HIV-AIDS

>>>>> scroll down for the Ryan White video links


 * AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome)** is one of the worst pandemics the world has ever known. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the [|virus] that causes AIDS, was first discovered in 1981 in a remote area of central Africa. - Read more on the HowStuffWorks article or another article on aidsmap.com



//(public domain )//

From the HowStuffWorks article: "//HIV will infect other T-helper cells and cause the person's T-helper cell count to slowly dwindle. The lack of T-helper cells compromises the immune system. When a person's T-helper cell count drops below 200,000 cells per one milliliter of blood, he or she is considered to have AIDS. The development of AIDS takes about two to 15 years, but about half of all people with HIV will develop AIDS within 10 years after becoming infected, according to the CDC. No one dies from AIDS or HIV specifically. Instead, an AIDS-infected person dies from infections, because his or her immune system has been dissipated.//"

Many kids have asked me about treating HIV. Like all viruses, you cannot give a person antibiotics to fight the disease. From Kids Health: "//There is no cure for HIV. That's why prevention is so important. Combinations of antiviral drugs and drugs that boost the immune system have allowed many people with HIV to resist infections, stay healthy, and prolong their lives, but these medications are not a cure. Right now there is no vaccine to prevent HIV and AIDS, although researchers are working on developing one//." Standard antiretroviral therapy (ART) consists of the combination of at least three antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to maximally suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of HIV disease.

I recommend watching The Ryan White story. As one student pointed out, it is available on NetFlix. Or, it is on YouTube in 10 parts - here is the first part - you can find the rest from the related videos. "This is a 1988 TV movie based on the true story of Ryan White, an Indiana teenager with AIDS who fought for the right to attend school" when AIDS was a newly-discovered and little-understood disease. It's a pretty intense story. (read more about the disease Ryan had initially - hemophilia.) If you watch it, please share your reactions on the discussion tab above. Here's some really specific info on this.

Part 1: media type="youtube" key="LtWRsvshJ9c" height="315" width="420" align="center"

And the other links: (anyone feel like linking them up?)
 * Part 2 (of 10)
 * Part 3 (of 10)
 * Part 4 (of 10)
 * Part 5 (of 10)
 * Part 6 (of 10)
 * Part 7 (of 10)
 * Part 8 (of 10)
 * Part 9 (of 10)
 * Part 10 (of 10)

Here is a news report from August 1, 1985:

media type="youtube" key="sCMr9jbq3Tk" height="315" width="420" align="center"

It might sounds crazy (in 2012) that a kid could be banned from school because of his condition, but read this 10.18.12 article about a recent case in California. And THIS boy didn't even HAVE the disease... just the "genetic marker" in his DNA!