3 Azarraga, Christopher Timothy L.

4 Babaran, Joshua Erin B.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
Description
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is the final stage of HIV infection
but not everyone who has HIV advances to this stage. People who are already in this stage
have badly damaged immune system which puts them at risk of different diseases. It leaves the
body vulnerable of threatening infections and cancers. In AIDS, HIV destroys a particular the of
white blood cell and this causes progressive immunodeficiency.
In 1981, cases of AIDS were first identified among gay men in the United States, acquiring
the designation, GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency); however, scientists later found
evidence that the disease existed in the world for some years prior, i.e. subsequent analysis of a
blood sample of a Bantu man, who died from an unidentified illness in the Belgian Congo in
1959, made him the first confirmed case of HIV infection. Both of the AIDS viruses, HIV-1 and
HIV2, originated in Africa. As is often the case of microbes, a num from one species to another
is probably to blame chimpanzees for HIV-1 and sooty mangabeys for HIV-2.
Epidemiology in the Philippines
The Philippines, with a population of about 99 million still remains as one of the few
countries with HIV prevalence below 1 percent. However, the annually reported HIV cases rose
sharply and nearly tripled as years passed. While the mode of infection is largely sexual
transmission, a sharp change has been observed predominantly heterosexual transmission to bi
or homosexual transmission. Several factors have been identified which may lead to
considerable increase of new HIV infections in the country: high rates of sexually transmitted
infections;a substantially large sex industry, networks of men having sex with men with
behaviours putting them at considerable risk of HIV infection; a legal situation which does not
support HIV prevention services to injecting drug users; an increasing number of HIV cases in
adolescents and young people; large numbers of adolescents living pr working under conditions
which make them very vulnerable to sexual abuse or exploitation; low awareness of HIV and
low condom use.
Demographic Data

July 2014

January - July 2014

Cumulative
1984-2014

Total Reported Cases

585

3399

19915

Asymptomatic Cases

536

3090

18100

AIDS Cases

49

309

1815

Males

560

3267

17927*

Females

25

132

1977*

Youth 15-24 yo

166

954

5134

Children <15 yo

66

*NOTE: no data available on sex for cases

From 1984 to 2014, there were 1,815 AIDS cases reported. Eighty-four percent (1,524) were
male and 16% (291) were female. Median age is 32 years (age range: 1-81 years). Sexual

contact was the most common mode of HIV transmission, accounting for 96% (1,737) of all
reported AIDS cases. Forty-four percent (761) of sexual transmission was through homosexual
contact, followed by heterosexual contact (617) then bisexual contact (359).
Other transmissions include blood transfusion, injection of drugs, and needle prick injuries.

Factors That Causes AIDS and Those That Modify To Prevent The Occurrence or Spread of
Disease
Causes and Factors
AIDS is caused by HIV. HIV has been found in saliva, tears, nervous system
tissue and fluid, blood, semen (including pre-seminal fluid, which is the fluid that comes
out before ejaculation), vaginal fluid, and breast milk. However, only blood, semen,
vaginal secretions, and breast milk have been shown to transmit infections to others.
HIV Can be transmitted through
having unprotected sex(vaginal, oral, or anal), with someone who is HIV
positive.
having transfusion of infected blood
sharing syringes and needles who is HIV positive (for drugs, tattoos, and
piercings)
breastfeeding mothers who are HIV positive
HIV infection is NOT transmitted through
kissing
casual contacts and handshakes
sharing or living with an infected person
mosquitoes and bed bugs
AIDS and blood or organ donation
AIDS is NOT transmitted to a person who DONATES blood or organs.
People who donate organs are never in direct contact with people who receive
them. Likewise, a person who donates blood is never in contact with the person
receiving it. In all these procedures, sterile needles and instruments are used.
However, HIV can be transmitted to a person RECEIVING blood or organs
from an infected donor. To reduce this risk, blood banks and organ donor programs
screen donors, blood, and tissues thoroughly.
People at high risk of infection include
health care workers
prostitutes
drug addicts
people who gets tattoos and piercings
Prevention
AIDS can be prevented through:
Do not use illicit drugs and do not share needles or syringes. Many
communities now have needle exchange programs, where you can get rid of
used syringes and get new, sterile ones. These programs can also provide
referrals for addiction treatment.
Circumcision
use of condoms

 Avoid contact with another person's blood. You may need to wear protective
clothing, masks, and goggles when caring for people who are injured.
Anyone who tests positive for HIV can pass the disease to others and should
not donate blood, plasma, body organs, or sperm. Infected people should tell
any sexual partner about their HIV-positive status. They should not
exchange body fluids during sexual activity, and should use preventive
measures (such as condoms) to reduce the rate of transmission.
HIV-positive women who wish to become pregnant should seek counseling
about the risk to their unborn child, and methods to help prevent their baby
from becoming infected. The use of certain medications dramatically
reduces the chances that the baby will become infected during pregnancy.
The Public Health Service recommends that HIV-infected women in the
United States avoid breastfeeding to prevent transmitting HIV to their infants
through breast milk.
Vaccines/ Drug Treatment
At this time, there is no cure for AIDS, but medications are effective in fighting HIV and its
complications. Treatments are designed to reduce HIV in your body, keep your immune system
as healthy as possible and decrease the complications you may develop.
AIDS Medications
Although there is no cure for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), medications
have been highly effective in fighting HIV and its complications. Drug treatments help reduce
the HIV virus in your body, keep your immune system as healthy as possible and decrease
the complications you may develop.
Some of the drugs approved in the US FDA include:
Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
These drugs interrupt the virus from duplicating, which may slow the spread of HIV
in the body.
Protease Inhibitors
these drugs interrupt virus replication at a later step in the virus life cycle.
Fusion Inhibitors
Fusion inhibitors are a new class of drugs that act against HIV by preventing the
virus from fusing with the inside of a cell, preventing it from replicating. The group of
drugs includes Enfuvirtide, also known as Fuzeon or T-20.
Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) block the infection of new
cells by HIV. These drugs may be prescribed in combination with other anti-retroviral
drugs.
Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy
In 1996, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was introduced for people with
HIV and AIDS. HAART often referred to as the anti-HIV "cocktail" is a
combination of three or more drugs, such as protease inhibitors and other antiretroviral medications. The treatment is highly effective in slowing the rate at which
the HIV virus replicates itself, which may slow the spread of HIV in the body. The
goal of HAART is to reduce the amount of virus in your body, or the viral load, to a
level that can no longer be detected with blood tests.
As of 13 September 2014, the FDA has announced that Anti-retroviral drugs can now be
released from the Bureau of Customs after the Department of Health paid 4 m for the taxes
of these drugs. The DOH has purchased 490 boxes of Efavirenz, a non-nucleoside reverse
transcriptase inhibitors, from Singapore and is now inside a controlled temperature inside our
airport. The DOH will be giving the drug to HIV infected people.

Clinical Diagnosis
HIV is most commonly diagnosed by testing your blood or saliva for the presence of antibodies
to the virus. Unfortunately, these types of HIV tests aren't accurate immediately after infection
because it takes time for your body to develop these antibodies usually up to 12 weeks. In
rare cases, it can take up to six months for an HIV antibody test to become positive.
A newer type of test checks for HIV antigen, a protein produced by the virus immediately after
infection. This test can confirm a diagnosis within days of infection. An earlier diagnosis may
prompt people to take extra precautions to prevent transmission of the virus to others. There is
also increasing evidence that early treatment may be of benefit.
Tests to tailor treatment:
If you receive a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, several types of tests can help your doctor determine
what stage of the disease you have. These tests include:
1. CD4 count. CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell that's specifically targeted
and destroyed by HIV. A healthy person's CD4 count can vary from 500 to more than
1,000. Even if a person has no symptoms, HIV infection progresses to AIDS when his or
her CD4 count becomes less than 200.
2. Viral load. This test measures the amount of virus in your blood. Studies have
shown that people with higher viral loads generally fare more poorly than do those with a
lower viral load.
3. Drug resistance. This blood test determines whether the strain of HIV you have
will be resistant to certain anti-HIV medications and the ones that may work better.

Health Needs of the Community

1.

Seminars about AIDS/HIV

2.

proper and decent job for entertainers/prostitutes

Health Care Programs of the Government

Here are some steps that the Philippines took to take action against HIV/AIDS:
1985 - Serosurveys conducted by US-Naval Medical Research Unit-2, Research Institute for
Tropical Medicine, and Bureau of Research and Laboratories
1987 - DOH AIDS Registry established
1988 - Medium Term Plan I drafted and approved
- National AIDS Prevention and Control Program created
1993 - STD Control program integrated to the AIDS control program, now called National AIDS/
STD Prevention and Control Program
1995 - Bahay Lingap (Halfway Home of Asymptomatic HIV Positive Filipinos) inaugurated
- Philippine National HIV/AIDS Strategy developed and endorsed by President Fidel V. Ramos
1996 - National STD Case Management Guidelines formulated Presidential Proclamation No.
888 signed declaring 1997 as National AIDS Prevention Year

1997 - Implementation of Memorandum Order No. 495 s. 1996 Integrating HIV/AIDS education
in all schools nationwide by the Department of Education Culture and Sports
- Guidelines on the Entry of People with HIV/AIDS to the Philippines endorsed by the
Department of Foreign Affairs through Circular No. 214-97
- Hosting of the ASEAN GO/NGO Community Partnership on AIDS Prevention Education and
Treatment on November 20 22,1997
2013 - reproductive Health Bill

References
http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/aids
http://www.doh.gov.ph
http://aidssupport.aarogya.com/aids
http://www.pnac.org.ph
http://www.jis.gov.jm/special_sections/aids/ http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-withhiv-aids/hiv-in-your-body/stages- of-hiv/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hiv-aids/DS00005/DSECTION=tests-and- diagnosis
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001620/