AIDS AND DRUG ABUSE
The two groups at greatest risk for AIDS are homosexual or
bisexual men and people who shoot drugs. People who use needles
to inject drugs (including mainliners and skin poppers) get
the virus by sharing their works with other users who already
have the AIDS virus in their blood. You can't always tell who
is infected with the AIDS virus. Most people actually carrying
the virus don't look any different than anybody else, they look
and feel well, but they can still spread the disease. Symptoms
of AIDS may not show up for many years and some remain without
symptoms even then. Thousands of IV drug abusers already have
AIDS, and many thousands more are carriers of the virus. Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a serious condition that
affects the body's ability to fight off infection. A diagnosis
of AIDS is made when a person develops some form of life-threatening
illness not usually found in a person with a normal ability
to fight infection. To date more that fifty percent of all the
persons with AIDS have died. Shooting drugs has now been determined
to be one of the biggest problems facing America today. While
the homosexual community has put on a media campaign alerting
and educating the public about the dangers of AIDS, nothing
is being done to stop the widespread sharing of needles among
drug users. Remember, if you shoot drugs, you are in danger
of catching AIDS. The best advice for protecting yourself and
people you love is to stop shooting drugs. It is also important
to note that women who shoot drugs or who live with men who
shoot drugs sometimes gives AIDS to their babies, either before
or shortly after birth. Babies born with AIDS become ill very
quickly. Most individuals infected with the AIDS virus have
no symptoms and feel well for a long time before eventually
developing such symptoms as fever and night sweats, weight loss,
swollen lymph glands in the neck, the underarms and groin area,
sever fatigue or tiredness, diarrhea, white spots or unusual
blemishes in the mouth. These symptoms are also symptoms of
a number of other illnesses and that should be taken into consideration.
Anyone with any of these symptoms for more than two weeks should
not panic buy should consult their doctor. The AIDS virus is
not spread through normal daily contact at work, school or home.
There have been no cases found where the virus has been transmitted
by casual contact with AIDS patients in the home, workplace,
or health care setting. There is an antibody test that detects
antibodies to the AIDS virus that causes the disease. The body
produces antibodies that try to get rid of bacteria, viruses,
or anything else that is not supposed to be in the bloodstream.
The test may show if someone has been infected with the AIDS
virus. While the testing procedure is considered accurate, it
does not tell who will develop full-blown AIDS.
|
|