Hiv/Aids
...conquered. But there is still hope there are researchers working around the clock 24 Hours a day trying to cure this disease. HIV/AIDS is a serious disease and killed over 22 million people and there are over 42 million people in America living with it. The question is "what is HIV/AIDS"?
What is HIV?
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that causes AIDS. A member of a group of viruses called retroviruses, HIV infects human cells and uses the energy and nutrients provided by those cells to grow and reproduce.
What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down and is unable to fight off infections, known as "opportunistic infections," and other illnesses that take advantage of a weakened immune system.
When a person is infected with HIV, the virus enters the body and lives and multiplies primarily in the white blood cells. These are immune cells that normally protect us from disease. The trademark of HIV infection is the progressive loss of a specific type of immune cells called T-cells. As the virus grows, it damages or kills these and other cells weakening the immune system and leaving the person vulnerable to various opportunistic infections. Some of these opportunistic diseases are the common cold, the flu, and other illnesses ranging from pneumonia to cancer.
In some people, the T-cell decline and opportunistic infections that signal AIDS develop soon after infection with HIV. But most people do not develop symptoms for 10 to 12 years, and a few remain symptom-free for much longer. As with most diseases, early medical care can help prolong a person's life.
Most people with HIV do not know they carry it and may be spreading the virus to others. Statistics show over a million Americans have HIV, and 40,000 Americans become newly infected with HIV...
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