2.4. Health

When we are ill, we call a doctor, and he examines us and diagnoses the illness. When we have a headache, a stomach ache, a sore throat, a cold, or a pain in some parts of the body, we call a doctor. He takes our temperature and our pulse. He examines our heart, our lungs, our stomach or the part where we have pain, and tells us what the matter is with us. The doctor prescribes medicine, and gives us a prescription, which we take to the chemist's, who makes up the medicine. If you follow the doctor's orders, you get better; if you disobey the doctor, you may get worse, and even die. We must obey the doctor, if we want to get better. If we have a temperature, we must stay in bed and take the medicine he prescribes. If we cannot get better at home we must go to hospital. If we are too ill to walk, we go to hospital in the ambulance. After our illness we can go to a sanatorium until we are strong again.

When we have toothache, we go to the dentist's. He examines our teeth, finds the tooth which hurts us, stops or extracts it. Now health system incorporates a variety of medical institutions. Some state establishments give their employees medical insurance cards. They guarantee the people free of charge medical assistance. Some medical establishments charge fees for treatment. It may be rather high, but our medical service now uses all modem equipment and medicines and provides qualified medical help to all people.

2.5. Aids

AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and is thought to be caused primarily by a virus that invades white blood cells (lymphocytes) and certain other body cells including the brain.

Although treatments for both AIDS and HIV exist to slow the virus' progression in a human patient, there is no known cure. The rate of clinical disease progression varies widely between individuals and has been shown to be affected by many factors such as host susceptibility.

AIDS is thought to have originated in sub-Saharan Africa during the twentieth century and is now a global epidemic.

In 1983 and 1984, French and U.S. researchers independently identified the virus believed to cause AIDS as an unusual type of slow-acting retrovirus now called « human immunodeficiency virus » or HIV. Like other viruses, HIV is basically a tiny package of genes. But being a retrovirus, it has the rare capacity to copy and insert its genes right into a human DNA.

Once inside a human host cell, the retrovirus using its own capacities begins to copy its genetic code into a DNA molecule which is then incorporated into the host's DNA. The virus becomes an integral part of the person's body. But the viral DNA may sit hidden and inactive within human cells for years, until some trigger stimulates it to replicate.

Thus HIV may not produce illness until its genes are «turned on» five, ten, fifteen or perhaps more years after the initial infection.

During the latent period, HIV carriers who harbour the virus without any sign of illness can unknowingly infect others. On average, the dormant virus seems to be triggered into action three to six years after first invading human cells. When switched on, viral replication may speed along, producing new viruses that destroy fresh lymphocytes. As viral replication spreads, the lymphocyte destruction virtually sabotages the entire immune system.

In essence, HIV viruses do not kill people, they merely render the immune system defenceless against other infections, e.g. yeast invasions, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, massive herpes infections, special forms of pneumonia that kill in half of all AIDS patients.

Exercise 3. Additional wordlist

Health

Как Вы себя чувствуете? How do you feel?

Вам больно? Are you in pain?

Я замерз. I feel very cold.

Мне очень жарко. I am very hot.

Я весь промок. I got wet through.

У Вас что-нибудь болит? Does anything hurt / ache?

Мне так больно! I'm in so much pain!

Вам удобно? Вы хорошо себя чувствуете? Are you comfortable (feeling good)?

Вы в порядке (устали / больны / Вам плохо)? Are you OK (tired / sick / ill)?

Вы можете идти (сидеть / говорить)? Can you walk (sit / talk) all right?

Вы ничего себе не повредили (сломали, обожгли)? Did you harm (break, burn) anything?

Вызовите, пожалуйста, скорую помощь. Call for the ambulance please.

У меня болит живот (голова). I have a stomach (head) ache.

У меня болит спина (колено / бок / рука). My back (knee / side / arm) hurts.

У меня (ужасная) головная боль. I've got a (splitting) head ache.

Я в порядке (слегка пьян / вдребезги пьян / устал).I'm all right (I'm a bit tipsy / high / tired).

У меня болят ноги (руки). My feet (hands) are sore.

Мое здоровье погублено. My health is ruined.