HIV Awareness
HIV/AIDS is a topic that is not being discussed as often as it should. As a result, innocent people are contracting this virus, especially young adults. Every 9 ½ minutes, a person in the United States find out they have HIV. HIV/AIDS is an incurable disease. So far more than one million people in the U.S. are living with HIV/AIDS. There are one out of five people that are living with this and not even realize it. HIV/AIDS is a serious problem, however with earlier prevention and education, we can save future lives.
HIV stands for Human Immunodefiency Virus. This means that if only infect humans by weakening the body’s immune system by destroying important cells. These important cells are known as T-cells (or CD4 cells) and they fight diseases and protect the body. Just like any other virus, it only takes one virus cell to start reproducing in its host. HIV is a virus that your immune system cannot destroy. It reproduces by taking over the cells in the host’s body and replicate to look like it’s from the host. There are three stages of HIV: the Acute Infection Stage, the Clinical Latency/Chronic Stage, and AIDS.
When a person first obtains HIV (also known as the Acute Infection Stage,) it would cause the “flu” or the common cold symptoms. It usually occurs after two to four weeks after exposure to the HIV virus. During this phase, a large amount of the virus is being produced in the body. People who went through this phase would describe the virus as the worse flu ever. Typical symptoms in the Acute Infection Stage would be fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, fatigue and rash.
After the first stage is the Clinical Latency/Chronic Stage. During this stage, HIV will be dormant, slowly reproducing at low levels. Symptoms may not show during this stage for ten years or more. Infect persons wouldn’t not know they have the HIV virus until it is too late. The final stage of HIV is AIDS. In this stage, the T-cells fall below 200 cells/mm3. Without
HIV stands for Human Immunodefiency Virus. This means that if only infect humans by weakening the body’s immune system by destroying important cells. These important cells are known as T-cells (or CD4 cells) and they fight diseases and protect the body. Just like any other virus, it only takes one virus cell to start reproducing in its host. HIV is a virus that your immune system cannot destroy. It reproduces by taking over the cells in the host’s body and replicate to look like it’s from the host. There are three stages of HIV: the Acute Infection Stage, the Clinical Latency/Chronic Stage, and AIDS.
When a person first obtains HIV (also known as the Acute Infection Stage,) it would cause the “flu” or the common cold symptoms. It usually occurs after two to four weeks after exposure to the HIV virus. During this phase, a large amount of the virus is being produced in the body. People who went through this phase would describe the virus as the worse flu ever. Typical symptoms in the Acute Infection Stage would be fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, fatigue and rash.
After the first stage is the Clinical Latency/Chronic Stage. During this stage, HIV will be dormant, slowly reproducing at low levels. Symptoms may not show during this stage for ten years or more. Infect persons wouldn’t not know they have the HIV virus until it is too late. The final stage of HIV is AIDS. In this stage, the T-cells fall below 200 cells/mm3. Without