The Disease Hiv / Aids - 964 Words

Demian C. M. Gibson Ms.Bertelsen Biology (honors)Period 6 3/24/17 The Disease HIV/AIDS The disease HIV first appeared in Africa in the 1800’s. It originated from a chimpanzee and was likely transmitted to humans when the chimpanzee was hunted down for food and the hunters came into contact with the infected blood. The disease became an epidemic around the 1970’s and has since affected the lives of many people worldwide (aids.gov, what is HIV/AIDS). HIV is also known as human immunodeficiency virus and it is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system of those infected (Nordqvist, HIV/AIDS). It specifically attacks the T cells, also known as CD4 cells, and reproduces within these cells (avert.org, what are HIV and AIDS). This†¦show more content†¦In the early stages of HIV victims may experience flu like symptoms. These symptoms usually appear within around 2 to 6 weeks though some people may not experience any effect for many years. These symptoms only usually last for days or up to four weeks. Other than this early illness it is not likely that there will be other symptoms and the person will appear to be healthy and some people may go without symptoms for up to 10 years or more (Nordqvist, HIV/AIDS). This phase after the early stage is known as the clinical latency stage where the disease remains in the body but reproduces slowly (aids.gov, symptoms of HIV). People in the early stage of HIV will not test positive for HIV because their body has not created antibodies in response, but these people are still highly infectious. After the immune system begins to create antibodies the infected will test HIV positive (aidsinfonet.org, what is aids). If HIV goes untreated it will enter the late stage which has the most significant impact on quality of life. The body will progress into AIDS and the immune system will be weakened enough to allow opportunistic infections. These infections can range from mild to serious. The symptoms caused by these diseases can be attributed to other diseases so the only way th at the infected can know they are infected is to get HIV testedShow MoreRelatedHiv / Aids : A Devastating Disease1482 Words   |  6 PagesHIV/AIDS is a devastating disease that has predominated in Africa due to the long incubation period of the virus, poverty, sexual promiscuousness, urbanization, trading routes, lack of knowledge, medical advances (use of needles, blood transfusion), and gender inequalities. Although the government denied the existence of HIV/ AIDS for many years, they have begun working towards various solutions such as the ABC (Abstinence, Be faithful, and Condom use) method and United States initiatives like PEPFARRead MoreCommunicable Disease: HIV/AIDS1243 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Communicable Disease: HIV/AIDS What is a communicable disease? 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