443 deaths recorded in Mizoram due to AIDS

Ipsita

A recent report has shown that in 2020, there were 443 deaths in Mizoram due to AIDS. The cause is most probably unsterilized needles and sexual transmission.

What is AIDS?

Aids is a disease caused by a virus named HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). This virus interferes with the ability of the body to fight infections. This virus can be transmitted by contact with infected blood or semen or vaginal fluids. AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. This condition is acquired which means that a person is infected by it. In this disease, a person’s immune system is affected, the immune system being the part of the body that fights off germs such as bacteria and viruses.

What are the symptoms of AIDS?

Within a few weeks that the body is infected with HIV, there are flu symptoms such as sore throat, fever, and fatigue. Then the disease is asymptomatic until it progresses to become AIDS. The symptoms of AIDS include fever, night sweats, weight loss, recurrent infections, and fatigue. People may experience pain in the abdomen areas. There can be pain while swallowing and the coughing might be dry.

There can also be gastrointestinal problems like nausea, vomiting, persistent diarrhea, or watery diarrhea. The throat can be sore making swallowing difficult. The groin areas may swell up and be sore along with ulcers and white tongue in the mouth. The other common symptoms include opportunistic infection, oral thrush or mouth thrush, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, severe unintentional weight loss, pneumonia, and red blotches.

Treatment of this disease

As far as 2021, no cure for AIDS exists till now. But if one strictly adheres to antiretroviral regimens (ARVs), it can slow down the progress of the disease dramatically. This may also prevent secondary infections and complications.

Causes of AIDS

AIDS is caused by the HIV virus. One can get HIV from contact with infected blood, semen, and vaginal fluids. Most of the people get HIV by having unprotected sex with someone who has this disease. There is another common way to get it. It is by sharing drug needles with someone who is infected with HIV.

What was the cause of AIDS in Mizoram?

Drug trafficking has been a menace in this state for decades. It is also a cause of concern for the government. There is a lot of unsafe sex here. Along with this, substance misuse is coming up as another key cause for the life-threatening disease in this state. This is a cause for significant alarm. In this state, there have been infections caused due to the use of unsterilized needles and sexual transmission. However, sharing needles accounts for 20% HIV-Positive cases here. In this state, AIDS occurrence was highest among adolescents between 25 to 34 years of age, with 42.59 percent. It was followed immediately by adults aged 35 to 49 with 26.49 percent.

How many people died in 2020 in Mizoram compared to previous years?

If seen statistically, in 2020, 2339 people were diagnosed with AIDS. Out of them, 443 succumbed to death due to the complications of the disease named AIDS. In 2018-2019, 2237 people were diagnosed with this disease, out of which 716 were dying due to this HIV.

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