Aids: Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome :: essays research papers

help Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome     I am doing a root word on AIDS, I dont k at present very much about AIDS except I willtell you what I know. I know that it is transmitted by sexualcontact,blood,needles,children during/before birth. I also know it affects theimmune system directly, It is caused by the virus HIV which they have no bring backfor either AIDS or HIV at the current moment, but they ar doing seriousresearch on them.     I call it the "Generation X Disease" because it in general affects my sex-oriented generation. It is currently one of the leading causes of death in theUSA and the death rate is increasing drastically It it the perfect virus of theninties because of how it is transmitted is bid what the ninties is about...sex and drugs(what a great generation huh).Everyones doing drugs and having pre-marital sex at a young irresponsableage, its getting so bad I am beginning to reckon that I am the only norm alperson left.     You used to only be able to get an HIV test at your doctor, but now theyhave home tests that are confidential. You go to the store pick one up prickyour finger then mail in the blood sample, in about two or three weeks you callin and enter your special pin number and they give you your results. I thinkthis is cool but there has to be some drawbacks exchangeable them getting samples messedup and it getting mixed up in the mail or other stupid things like that, like ifyou really dont have the disease but you get someone elses reading who doeshave HIV.     Thats about all I know about this dread disease,so ill move on towhat I found when I reaserched this topic. I went on the internet to find someof my information, and i used different books the librarian recommended me toread on AIDS and HIV.     AIDS appears to be constantly changing its genetic structure so itmakes it very hard to find a cure for it, a nd very hard for the body to makeantibodies. This makes development of a vaccine that is able to raise protectiveantibodies to all virus strands a difficult task. I also found out that theyhave made so much progress in finding a cure because they know so much about itnow.     The only known chemical that is effective in reducing reactions/symptoms,is the chemical zidovudine which was formerly called azidothymidine(AZT). Whichwas developed in 1987. It is indicated thet few if any are likely to survive the