AIDS

[ramonesfan]

RE: Re: RE: AIDS

You guys are calling AIDS a disease, correct me if I am wrong, but i believe AIDS is just when your immune system fails. You don't get AIDS from having sex, you get HIV which often leads to AIDS. Wouldn't it be impossible to be immune to HIV because it is always mutating?

[GuidoHunter]

RE: Re: RE: AIDS

AIDS: Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome

It's a disease caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. A cold is a disease, is it not? It's not just a failing of the immune system to a certain extent.

And yes, you can't contract AIDS, per sé. You just get the virus, and after a long time of it ravaging your body, the problem gets upgraded to the status of terminal disease.

It's impossible to be immune to HIV because it's a virus, not because it's always mutating, assuming that that's even true.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[The_Q]

RE: Re: RE: AIDS

It's impossible to be immune to HIV because it's a virus, not because it's always mutating, assuming that that's even true.

From what I understand, it actually is always mutating. The reason you can't be immune to it, though, is by the time you should have been making antibodies to fight it the virus has destroyed the lymphatic system.

So pretty much, you're screwed from the time you get it. No pun intended.

Q

[GuidoHunter]

You can't make antibodies against virii, hence the absence of vaccines and cures. The virus lives in your own cells (for the most part) and makes them work for it. So, to stop the production you have to either block the virus from entering your cells or destroy the infected cells. Chemo does the latter, and scientists are working on drugs for the former.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[cmb]

RE: Re: RE: AIDS

you know if people had a bit more abstinence that could slow it down the aids problem.I would think

[iggymatrixcounter]

RE: Re: RE: AIDS

(back on topic)

Somewhere I read that Wars, famine, and diseases keep the human pop down.

AIDS = disease (debate if you will but it kills so in my book it's a disease)

So technically yes AIDS is doing its part to keep the population of human down along with other factors. (Afterall without these 3 things how many people do you think would be alive right now???)

[MonkeyFoo]

RE: Re: RE: AIDS

Rather than posting an intelligent resonse to this one, and going on and on as I typically do, I'm just going to say what I don't like about the thread:

- Ramonesfan said "[I]t is not killing enough people." That's just wrong to say.

- Guido said virii. That's not a word. It bothers me. Just say viruses, it's originally a collective noun I think, and by the time we came to recognize "a" virus as a single thing, we been a-speakin' english. So, we don't need to make up a fake latin plural. I can't be sure my memory serves me right on all of that, but virii is definitely not a word. Grr.

- Don't think about it, make fun of it! Why else would I have had AIDS slogans on my signature for several months? Silly intellectuals.

[QreepyBORIS]

RE: Re: RE: AIDS

There are treatments for AIDS and HIV. They work for only a few weeks before the virus mutates and becomes immune to it, though. Also, I think the treatment is pretty bad for you itself.

There has been a recent breakthrough, though, which I think prevents the HIV virus from replicating by denying it access to a part of your chromosomes, or it makes it difficult to enter the cell or something. I don't remember. Maybe it's in this thread and I just got too lazy. :P

[GuidoHunter]

Re: RE: Re: RE: AIDS

- Guido said virii. That's not a word. It bothers me. Just say viruses, it's originally a collective noun I think, and by the time we came to recognize "a" virus as a single thing, we been a-speakin' english. So, we don't need to make up a fake latin plural. I can't be sure my memory serves me right on all of that, but virii is definitely not a word. Grr.

Touché. Thanks for the correction (verified by both dictionary.com and by Webster).

@cmd: Yes, but we're way too sexual a species to give up sex.

@iggy: You know what else is doing its part to keep the human population down? Lightning bolts, sharks, forks, video games, trees, gravity, water (in the form of Dihydrogen Monoxide, of course), metal, botulinum toxin, food, and ANYTHING ELSE THAT KILLS PEOPLE.

@Qreepy: It was hardly a breakthrough. Although new treatments are great, it certainly wasn't the first one. By the way, the thread was in Chit Chat.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[Jam930]

Re: RE: Re: RE: AIDS

It's possible that there will never be a cure to aids.

We're all patient and confident, sitting back and throwing money at the research... but it's entirely possible that a thousand years from now, aids is still around... and so is the cold.

[esupin]

Re: RE: Re: RE: AIDS

you know if people had a bit more abstinence that could slow it down the aids problem.I would think

The problem is most people don't get tested for HIV and dont't know that they've come down with AIDS until it's too late, especially in third world countries, where this is a real problem.

I was in China last summer, and HIV is becoming a real problem there, too. I saw these huge banners at Beijing Airport that translate somewhere along the lines of "Abstinence can prevent AIDS" and "Beware(probably not the best word to use, but..) of AIDS."

[msbrunnettemickey]

RE: AIDS

Guys.
One day i will become a genetic engineer.
And.. i'll find a cure for AIDS and other STDs.

There.

[Jam930]

RE: AIDS

I'm sure that's easier said than done.