Epidemiology, Etiology, Prevention, and Treatment of HIV/AIDS: A Review

Abstract

The HIV-1 pandemic is a complicated mix of several diseases inside and across nations and regions throughout the globe, and it is without a doubt the world's most serious public-health problem. Our knowledge of how the virus multiplies, manipulates, and hides in an infected individual has improved thanks to research. Despite advances in our knowledge of etiology and transmission dynamics, as well as preventive strategies, a cure or protective vaccination remains elusive. In certain situations, antiretroviral therapy has turned AIDS from a deadly illness to a chronic, treatable condition. This change has yet to be realized in those areas of the globe where new HIV-1 infections continue to be disproportionately high, and where morbidity and death are rising at an alarming rate. This seminar will give an update on HIV-1 epidemiology, pathophysiology, therapy, and preventive strategies. Globally, an estimated 386 (334–460) million individuals are infected with HIV-1, with approximately 25 million having previously died. 1 There were 41 million new HIV-1 infections and 28 million AIDS deaths in 2005 alone. 1 The dynamic character of this developing pandemic in terms of temporal variations, geographic distribution, size, viral variety, and method of transmission is obscured by these estimations. This epidemic has now reached every corner of the globe.