What is preventing scientists from creating cures for arguably the two biggest diseases today??
Medicine - 3 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
in both cases, the disease is rarely the same in two people. In HIV, the virus mutates and changes, and develops resistance to our drugs very quickly. It's hard because the diseases are ever-changing and aren't consistent between patients.
2 :
The problem with the HIV virus is that it mutates so quickly. By the time a a vaccine is created the virus always mutates into a different strain. The medicine then becomes useless because you are only protected against an old strain. So you are still completely vulnerable against the new one. Cancer can already be cured by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However it is difficult to stop cancer occuring in the first place. The problem with cancer is that it is not just a virus or a bacteria which infects your body. Therefore you can not be vacinated against it. Cancer cells occur when your own cells divide, a process called mitosis, but the DNA is miss-copied. This then leaves you with two cells that do not contain your own DNA. These two cells then divide and then they divide creating more and more cancer cells. so the only way you can stop cancer cells occuring would be by stopping your own cells dividing. But then you wouldnt be able to grow and you would die. The only hopes are treating it once you have it. These treatments however are becoming more and more accurate at fighting cancer cells and survival rates are always increasing. I am sorry if that is really hard to understand but it is hard to explain.
3 :
I don't know the exact scientific explanations but basically the diseases are constantly changing and mutating, so it is basically impossible to create ONE medication or one cure that would affect all of the different strains or viruses. They are essentially like very extreme versions of the common cold. There is no cure because there are millions of strains that are always changing. You can get medication to get rid of the symptoms though. I hope I helped! EDIT: This explanation only applies to HIV, I do not know much about cancer.
Read more discussions :
- If a hen swallows a condom full of sperm infected ...
- how does hiv aids affect a persons body
- anal fissures and hiv/aids transmission
- Give an example of a technology that a doctor may ...
- Michigan partner notification for hiv, aids
- Which HIV/AIDS charity should I donate to
- Can hiv aids spread from normal person
- Do you know the rate of HIV/AIDS victims in Middle...
