Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS)
A disease caused by a retrovirus that mutates so rapidly that
the B-lymphocytes and the body’s natural antibodies cannot
fight it off.
The introduction of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome) in the United States occurred primarily in the
homosexual and bisexual community. First diagnosed as a
disease in 1981, it results in the vulnerability of the human
body to disease and malignancies. As AIDS spread to include
hemophiliacs and individuals who required blood transfusions, the public pressured the federal government for
research funding. Symptoms appear initially like the flu but
gradually develop into anxiety, weight loss, diarrhea, fatigue,
shingles, and memory loss. Transmission of the disease
occurs through the exchange of body fluids such as breast
milk, semen, or vaginal secretions or through the exchange of
blood and blood products. Kissing and the exchange of saliva
do not appear to transmit the disease nor do urine, feces, or
sweat.
The primarily economic implications of the disease
include the increased health care cost associated with the care
of AIDS patients as well as their medical treatments. As of
2002, physicians rely on three drugs—AZT (also known as
Retrovir or Zidovudine), ddI (Videx® EC brand didanesine
[delayed-release capsules]), and 3TC (Epivir® brand
Iamivadine)—to delay the spread of symptoms in patients. In
addition, another 30 alternative treatments are being tested.
The enormous cost associated with the development of a
cure for the disease has taxed the economic resources of private foundations established for that sole purpose as well as
the federal government.
In the United States alone, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 850,000 to
950,000 Americans are infected by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. HIV attacks the immune system cells.
All individuals with AIDS have HIV, but not all people with
HIV have AIDS. AIDS is a fatal disease caused by a rapidly
mutating retrovirus that leaves the victim susceptible to
infections, malignancies, and neurological disorders. Every year another 40,000 cases are reported. During the 1980s, a
massive public awareness program resulted in a decline in
new cases from 60,805 in 1996 to 40,766 in 2000. The majority of the new cases have occurred in the African American
community—half of new cases among men and 65 percent
of new cases among women occur among this group. As of
the end of 2001, the CDC reported more than 467,910 deaths
from the disease.
As a result of the continuing crisis, the federal government
has appropriated millions of dollars for research. For the fiscal year 1999, Congress approved $110 million just for the
African American community. The total figure for research,
treatment, prevention, and educational programs amounted
to $4.87 billion. During the last year of the Clinton administration that figure declined, but the incoming administration
of George W. Bush increased the budget for AIDS once again.