A rotten apple can spoil the complete basket- HIV AIDS is one such rotten element that once entered can destroy the entire human body. It’s a virus that has challenged the human immune system for centuries. And its cure seemed like a rare blue moon. All thanks to Israel, a ray of hope is shining upon the world.
How will the vaccine work?
It was noted that there is no cure for HIV/ AIDS. But recently, Israel has squashed this narrative and has reduced the chance for humans to die. The research at Tel Aviv University was conducted by a team from the School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics at The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. They have developed a single vaccine by engineering Type B blood cells that can boost the immune system and further make it produce HIV-neutralizing antibodies.
The research team has claimed this single-shot vaccine is an effective treatment that can stabilize the human condition and save numerous lives suffering from the disease every year.
B-type cells are a type of white blood cell that has the capacity to develop antibodies against HIV/ AIDS viruses. When the cells get matured, these cells move into the blood and lymphatic system and other parts of the human body. When these B-type cells challenge the virus, the virus stimulates and encourages them to divide leading them to further destruction.
How did HIV/ AIDS originate?
It has been believed that the virus of HIV/ AIDS dates back to the 1800s when it was first found in chimpanzees. It further transmitted to humans just like the recent Coronavirus which jumped ships from Bats to humans.
It is believed that HIV infection originated from chimpanzees in Central Africa. Probably, it got passed to humans when they went hunting chimpanzees in order to grab some meat, and eventually, after coming in contact with them, humans got infected. Slowly over the decades, the virus got its roots wide open from Africa to other parts of the world.
People are losing their lives from HIV/ AIDS
HIV/ AIDS continues to be a concerning global health issue claiming 36.3 million lives so far. As per the WHO data, since the advent of the virus, 79.3 million people have been infected by the disease and 36.3 million population have died due to HIV.
As per data for the year 2020, there is an estimate that 37.7 million people have lived with HIV in 2020 alone. Apart from this, around 680,000 people died due to the disease during the same year. An estimated 0.7 percent of adults between the age of 15 to 49 years are affected by HIV globally.
HIV is a zoonotic disease that transmits from animals to humans. There have been numerous diseases of zoonosis that have affected millions of human lives till now. These include rabies, blastomycosis, and Psittacosis, and the list seems endless.
Read more: 1 loose clause, otherwise a solid bill – Analysing the “Aids and HIV P&C Control bill”
An intangible disease reducing the human population
HIV is an untraceable virus that spreads in the human body without its identification. A significant reason why the existence of this disease is tough to figure out because its general symptoms range from fever, headache, rash, and soar throat. As the infection continuously weakens the immune system it can also lead to weight loss, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhoea, and cough.
Without timely treatment, the symptoms could also lead to severe illnesses such as tuberculosis (TB), cryptococcal meningitis, severe bacterial infections, and cancers such as lymphomas and Kaposi’s sarcoma. Millions of people die due to this incurable disease every year worldwide. It’s a type of infection that has placed a great amount of the human population at stake.
Time and again, several researchers have tried and tested various probable treatments for HIV/ AIDS but none of them seemed to work. The current antiretroviral drugs which were considered a treatment do not cure HIV infection. However, it highly suppresses viral replication in the human body and further boosts the immune system to fight the disease.
Treatments for HIV/ AIDS
Though, WHO had suggested in 2016 that all people suffering from HIV will be provided with lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART), including children, adolescents, adults, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. But this form of treatment has not been proven successful among the survivors of HIV/ AIDS.
The recent development of one hot vaccine for AIDS by Israel can prove to be a blessing in disguise. This vaccine will further generate an aroma of strength among patients with HIV/ AIDS by relieving them from the clutches of death. This can save millions of lives that are struggling hard for a successful treatment.