HIV and AIDS Essay

Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is the virus that leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). According to WebMd (2014), people with HIV are not considered to have AIDS until the individual is diagnosed with certain infections or cancers or the individual’s CD4 (T-cell) count drops below 200. This low T-cell count relates to one’s ability to naturally fight off infections due to a lowered immune system. There have been many advances and research on HIV and AIDS, however there remains a constant increase of those who are inflicted with this disease. However, for as much information that is available on HIV and AIDS, there are equal amounts of myths and misinformation. It is the intention of this paper to establish a collection of facts through research that disputes these myths and express the health risks, prevention methods, and treatment options for the communicable disease HIV that leads to the development of AIDS.HIV and AIDS Essay

Overview
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is the communicable disease that is spread through through the transfer of body fluids from an infected person. The virus effects specific cells that are part of the immune system. These cells are called CD4 cells or T-cells. The virus destroys these cells and can eventually weaken the immune system to the point that the body can no longer fight off infections or other diseases. This leads to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). This information disputes the general misconception that AIDS is the communicable disease when it is actually a disorder of the immune system that is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.HIV and AIDS Essay

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) notes that there are stages that are used to track the progression and severity of the virus. The Acute infection stage is the initial infection period and symptoms begin between two and four weeks of exposure. These symptoms which are called acute retroviral syndrome (ARS), are similar to flu-like symptoms and do not occur in all patients. The second stage is the Clinical latency (inactivity or dormancy). During this stage, the virus is active but remains so at a very low level. Unlike the misconception that HIV patients can only live for a short time, individuals can live for decades during this stage. The final stage of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus is the previously mentioned acquired immune deficiency syndrome. During this stage, the patient is highly susceptible to other infections and diseases (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).HIV and AIDS Essay