexually transmitted (70-80 %) through infected genital discharge. The infection can also be transmitted by blood, so transmission can occur through needle and syringe sharing between drug users. The first symptoms – fever, transient lymph node enlargement, malaise, muscle pain, skin rash – appear within 1 to 1.5 months of infection and typically resolve spontaneously within a short time. Thereafter, the virus shows no clinical symptoms for years, while it multiplies in the body, the immune system deteriorates and the patient may progress to the AIDS stage.
Less common in Europe
According to WHO 2019 data, there are 38-40 million people living with HIV worldwide, two-thirds of them in Africa. Nearly 70 % of these patients are receiving treatment. The number of newly infected people is estimated at around 1.7 million per year and the number of HIV-related deaths at 700,000, a significant decrease of around 40 % compared to 2010. It is estimated that more women than men are currently living with HIV worldwide, but new cases are affecting men in higher proportions. While the disease is less common in Europe, the annual number of new cases has increased by around 50 % compared to 2010, mainly in the Eastern European region.
Screening, detection and treatment
HIV infection can be diagnosed by serological analysis, antibodies can be detected from blood serum. Antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which was introduced in the late 1980s and later improved, has significantly reduced AIDS-related deaths and AIDS-related deaths. From an epidemiological point of view, it is also important that the infection does not transmitted to others. It is therefore important to identify and treat patients as early as possible.
In Hungary, anonymous HIV screening is available in several places, in the capital and in the countryside. HIV antibody testing is also available at the HR-PHARMA laboratory. In addition, it is recommended to regularly check the general condition of the body, its basic vital functions and metabolic processes with a simple blood test. The HR-PHARMA laboratory service provider in Szeged offers several packages that provide information on the functioning of the hematopoietic system, the basic functions of the liver and kidneys as well as carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism.