HIV | World Tech Today

Southern Indiana – HIV has been running loose in the state of Indiana; the state has a total of 130 reported cases of HIV since December. The health department has added that the number is likely to increase as more people get tested for the deadly disease.

It has also been found that the HIV cases are mostly being reported from Scott County and Austin. Drug addictions, poverty and improper sanitary conditions have so far been the stated cause of this HIV outbreak.

The executive director of an agency that delivers HIV and AIDS services out of Merrillville, Tammy Morris, stated that the case could have been the same for any other county or state in the country. He also stated that without proper tests, it is impossible to tell if someone is suffering from the disease. People appear to be very healthy, hiding any physical symptoms of the disease.

The source of this outbreak has been traced back to a prescription use of the painkiller Opana, as per health officials. The officials have also confirmed that the drug is not being prescribed in Scott County, but the origin of the drug is yet to be found.

The pill, once it is crushed and liquefied, can be enough for almost eight injections, which are then mostly shared. In comparison, a bag of heroin would be for single use only. Additionally, Opana is also being sold out on the street, at a price of $160 a pill.

However, experts say that the drug is not as widely used as heroin in the region. Even though, Opana is thought to be the major cause of the outbreak, health officials have warned that sharing of just about any drug can cause the problem.

Aaron Kochar, the director of education and prevention at Porter-Starke services, outlined that opiate addiction is itself an epidemic.The alarming part is that we can see it in our communities all the time. He also stated that Opana, being an extended release pill, is very potent when injected.

According to a new study from UK, the HIV pathogen is supposed to spread inside the human body just like computer virus. This finding can help the researchers to develop better ways to treat HIV and prevent the onset of AIDS.

According to a Medical News Today report, Scientists from the University College London, have been able to chart and create a model for HIV progressions. According to these models, the virus typically spreads via the blood vessels or directly spread from adjacent cells. This is exactly how a computer virus or worms tend to spread through the internet. In this manner, thousands of computers are affected.

Till now, no effective cure / treatment have been developed for HIV infected patients. The virus attacks to the immune cells (especially, CD4+ T cells) of the body and kills them. This causes opportunistic pathogens such as E.Coli and other such pathogens to attack the human body. Since there is little or no immunity against these pathogens, the patient ultimately has to die. However, early treatment might prove to be effective, according to doctors.

HIV spreads mostly through sexual contact or blood transfusion. Improper syringe disposal may also contribute towards the patient being infected by HIV AIDS.

The model also proves that HIV cannot spread by blood vessels alone. HIV could probably acquire a strong foothold in a place having high T cell population. These regions are most likely to be the spleen and the gut. Transfer of the virus then begins from cell to cell.

Quite interestingly, it was the very pathogen that inspired the Conficker computer worm. This worm was created in 2008 and was successful in infecting military and police networks all across European subcontinent. It still hasn’t been eliminated as of yet. The HIV and Conficker worm, both use hybrid spreading mechanisms.

This new model will also help scientists to create an effective drug as well. It could be used against different modes of HIV in patients.

Indiana facing worst HIV AIDS outbreak in history of the US

HIV AIDS virus spreads like conficker worm internet malware