By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Though AIDS is one of the most known diseases globally, few people in Korea are well informed about it.
It has been less than three decades since the disease was verified by experts, after its symptoms were first reported in 1981.
Since then, a lot has changed and many misconceptions have been eradicated. We know that HIV is diagnosed across the spectrum of sexual orientation and that transmission occurs through non-sexual routes as well.
However, the Korean government still confuses HIV positive status with AIDS in official reports, and there are still groundless rumors floating around the country regarding the transmission of the virus ― including one that says it's an airborne disease.
Prof. Kang Moon-won of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital stresses that the HIV virus is carried through the blood, and its chances of transmission are lower than those of other viruses.
"While the chances of developing hepatitis when exposed to the virus through needles or other accidents are some 20 to 30 percent, those for HIV mark only about 0.3 percent."
According to the definition by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is the virus that causes AIDS. The virus is different from most others because it attacks the immune system. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell that the immune system must have to fight diseases.
Therefore, it is mostly complications that threaten patients with AIDS, not the virus itself. "Nearly all patients die of complications such as pneumonia, cancer or others diseases. Because the immune system is weakened, the body cannot handle even minor ailments in many cases," he said.
Various medicines are available to control the virus. From Fuzeon to scores of pills including Zidovudine and others, various drugs have helped HIV positive patients maintain their health to a certain point. "There is no cure but one can live nearly as long as those who aren't infected," Kang said.
Kang predicted that more effective medicines will be developed in the future as the pharmaceutical industry is working hard in this area. "It sounds cynical, but the number of people infected is increasing and not many are dying, which means an endlessly expanding market," he said. "But it also benefits the patients because these days the motto is 'fewer pills for fewer sessions' and development is heading in that direction," he said.
The greatest challenge, he said, is that one must take the medicine regularly every day of their lives. "Some patients don't follow the regime and don't even visit doctors for follow-up appointments. That's frustrating when all they need to do is swallow the pills," he said.
He said social prejudice against HIV patients is quite prevalent even today. "It may be because of the routes of transmission ― people often think about promiscuous sex and infidelity ― and fear of the virus. But patients are discriminated from getting ordinary jobs, having families and many other life opportunities," he said.
Kang said that some of those confirmed with the infection choose to hide their condition. "According to the latest data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 6,120 cases of HIV infection reported in Korea since 1985, and the rate has gone up by 7.1 percent recently. However, many people refuse to tell their family members or close friends about it, and in some cases refuse to be treated fearing their illness could be revealed," he said.
Kang stresses the necessity of getting treatment because those given the right treatment at the right time have a strong chance at fighting the disease.
"But if you do not take the treatment, AIDS may prevail 10 years after infection," he said. "It is true that if you get AIDS, the chances of dying are quite high. So I recommend people to get regular tests and treatment as well as have consultations with their doctors," he said.
Unlike many other diseases, HIV is one field that Korea is lagging behind in terms of research and treatment. Doctors follow guidelines set up by American doctors and research is still at a very basic level here.
"Many newly developed drugs aren't approved by the Korea Food and Drug Administration. It is a dream for immunologists to develop an original guideline for Korean patients. Luckily, the number of patients here is relatively small," he said.
Kang said it will be impossible to eradicate the virus from human lives. "Viruses are clever. They evolve in directions where they can co-exist with the human host. The only thing we can do is find a way to control its effect on the human body."