My View on HIV/AIDS

I would like to think that I know a lot about Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV. I know how the virus itself enters the T-cell via its CD4 receptor with help from a CXCR4 or CCR5 co-receptor, depending on whether its HIV-1 or HIV-2. I know how the virus replicates inside the cell by reverse transcription and the reason it is so hard to cure HIV is the fact that reverse transcription is so highly error prone and causes mutations. I have learned about how HIV can slowly kill off the CD4 T-cells, enter a latent stage because the immune system is aware of its presence, but then once a person gets another disease which distracts the immune system, that is when the HIV virus replicates once again causing complications in that person which more than likely will lead to death.

I have learned about the different methods of spreading the virus, and I remember hearing a story from a professor about how a student he knows accidentally stuck himself with a needle full of HIV-infected blood while he was working in a clinic in Africa, and the drugs that he had to take after which made him bed-ridden for quite some time. I have also heard that this same student, experienced many horrific incidences in Africa such as holding in the intestines of an HIV-infected woman. The funny thing about this though, is that the student, after coming back from Africa, told the professor that he would gladly go again to Africa so he can help out.

Stories like the one above surprised me, but made me want to go to Africa even more. Another thing that surprised me was the video from Monday in which the people of Namibia refuse to help those infected with HIV get a job just so that they may feed their children. It seems as though once someone contracts HIV in Namibia, the people of Namibia write them off and avoid them at all costs. Seeing that in the video made me quite sad that they were not willing to help out their own citizens in the time of need.

"HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug: Heaven knows they need it. " -Princess Diana