Human Variation and Infectious Disease: Resistance to HIV; who, how and why? What are the implications of this phenomenon in research and treatment of the disease?

Chandrakant Mallya

May 14 , 2007

Human Variation and Infectious Disease : Resistance to HIV who , how and why ? What are the implications of this phenomenon in research and treatment of the disease Introduction

AIDS is a complex disease and it devastates individuals , communities and nations . From the time this deadly syndrome seized the world population an estimated 60 million people have been infected with HIV , of whom 20 million have died . The rate of new infections continues to rise every year with an estimated 4 .9 million people having been infected

in the twelve months ending December 2004 .How resistance to HIV is possible and what is the mode of treatment of the disease Background information including historic research

AIDS engulfed almost all the countries of the world like an avalanche The causes for this disease , so far identified , are

Unsafe sex

HIV is spread primarily through heterosexual sex . The HIV-prevalence rates are highest among the sex workers and their clients . Also , men who have sex with men , and injecting drug users ! Use of condoms is recommended in this area , but the sex workers reportedly are unable to implement this thumb rule , as their customers objected

High risk behaviors

Commercial sex workers , truck and bus drives , migrant groups and the prison population are the most affected . They require special attention The treatment methods and other techniques followed so far are , provide peer counseling , appropriate behavior change communications , condom promotion and access to treatment of sexually transmitted infections

Migrant population

Migration of workers between different states and countries is a major risk factor . Concerted efforts are needed to address the vulnerabilities of the migrant population

Injecting Drug Users

Studies indicate that many drug users are switching from inhaling to injecting drugs and the worst part is that needles and syringes are not cleaned before the second use . Drug use , coupled with unsafe sex , adds to the gravity of the issue

Vulnerability of women

Infection rates are high among women and infants ! It is due to their limited access to human , financial and economic assets , which weakens women 's ability to protect themselves and negotiate safer sex

Spread from Urban to Rural areas

Not long ago , HIV was considered as the curse of the urban area . Rural areas were thought to be relatively immune to HIV . But the recent findings have indicated that the disease is spreading very fast in rural areas as well

Education about AIDS and HIV-views of the researchers

HIV through medical transmission is in rare cases . High risk behavior is the main reason for HIV . For the infection to spread , body fluids , semen or blood needs to be exchanged between an individual and the infected person . In United States , the common methods of transmission are unprotected sex between homosexual men and the habit of sharing needles An infected individual becomes more infectious , as the disease progresses . Many research associations are on the job of determining the causes of HIV . With research still at the inconclusive stages , it is difficult...