AIDS and its effects
What is it?
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV). It is when the immune system is weakened which allows various infections and cancers to take hold of the body and makes people more vulnerable to infections and diseases.
How is it spread?
HIV is spread through sexual transmission, perinatal transmission and blood transmission. Sexual transmission happens when there is contact with sexual fluids that are infected, this can occur when having sex without a condom or when sharing sex toys with a HIV positive person. Perinatal transmission is when a mother passes HIV to her child this can happen during childbirth, pregnancy and through breastfeeding. Blood transmission happens when people share needles that have come in contact with HIV infected blood .
What are some symptoms?
Some people who contract HIV show no symptoms until multiple months or sometimes years after contracting it. Around 80% of people show flu like symptoms 2-6 weeks after contracting the virus.
" Early Symptoms of HIV infection-Acute Retroviral Syndrome
o Fever
o Chills
o Joint Pain
o Muscle Aches
o Sore Throat
o Sweats (mostly at night)
o Weakness
o Unintentional Weight loss
o Thrush
" Asymptomatic HIV-Latency
In multiple cases after early symptoms disappear there will be no more further symptoms for years. During this time the virus continues to develop and does even more damage to the immune system and human body. This can continue for an average of ten years.
" Late-stage HIV infection
If left untreated HIV will weaken the potential to fight infection. The carrier will be more vulnerable to serious diseases and illnesses, this is when HIV can be diagnosed as AIDS.
" Symptoms
o Blurred vison
o Diarrhoea (persistent or chronic)
o Dry cough
o Fever
o Night Sweats
o Permanent tiredness
o Shortness of breath
o Swollen glands
o Unintentional weight loss
o White spots on the tongue or in the mouth.
History of AIDS/HIV
It is believed that HIV originated in Kinshasa, which is located in the Democratic Republic Congo around the year 1920. HIV crossed from chimpanzees to humans. Up to the 1980's it is unknown how many people were infected. Scattered cases of AIDS were noted prior to 1970, but it is suggested that the epidemic started in the mid 1970's. In 1980 HIV had spread and infected around 100,000 to 300,000 people in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Australia. In 1981 five gay men in Los Angeles had contracted a rare strain of pneumonia, at the same time people had been diagnosed with an unusual cancer called Kasposi's Sarcoma. By the end of 1981 there was 270 gay men with reported cases of severe immune deficiency, 121 of them died that year. By 1983 it was being realised that women could be affected by AIDS, in June that year there were reported cases of children with the virus which caused people to believe by casual contact. By 1984 there were 3,655 AIDS related deaths in the USA. By the end of 1896 there were 38,401 reported cases of AIDS in 85 countries. In 1987 it was estimated that 5-10 million people has HIV worldwide. During 1992 a 10 minute testing kit was invented to detect HIV. In 1993 it was estimated that 2.5 million people worldwide had AIDS. In 1995 the first treatment for HIV was made, it caused the amount of AIDS deaths and people hospitalised to decrease by 60-80%. In 1999 the World Health Organisation announced that AIDS was the fourth largest cause of death worldwide as an estimated 14 million people had died from the disease since the epidemic.
Diagnosis
It is estimated that one in every eight Americans with HIV in unaware that they have HIV. The most common form of diagnosis is made through a blood test that looks specifically for the virus by finding antibodies. Other tests that can be done are ELISA Tests(enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), Home Access Express Test, Saliva Tests, Viral Load Test to measure the amount of HIV in your blood and a Western Blot .
Treatments
Currently there is no cure for HIV or AIDS but treatments can help to stop the progression of the disease. It is best to get treatment right away after being diagnosed as symptoms shouldn't worsen, there will be a longer life expectancy and there will be a lower risk of transmission. If a person thinks they have been exposed to the virus within the last three days an emergency pill called the Post-Exposure Prophylaxis can stop infection, it has to bee taken for four weeks. HIV can be treated with antiretrovirals which can fight infection and slow down the spreading process of the virus. People with HIV can take combinations of medicines called HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy or CART (combination antiretroviral therapy).
There are multiple subgroups of antiretrovirals, they are:
" Protease inhibitors
o This stops HIV from multiplying.
" Integrase Inhibitors
o Prevents HIV from infecting T cells.
" Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors
o These interfere with HIV as it tries to replicate.
" Non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors
o Makes it more difficult for HIV to replicate.
" Chemokine co-receptor antagonists
o Blocks HIV from entering cells.
" Entry inhibitors
o Prevents HIV from entering T cells.
Prevention
To prevent contracting and spreading HIV the following precautions are advised:
" Do not share sex toys.
" Always use a condom when having sex.
" Don't share needles.
" Skin should be washed after coming into contact with bodily fluids.
How this relates to Two Weeks with The Queen.
In Two Weeks with The Queen one of the characters Griff Price has AIDS as well as cancer. It would be important for the writer of Two Weeks with The Queen to research AIDS as they need to know how it is spread, the effects of it and how it can affect someone's life. This is due to the fact that they don't want to produce false information and they want to have the correct portrayal of it.
The Modern Royal Family
What does the modern Royal Family tree look like?
Royal Family tree and line of succession 2017.
What is the role of the Monarchy?
In the United Kingdom the Monarchy is the oldest form of government. A Monarchy usually has a King or Queen as Head of State. The British Monarchy is mostly recognized as a constitutional monarchy which means that even though The Sovereign is Head of State, the power to create and pass legislation resides with a parliament that is elected. A Sovereign no longer has an executive or political role, but they still are an important part in a nation. A Monarch, as Head of State takes part in constitutional and representational duties which have changed over a thousand years of history. Adding to these State duties, a Monarch also has a role as 'Head of Nation'. The Sovereign is a focus for national identity, pride and unity which can give a sense of continuity and stability.
When did the first King of England reign?
Over 1500 years it is believed that there has been around 66 monarchs that have had ruled all of England and Britain. The first English King to establish a stable and extensive rule over all Anglo-Saxon England is believed to be Egbert(Ecgherht). He claimed the title of monarch in 827 after a conquest in Mercia which was one of that great seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. He died in 839 aged 69.
Who is Queen Elizabeth II?
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in the 21st of April in 1926 in London, England. She was born during her Grandfathers reign as King, as she was her father's first born she became second in line to the throne after him. On the 20th of November 1947 Elizabeth married her cousin Prince Philip of Greece and Germany in Westminster¬ Abbey. Their first child Prince Charles, was born in 1948, their second child Princess Anne was born in 1950, their third child Prince Andrew was born in 1960 and their last child Prince Andrew was born in 1964 . When her father died Elizabeth came to the royal throne in 1952 and became the Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). She had her coronation in 1953 and it was the first royal coronation to be televised. She is Britain's longest serving monarch beating her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria who ruled for 63 years and 216 days .
Succession to the throne
When a King or Queen abdicates or dies the throne will get passed down to the first person in the line of succession, when this happens they may choose to pass the throne down to the next person. Prior to 2013 the throne would always get passed down to the first male born child, if the first born child was female and she had a brother the throne would be given to him. The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 states that succession to the crown no longer depends on the gender of the first born. The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 also removed the law that someone who married a Roman became illegible to receive the throne .
What is the current order of succession to the throne?
1. HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales. HM Queen Elizabeth's eldest child.
2. HRH Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge. Prince HRH Charles' eldest son.
3. Prince George of Cambridge. HRH Prince William's eldest son.
4. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. HRH Prince William's second child.
5. HRH Prince Henry of Wales. Commonly referred to as 'Harry'. HRH Prince Charles' youngest son.
6. HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York. HM Queen Elizabeth's second son.
7. HRH Princess Beatrice of York. HRH Prince Andrew's eldest daughter.
8. HRH Princess Eugenie of York. Youngest daughter of HRH Prince Andrew.
9. HRH Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex. HM Queen Elizabeth's youngest son.
10. James Windsor, Viscount Severn. HRH Prince Edward's first male child.
11. Lady Louise Windsor. HRH Prince Edward's first child, as she was born before the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 was created, her younger brother is favoured over her.
12. HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal. The only daughter of HM Queen Elizabeth, all of her brothers have favour over her.
13. Peter Phillips. First child of HRH Princess Anne.
14. Miss Savannah Phillips. Peter Phillips' first daughter.
15. Miss Isla Phillips. Peter Phillips' second daughter.
16. Zara Tindal (née Phillips). Second child of HRH Princess Anne.
17. David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linely. First child of HM Queen Elizabeth's sister HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.
How this relates to Two Weeks with The Queen.
The portrayal of The Queen is very important in the play as it is in the title and it is one of the contributing factors as to why Colin wants to go to England. It's important to know the role of The Queen as in the play Colin really wants to speak to The Queen to find a cure for Luke's cancer, he believes that she can do this due to her high status and role.