AIDS is one of the deadliest diseases

AIDS is one of the deadliest diseases that has spread all over the globe like an epidemic within a very short time span of 50 - 60 years. Official statistics indicate that the AIDS pandemic claimed approximately 3.1 million lives in 2005, of which 570,000 deaths were of innocent children afflicted with this disease. This does not include the large number of unreported cases from all over the globe owing to the stigma associated with it, which causes the development of shame, guilt, and hopelessness to set in.

The early symptoms of HIV infection, which develops within 3 to 6 weeks of exposure to the HIV virus, is similar to that of flu and the person may experience mild fever, a dull headache, severe exhaustion, a persistent vomiting sensation, episodes of diarrhea, sore throat and enlarged lymph nodes, accompanied by body rash. However, these symptoms are short lived and disappear within a week or maximum within a month of contacting the infection. Thereafter, the person experiences no symptoms at all.
Since the first reported case of AIDS some 25 years ago, the disease has already become one of the most feared all over the world. Twenty-five million people have already died of AIDS since the virus first appeared. There are approximately 38.6 million people who are afflicted with HIV (or human immunodeficiency virus), which is also the main cause of AIDS. HIV damages the cells that make up the immune system, thus resulting in the body's inability to ward off fungi, viruses and bacteria that set off diseases. Upon the first infection of HIV, there might not immediately be AIDS symptoms at all. In fact, there are even cases of HIV infections that show absolutely zero symptoms of any kind. However, it is also common for those with HIV infections to experience flu-like symptoms that commonly appear up to six weeks after the initial infection. But, as these symptoms like swollen lymph glands, headaches, rashes, fever and sore throat are similar to those exhibited by other illnesses, a person may not realize that they have been infected with HIV until it is too late. Even if a person does not have AIDS or show HIV symptoms yet, he is still capable of transmitting this illness to persons that he might come in contact with sexually. It has to be remembered that once this virus gets into the body, there really is no turning back because it will immediately attack the body's immune system. While a person who has contracted HIV infection could experience no symptoms at all for as long as ten years or more, this does not mean that the virus has stopped in growing in numbers and in destroying the immune cells of the body. The person may only experience some chronic symptoms or mild infections that they may only see as not serious. These include diarrhea, fever, shortness of breath or cough and swollen lymph nodes.
Getting such an infection usually means that the immune system of the victim is already very much destroyed by the HIV virus.