With the US pausing its funds in the healthcare sector, along with UNAIDS, a global threat for HIV cases has risen. It has led to panic, fear, and confusion in many African countries who are the hardest hit by AIDs. In fact, official data states that this move could lead to a 6 times jump in HIV cases. While HIV and AIDS are being discussed all over the news now, not many know the difference between the two.

What is HIV? What is AIDS?

Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is a diseases that weakens a person's immune system by attacking CD4 cells which help the body fight off infection.

Whereas AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome happens when the HIV advances.

How Is It Spread?

HIV is primarily spread by:

• Having multiple sex partners or the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases which can increase the risk of infection during sex. Unprotected oral sex can also increase for HIV, though it is a much lower risk than anal or vaginal sex
• Sharing needles, syringes, rinse water
• Being born to an infected mother

The Origin

The first known case of HIV-1 infection in human was detected in 1959, from a blood sample of a man in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. However, the source of his infection is not known. The genetic analysis of the blood sample revealed that HIV-1 may have stemmed from a single virus in late 1940s or early 1950s.

In the US, this virus existed from mid 1970s. Between 1979-81 rare types of pneumonia, cancer and other illnesses were reported to doctors in Los Angeles and New York, and a number of the patients were men who had sex with other men. The conditions reported in those patients were not found in a person with healthy immune system. In 1982, healthcare officials began to use the term acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, that is how it was named AIDS. The DC Health website mentions that this term was used to describe the occurrences of opportunistic infections. It was in 1983 that the scientists finally discovered the virus that caused AIDS. The virus was first named HTLV-III/LAV (human T-cell lymphotropic virus-type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus) by an international scientific committee. This name was later changed to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

Countries With Highest HIV Rates

As per the World Population Review, the top 10 countries with the highest HIV rates as of 2023 are:

• Eswatini at 27.5%
• Lesotho at 20.5%
• Botswania at 19.7%
• South Africa at 16.6%
• Mozambique at 11.8%
• Zimbabwe at 11.7%
• Namibia at 11.5%
• Zambia 11%
• Malawi at 7.5%
• Uganda at 5.6%

Then there are the countries with the most number of people living with HIV as per 2023:

• South Africa: 7,700,000
• India: 2,500,000
• Mozambique: 2,400,000
• Nigeria: 2,000,000
• Tanzania: 1,700,000
• Uganda: 1,500,000
• Kenya: 1,400,000
• Zimbabwe: 1,300,000
• Zambia: 1,300,000
• Brazil: 1,000,000

Three Stages of HIV

HIV progresses and becomes AIDS in three stages:

Acute HIV infection: It has flu-like symptoms in the host and starts to destroy body's CD4 T lymphocyte cells.

Chronic HIV: While the HIV levels are lower, it is still persistent. Infected individuals may have no symptoms and the risk of transmission to others is also diminished to a certain level. The World Population Review mentions: Patients on treatment plans may have virus levels so low as to be undetectable, making the risk of transmission nearly zero, and live at this stage for decades.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: This is the third stage of HIV infection, if left untreated, it can progress to AIDS, where your body is no longer to fight off any infections.

A 3-year-old girl was rushed to hospital, in critical condition. She had been experiencing fever, vomiting, and coughing for 10 days, with severe difficulty in breathing for the last three. Upon examination, doctors noted significantly reduced air entry on the right side of her chest and abnormal whistling sounds (wheezing), which raised suspicion of a foreign object lodged in her airways.

A chest X-ray confirmed these fears, showing signs of a blocked bronchus. The paediatric team, led by Dr. Deepak Kumar, Consultant in Paediatric Pulmonology and Allergy at Max Super Specialty Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, quickly decided to perform a bronchoscopy — a procedure that uses a flexible camera to examine the airways.

Peanut Fragments in the Airway

During the bronchoscopy, the team discovered a peanut stuck in the right main bronchus — one of the primary air tubes leading to the lungs. The peanut had been lodged there for at least 10 days and had already started causing inflammation. “When organic matter like a peanut stays in the airway, it can trigger granulation tissue and lead to severe infection,” said Dr. Kumar.

As the team attempted removal, the peanut broke into two pieces, a common occurrence with soft organic items. A wire basket tool was used to extract the fragments carefully, a process that took about 5–10 minutes. The child was also given inhalational steroids to reduce inflammation and aid recovery.

Swift Recovery and Discharge

The results were almost immediate. Within hours, her breathing improved, and a follow-up chest X-ray showed significant progress. The child was monitored in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and was discharged in stable condition on March 15. Today, she is healthy and back to her routine with no lasting complications.

A Hidden Threat

“This isn’t rare,” said Dr. Sonia Mittal, Director of Paediatrics at Max Shalimar Bagh. “Foreign body aspiration in children under five is more common than people think. Toddlers are still learning how to chew and swallow, and their natural curiosity often leads them to put objects in their mouths.”

Items like peanuts, chana, candies, small toys, and marbles can easily be inhaled if a child laughs, talks, or runs while eating. The body has a natural flap — the epiglottis — that prevents food from entering the windpipe. But in children under 3, this mechanism is still developing and can sometimes fail.

Prevention Guidelines for Parents

Doctors urge parents to be cautious with hard foods and small objects:

• Avoid giving whole nuts or dry fruits to children under 3. Instead, crush or grind them.
• Never allow toddlers to eat while playing, running, or lying down.
• Be alert for signs like persistent coughing, wheezing, or breathlessness, which may signal aspiration.

“I remember waking up and feeling a strange numbness in one side of my face, I thought I slept wrong, but nothing could’ve prepared me for what I saw in the mirror that day.” Bobby followed a similar pattern of daily habits, wake up, finish the household duties, prepare the kids for their day, exercise and sleep as early as she can. However, worrying symptoms of facial paralysis were evident.

Being a homemaker, Bobby did not have out of the ordinary issues that could cause a disease contraction or sudden illness. “Upon visiting the doctor, we found out that this was a condition called ‘Bell’s Palsy’ a sudden and unexplained condition. As quickly as the symptoms showed up, we hoped the condition would also disappear, however that was a short-lived dream as it took months of physical therapy and medication to finally be rid of it.”

Bell palsy occurs when the muscles in one side of your face suddenly become weak or can't move at all. It usually starts quickly and can get worse within two days. This happens because the nerve in your face (called the facial nerve) gets damaged and you might feel pain or feel uncomfortable on that side of your face or head.

Bell palsy can affect anyone, no matter their age but it occurs more often among pregnant women and in people who have diabetes, flu, cold, or any other kind of sickness in their nose or throat. Men and women get it equally and it's not very common in kids younger than 15 or adults older than 60.

While you may not have heard of this disease, it is quite common. Dr. Siddharth Gautam, Neurosurgeon and a Member of Doctube, explains how approximately Bell’s palsy impacts approximately 15-30 people per 100,000 annually worldwide, in India. “In my neurosurgery practice, I see a significant number of cases each year, underscoring that this condition, while often overlooked in public awareness, is not uncommon.”

How Well Versed Are People With This Condition?

“In my experience, most patients are taken by surprise when diagnosed. Bell’s palsy typically presents abruptly, with rapid-onset, one-sided facial weakness or paralysis, often within hours” explained Dr. Gautam, he further explained how the change in their face can be deeply unsettling and causes people to take immediate steps. Other subtle signs include ear pain, altered taste, or facial tingling which could be early signs. However, people often mistake them as dental issues or ear problems, leading to delay in diagnosis.

Early Intervention Is Crucial For Bell Palsy Treatment

Dr. Gautum emphasized the need of early intervention, “Treating Bell’s palsy is the critical time window for intervention. Early initiation of corticosteroids, ideally within the first 72 hours, significantly improves outcomes.” He explained that people don't realize they have it quickly or wait too long to see a doctor, it can take longer to get better, and their face might not fully go back to normal. Also, it's important to help patients feel less worried and deal with how their face looks different, but this often doesn't get enough attentio

Symptoms of Bell’s Palsy

According to John Hopkins Medicine, bell palsy isn't usually something that stays forever but sometimes, in rare cases, it doesn't go away completely. Right now, doctors don't know how to cure Bell palsy. Most people start to get better within two weeks to six months after it starts, most people get all the strength and movement back in their face.

• Trouble moving face muscles for things like smiling, squinting, blinking, or closing your eye
• Headache
• Watery eye (tearing)
• Drooling
• Losing your sense of taste on the front part of your tongue
• Being extra sensitive to sounds in one ear
• Not being able to close one of your eyes

Can It Cause Long-Term Damage?

Bell palsy usually goes away over time without causing lasting issues. But it's important to take any medicine your doctor gives you. Protecting your eye from drying out is also key. Using eye drops during the day and ointment at night can help prevent scratches.

Bell palsy usually starts to get better in about two weeks. But it can take three to six months to go back to normal. Call your doctor if you don't get better, you have new symptoms, or your symptoms get worse.

What are the Risk Factors related to Bell Palsy?

Dr Gautum explains that there are some risks associated with bell’s palsy which include viral infections, diabetes, and hypertension. Another factor could be “pregnancy (especially in the third trimester), and recent upper respiratory infections. In my clinical practice, I also observe that stress and certain autoimmune conditions may predispose individuals to this condition, potentially affecting nerve function.”

While beauty routines are typically associated with self-care and health, a new study paints a shocking picture of what is possibly being stored in the bottles on our bathroom shelves. A recent study found in Environmental Science & Technology Letters finds that formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, which are identified human carcinogens, are widely present in a vast array of beauty products used by women all over the world. And alarmingly, the people most affected are often unaware of the risks they face daily.

In a long-term observational study, Silent Spring Institute researchers monitored the at-home personal care practices of 70 Black and Latina women in Los Angeles for 5-7 days. The subjects provided ingredient lists and usage records for the products they used in the home and found the surprising trend: 53% of the subjects reported using products that had formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing agents present.

What Is Formaldehyde and Why Is It Used?

Formaldehyde is a pungent, colorless gas with broad use for its antimicrobial activity. In cosmetics, it is used as a preservative to increase shelf life and inhibit bacterial growth. But for all its useful purposes, it has a dark side: formaldehyde is a carcinogen according to several health organizations, including the U.S. National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives like DMDM hydantoin and quaternium-15 are also commonly substituted for formaldehyde. These chemicals gradually release small amounts of the chemical, offering continued protection against contamination—but possibly releasing cancer-causing agents with each use.

Among these products were:

• Shampoos and conditioners
• Body washes and lotions
• Eyeliner and eyelash adhesive
• Hand soaps and skin lighteners

One respondent used three formaldehyde-formulated products daily: a leave-in conditioner, a rinse-off conditioner, and a body wash. Others utilized hand soaps with formaldehyde agents several times daily—indicating repeated and consistent use.

Throughout the study, the 64 women used a total of 1,143 beauty products. Each woman, on average, applied 17 different products daily, with some applying as many as 43. This amount of exposure highlights the cumulative risk of toxic chemicals in daily regimens.

"Repeated exposures such as these can accumulate and do significant harm," explained Dr. Robin Dodson, senior author of the study. "It's not hair straightener anymore—it's everywhere that these chemicals are."

This problem doesn't impact all women the same. Black and Latina women are especially at risk because of socio-cultural and economic pressures that lead to conformity to Eurocentric beauty ideals. Regular use of chemical hair relaxers, skin lighteners, and other specialized products puts these communities at increased risk for health effects—such as breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers, which disproportionately impact Black women.

"This is all of the legacy and history of discrimination," said Black Women for Wellness co-author and executive director Janette Robinson Flint. "We shouldn't have to be chemists to know whether our products will make us ill."

Even though formaldehyde was designated a human carcinogen more than a decade ago, regulatory intervention in the United States has lagged and has been inadequate. The FDA had made plans in 2023 to propose prohibiting the use of formaldehyde in hair straighteners. However, two years down the line, no concrete action has been made.

Meanwhile, the European Union prohibited formaldehyde in cosmetics back in 2009. Formaldehyde and its releasing agents are also subject to strict labelling in the UK if found in concentrations above specific levels.

Several U.S. states, such as California and Washington, have introduced or implemented bills regulating these ingredients in cosmetics—but their efficacy is uncertain.

What to Watch for on Labels?

One of the biggest problems consumers have is that formaldehyde-releasing ingredients are not always labeled clearly. Rather than "formaldehyde," you might find chemical names such as:

• DMDM Hydantoin
• Imidazolidinyl Urea
• Diazolidinyl Urea
• Quaternium-15
• Bronopol

These are complicated and unfamiliar to most people, so it is difficult for consumers to make informed decisions.

Other Toxic Chemicals to Avoid

Formaldehyde is only one ingredient in the toxic mix in many personal care products. Other ingredients of concern include:

Benzophenone: A UV filter tied to hormone disruption

Parabens: Estrogen-mimicking preservatives tied to breast cancer

Hydroquinone: Skin-lightening agent prohibited in most countries

Triclosan: Antimicrobial now limited due to health and environmental issues

PPD (p-phenylenediamine): Hair dye ingredient tied to allergic reaction

Coal tar and mica: Identified irritants and possible carcinogens

Natural Alternatives for Your Beauty Routine

The best news is that you don't have to sacrifice safety for beauty. Here are detox tips for your beauty routine:

Go natural: Opt for products with fewer ingredients and familiar names. Ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil, aloe vera, and beeswax are moisturizing and harmless.

Select certified clean brands: Opt for brands that have been certified by EWG Verified, USDA Organic, or those meeting EU cosmetic regulations.

DIY solutions: Consider homemade masks, scrubs, and hair oils using simple kitchen ingredients.

Shop small and local: Many indie brands are more transparent about their ingredient sourcing and often offer customizable, preservative-free products.

Stay informed: Use apps like Think Dirty or EWG’s Skin Deep to scan and evaluate products before purchase.

The responsibility for knowing what's in our products cannot rest with the average consumer alone. "We need real regulatory action to protect women," stated Dr. Dodson. "Reading labels isn't enough—we need bans on toxic ingredients."

Until now, awareness, education, and advocacy are the strongest defense. Your health is more valuable than any marketing slogan—read past the gloss and select beauty that doesn't have to come at the expense of well-being.