AIDS stands for Acquired Immuno deficiency Syndrome.

In fact, reduced resistance to disease is not uncommon and may accompany sclerosis of the liver, uremia, or other diseases. Transplant recipients have their resistance deliberately reduced to reduce the chances of rejection. But AIDS is different because it is caused by a virus, (called HIV) and the virus is transmittable through blood or bodily fluids.

In Spring, 1981, the Center for Disease Control in the U.S. announced that 26 young homosexual males were found to have contracted an unusual disease. This was the first revelation of AIDS.

Because documents in medical history have no related cases noted, AIDS can be said to be completely new. But whether the AIDS virus is new, or the mutation from an older virus, is still undetermined.

The AIDS virus possibly originated in monkeys in Africa. The origin of AIDS itself was in Zaire or Chad. In the 1960's, the United Nations sent many specialists to Africa to assist in development, some of whom carried the disease back home. In 1978 a conference of an international organization of homosexuals was held in Haiti. In 1984, the Olympics were held in Los Angeles, site of a large gay community. Through such means has AIDS spread across the globe.

The AIDS virus is in fact quite weak. It can be destroyed by being exposed to temperatures of 80 degrees celsius for ten minutes, or even by ordinary soap. But once inside the body it is devastating. It can attack and destroy the strongest line of defense in the body's immune system--a white blood cell called T4 lymph nodes-- and cause the immune system to collapse.

There are three main stages following the contracting of AIDS.

In the first stage, the "incubation period," there are no apparent symptoms but the disease may be passed on. Generally, this period lasts three to five years, but because the medical history of the disease is brief, scientists are still observing to see how long the disease may incubate.

In the second stage Aids Related Complex (ARC) appears (the patient must be ill for three months with no apparent other cause to be judged in the ARC stage). The lymph glands swell, body weight drops, there is continuous fever, exhaustion, and sweating. ARC need not be fatal; some patients have survived in this stage for several years. One can't be sure whether or not the disease will worsen.

Third is the AIDS stage. At this point the body has lost its immune system and is subject to repeated "opportunistic infection." Symptoms may strike any part of the body.

"Opportunistic infections" indicate weak viruses which may enter the body through various orifices. While these pose no threat to an ordinary person, they could be fatal to the AIDS sufferer. Among these the most serious include pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, cerebral toxoplasmosis (creating headaches and confusion) or ugly swelling as with Kapari's sarioma. Other problems such as ulcers generated by esophegal candiasis or severe facial or genital herpes simplex can cause tremendous suffering to the victim.

Currently AZT is the most widely used drug for combatting AIDS. But it can only interfere with the proliferation of the virus; it cannot actually destroy the virus. There fore, once symptoms of the AIDS virus begin to appear, there is no medication which can stop them. Although treatments aimed at specific symptoms such as swelling may bring temporary relief, the AIDS victim is likely to experience repeated relapse or reinfection.

Under the circumstances, the first step in self-protection must be early detection and early treatment. Like other illnesses, if the body is still strong and the spirit high, even though the disease is present, the chances of getting ill can be reduced to the lowest possible level.