AIDS in Children

Aids is characterized by loss of immune functions, fomally designated Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is caused by infection with Human immunodeficiency Virus(HIV).Aids has now attained a form of unique pandemic ,with most of the countries like America, Europe and Africa being most affected and Asia least affected. In the year 2002, an estimated 8, 00,000 children less than 15 years were newly infected with HIV, and 6, 10,000 died of the disease. Both HIV and AIDS are now well established in india.HIV is an enveloped RNA virus which help in destroying the immune functions of the human body. It is a labile virus inactivated by heat, ether ,acetone,ethanol,sodium hypochlorite etc.Virus transmission in adults occurs through sexual intercourse, needles sticks, contaminated blood and blood products these are collectively called horizontal transmission. Mostly 90 percent of HIV infection is acquired to children from infected mother, this is called vertical transmission. This infection may be transmitted to children from mother during delivery and also through breast feeding .HIV is not transmitted by food, water, mosquitos or casual contact. At the time of birth, HIV infected infants are generally asymptomatic. After that clinical disease may be appear in two forms they are rapid and slow progressive forms. Rapid progression set in form 3-4 months of age. But in slow progression these infected children may present not as late as 8 years of life. There is no specific treatment either for HIV infection or for the immunodeficiency caused by it

MALARIA

Malaria is the most important parasitic disease of the human in terms of morbidity and mortality. Every year malaria accounts 3 million deaths across the world, mostly in young children’s and pregnant women’s in developing countries. It is caused by Plasmodium which is an obligate intracellular protozoa. Four species of plasmodium are responsible for the cause of malaria in human beings are P.falciparum, P.vivax,P.ovale,P.malariae.It is spread to humans during the bite of an infected female anopheline mosquito. Rarely malaria may be transmitted by blood transmission,transplacently or through contaminated needles. The transmission of malaria is profoundly influenced by climate. The optimum conditions are environmental temperatures between 20 and 30 degree celcius.and relative humidity of at least 60 percent. Malaria transmission does not occur at temperatures below 16C or above 30C.It is common during rainy season because of stagnant water and high humidity favour mosquito breeding and survival. Infection with malaria begins when sporozoites ,the infective stage of the parasite. Within 30-45 minutes of the bite,sporozites disappear from blood stream.The incubation period ranges from 9 to 40 days. It can be prolonged by partial immunity and chemoprophylaxis. Almost all the severe morbidity and morality in malaria are caused by P.falciparum which causes disease like cerebral malaria and severe anemia,hypoglycaemia etc.There are several anti malarial drugs like Artemisia derivaties,Mefloquine and Halofantrine which are used by the humans to prevent malaria.Artemisinin derivatives drug acts on late stage ring parasites and trophozoites,Mefloquine is an effective drug for the treatment of uncomplicated multidrug resistant P.falciparum infection. Some antigens are available which will be helpfull in reducing the disease transmission . Research has concentrated on vaccines against all stages of parasite life cycle