| AIDS is one of the deadliest diseases that has | | | | accompanied by body rash. However, these |
| spread all over the globe like an epidemic within a | | | | symptoms are short lived and disappear within a |
| very short time span of 50 - 60 years. Official | | | | week or maximum within a month of contacting the |
| statistics indicate that the AIDS pandemic claimed | | | | infection. Thereafter, the person experiences no |
| approximately 3.1 million lives in 2005, of which | | | | symptoms at all. |
| 570,000 deaths were of innocent children afflicted | | | | But this silent asymptomatic phase is the period |
| with this disease. This does not include the large | | | | when the HIV virus will be actively multiplying in the |
| number of unreported cases from all over the globe | | | | host's lymph nodes, infecting the helper T cells (CD4 |
| owing to the stigma associated with it, which causes | | | | lymphocytes) and destroying the white blood cells, |
| the development of shame, guilt, and hopelessness | | | | thereby weakening the immune system of the |
| to set in. | | | | individual completely. The length of the asymptomatic |
| The early symptoms of HIV infection, which | | | | phase varies from person to person and can even |
| develops within 3 to 6 weeks of exposure to the | | | | extend from a few months to almost a decade. The |
| HIV virus, is similar to that of flu and the person may | | | | count of the helper T cells (CD4 lymphocytes) begins |
| experience mild fever, a dull headache, severe | | | | to drop from 600 to less than 200 and the person's |
| exhaustion, a persistent vomiting sensation, episodes | | | | immunity gets drastically reduced. This makes the |
| of diarrhea, sore throat and enlarged lymph nodes, | | | | person more prone to other types of infections. |