Hiv/Aids Notes

PHT 112: HIV AIDS Determinants, Prevention and Management INTRODUCTION Human behavior plays a key role in most of the disease condition in life. a) Socialization; is a life long process through which individuals in a society develop an awareness of social norms and values; achieve destine of self. b) Norms: Rules and expectations conduct which either prescribes a given type of behavior, or forbid it. c) Values: Culturally defined standards held by human individuals or groups about what are desirable, proper, beautiful, and good or bad that save as broad guidelines for social life. d) The individualistic interpretation of disease places emphasis on the individual as responsible for his or health status. Health compromising behavior by individual is the main factor in health. TOPIC 1: OVERVIEW OF HIV & AIDS The origin of HIV AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus  HIV is a lent virus, which is a class of viruses that attack the immune system. Lent viruses are in turn part of a larger group of viruses known as retroviruses. The name 'lent virus' literally means 'slow virus' because they take such a long time to produce any adverse effects in the body.  These viruses have been found many different animals including cats, sheep, cattle and horses A retrovirus is a virus which has a genome consisting of two RNA molecules, which may or may not be identical. It relies on the enzyme reverse transcriptase to perform the reverse transcription of its genome from RNA into DNA, which can then be integrated in the host‟s genome with an integrase enzyme. Simian Immunodeficiency Virus  It is now generally accepted that HIV is a descendant of a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus because certain strains of SIVs bear a very close resemblance to HIV-1 and HIV-2, the two types of HIV. HIV-2 for example corresponds to SIVsm, a strain of the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus found in the sooty mangabey (also known as the green monkey), which is indigenous to western Africa. The more virulent strain...