Thursday 7 October 2010

The Killer Virus Parasite HIV

This is how I see HIV - To me it is a Parasite Virus that Kills.
  • Sure you will all be so very bored if you read this, so please don't read it ! Just stop now! It may be rubbish but is my blog so I wanted to explore this.
  • So felt I  had to write it as this is how I currently see the damn virus that is HIV


HIV is a retrovirus. So what is the HIV retrovirus? - put in my own- very -  lay persons words and my own limited understanding?

So basically a HIV in my understanding/view is a 'virus parasite'
but sadly unlike some/well many  retroviruses one that, if untreated, eventually kills its host.


And there is strong evidence that monkeys were an original host to HIV  but it has now since it trans-species jumped  it has mutated and evolved so that humans are now, currently  its biggest and most successful host.

Actually is seems to me that humans are a far better host than Simians. As unlike simians ( monkeys) we have no immunity to this virus, and unlike simians we travel widely outside our immediate social groups

  • As there is now overwhelming research evidence that the HIV virus has lived with, and alongside, simians (monkeys, chimpanzees etc) for thousands of years and thus evolved with them. And that therefore that a mutual impasse was reached in terms of fatality to its simian host and the ability to spread widely outside of  unique social groups of simians - that is until it jumped species to us - humanity .


So evidence would suggest that we humans are comparatively a very new host to HIV !!!  
 And we humans travel widely outside our family and social groups 

Unlike Simians who did not have the advantage of aircraft and cars etc and so stayed comparatively in very isolated in small groups. So research evidence suggests that HIV infection among simians were very contained within fairly divided and remote groups. 

Not only did it not spread widely when only simian the HIV virus was not often cross infected between groups and thus not as easily mutated as it is within humans.

But we as humans now have the HIV virus as it has long made the jump to our species!
 And we - unlike simians - interact widely outside our immediate social group. 

We, interact,  reproduce, have sex just for fun  etc, outside our immediate social groups and we travel widely - in fact humans from our origins, just look at how we spread out even in the  stone age onwards? Travel is and has been a fundamental human drive/need too!!!


Humanity has always traveled widely, not just within our own continents/countries. Humans have traveled for thousands of years . 

But now due to air and other travel , we now travel all over the planet and have done for at least 30 years.


So basically we are so totally fucking ace at passing this virus it on to others outside our immediate social group? So we are the perfect host to this virus HIV? Amazing it did not find us many thousands of years before it did? Isn't it?


So do  you want it to win?

As if the HIV virus had consciously tried it could not ever had found a more effective host to jump to than humanity,  could it? 

We have to beat this one!

  • i.e HIV is an RNA virus that is replicated in a host cell via the enzyme reverse transcriptase to produce DNA from its RNA genome. The DNA is then incorporated into the host's genome by an integrase enzyme. The virus thereafter replicates as part of the host cell's DNA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrovirus
So basically it takes over key cells in the hosts body - And so I am just currently and so very unfortunately just one of this viruses millions of  hosts - and it is so clever it takes over cells that are fundamental to that hosts very existence. (immune helper CD4 T cells in this case)

But HIV  is a very 'clever' virus. No I am not saying it is at all a  'thinking' organism.  As I am not as yet demented!!! Well not yet, nor have lost my mind, well not yet!

So I do not credit this virus with any' intelligence'! Well not as we as humans would see intelligence.
But it is a retrovirus and one that is determined to survive and one that will kill it's host if unstopped/untreated.


But it needs to pass itself on and survive. And us humans are such good hosts that we so easily die of it. As our immune system can be  so easily overwhelmed by it  ............................


So the virus has needed to evolve - and has -  so does not kill or make its host very ill straight away
 - that would defeat its aim - hence the often long latency period in humans. Often between 1 to 10 or more years for some.

And this particular virus has actually so very cleverly evolved to infect its hosts in the main through sex and reproduction.
By sex I mean any sex with anyone, gay, straight, bi, whatever............... the virus makes no discrimination................ and neither do I.
Only humans discriminate or stigmatize. We all have sex with someone or at the very least  play with ourselves! Anyone who says they don't ........well I guess I  can believe that some don't - but very few - but even so  they have to put their sexual energy's somewhere? 
For humans as a social and group species, we are just not designed to be celibate. Sex is a fundamental and great and to be celebrated part of being human........OH dear - I digress as always!!! Well its my blog. if you bother to read it is up to you!!!
Anyway by reproduction I mean childbirth and breast feeding - and feel what could be more insidious and awful than this!
i.e That if a mother wants to do her best for her baby. And do what is under any other circumstances than if you are a mother with HIV is the absolute best for your baby  - which is......................
  • to have a natural birth as possible
  • and not a Cesarean if you do not need one to save the babies life
  • to breast feed Not to take any strong medication while pregnant or in childbirth
 Yet if you are a mum with HIV,  you can not ever do any of these totally normal and natural things if you are to ensure your babies health? isn't HIV so crap??
As if  you are to ensure your child is born HIV free - which any mother will want to ensure
  • you are probably needing to take medication while pregnant
  • have a Cesarean in most cases
  • and you can not ever breast feed 
( that HIV does also infect humans through intravenous drug use, and blood products etc is not part of its cunning plan! This only happens because humans do other activities for enjoyment,  ratification or survival -  medical or other exchange of bodily fluids -  that are not actually biologically programmed, 
Due to the fact that humans have an unique 'self determination' and inventiveness' as a species on this planet that strays from what is set out for us as a living organism.

This  'eccentricity ' in humans the HIV virus did not of course plan for but it did take advantage of this when it was presented to it on a plate.

No a parasitic virus as it does not share our type of intelligence/self awareness, so it did not plan for us humans being its perfect host , but  took full advantage of it when  it found us  - well his may not make sense to you but it does to me!
    So of course if this HIV virus made those who acquired HIV instantly ill and die quickly, it would not achieve its aim.

    Which is merely - and only  -  to infect other hosts and live on.

    And so the virus so cruelly gives many of us a bit of a breathing space - a latency period where we feel if not great, we feel OK.And so we continue our lives, continue to reproduce,  have sex - of any kind or any sexal orinettion -

    and both are such fundamental drives - and if we do this and do not know we have HIV...................................


    We may have infected others, and maybe - if we do no find out we have HIV in time - any children we may have.


    So this virus HIVis  to my mind is so cruel!!!
    And this parasite that is HIV really and truly has it taped - doesn't it!!


    • As it knows how to bide its time to infect the most of us it can
    • As if we became ill with HIV as soon as we were infected HIV would all soon die out with us as we died of it.
    As no one wants to have sex or reproduce when ill or dying of AIDS!

    Believe me when my husband Barry had a CD4 count of 8, PCP pneumonia,projectile diarrhea and other infections and I technically had AIDs because I had a CD4 of under 150, could not eat without vomiting, had galloping diarrhea, felt terminally tired ......
    neither of us could have raised an arm at times and certainly could not have raised anything else to have sex with!!!!


    So basically this parasite, this virus, is very clever as it  just bides its time.

    It gives us a breathing space once we are infected. While it bides its time and gradually reproduces. But does not reproduce for a while to the point where it takes away our health and therefore fundamental will to have sex and reproduce.

    A it t is soooo very clever ........as it gives us enough time since infection to feel the urge to do this and thus pass it on - this is where this virus, as humans, has us by the nail!

    As while we are able, humans, not all but most, want and do have sex and want and do have babies!!! And why not its our right and our main drive as a species.

    Probably I am talking total  rubbish?? But this is my blog!!

    And  this is how I see HIV. As a so very effective parasite that is a virus.

    It is not intelligent - it does not care - it just wants to live and reproduce and needs us as a host to do this.
    has it a right to live?
    But I want to live a bit longer too. So difficult !!!

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