Ebola and AIDS: Problems and Prevention

Viruses have become of great concern all across the world in the last few decades. The most common and the most talked about killer virus is AIDS, a virus that starts out as HIV and then proceeds to develop into a immune breaker that ultimately kills its human host. So far, there is no cure for AIDS, and most unfortunately the numbers of deaths from AIDS only continues to grow. However, another virus has gained much public and national attention. That virus is called Ebola. It is thought that Ebola 's effect on humans is restricted to Zaire, Africa. Viruses that kill people in large masses is a major threat to mankind; the only hopes of destroying the viruses is dependent upon technology. AIDS is a deadly disease that most people understand as a sexually transmitted disease. In fact, the virus can be transmitted sexually, but it can also be transmitted through blood transfusions. The fact that it can be transmitted sexually causes a great problem. Everyday, enormous amounts of people have sex--some people with different partners. People may have less sex than before because of the threat that the virus poses, but it has already started, and cannot be stopped until a cure is found. Unlike Ebola, AIDS was not detected as early as one would have hoped. The AIDS virus can stay dormant for over a decade before it is noticed as a real problem (Shenon 8). During that decade, the virus can spread like a wild fire. One person contracts the virus, transmits it to another, and another, and so on. As Shenon explains, AIDS became recognized as a real problem in the early seventies and was mostly concentrated in the United States and in Africa, but surprisingly it reached Asia a decade afterward. He goes on to explain that AIDS has spread exponentially in Asia. Thailand, recognized for its proliferation of prostitutes and illegal promotion of sex with children, could be held responsible for the tremendous outbreak of the

Cited: Populous Asia." New York Times January 21, 1996 sect.1 1. "A Case of Deadly Virus Reported in Ivory Coast." New York Times December 9, 1995 February 17, 1996 sect.A 5.