what is AIDS

what is AIDS

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is not passed down from generation to generation through genes, but it is acquired. AIDS is a disease that attacks the immune system, a system that is vital in fighting off disease. This disease causes the immune system to be deficient, or weakened, so that it cannot properly fight off diseases because it is unable to produce white blood cells. AIDS is a syndrome or a group of illnesses with many possible symptoms that can occur together in a weakened condition. This disease is not localized in one specific area, its is found all over the world. (http://www.gmhc.org/basics/basics.html) AIDS is the most common and widespread deficiency disease known to mankind. It has already infected and killed millions of people worldwide. Its two viruses, named human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV-1 and HIV-2) are retroviruses that use RNA as its genetic material. When it invades a eukaryotic cell, a retrovirus “reverse transcribes” it’s RNA into DNA, which then directs the synthesis of more viruses, using the transcription and translation machinery of the cell. The HIV virus weakens the immune system by infecting and destroying helper T-cells, which are m

Current statistics indicate that there is about a 50% chance that an infected mother will produce an infected infant. It works by blocking the enzymes called reverse transcripts. HIV also develops resistance to these drugs when they are given singly. Whatever the solution AIDS must be stopped. As long as they are getting high, the idea of getting a disease doesn't cross their mind. It is not possible for a person to contract AIDS by casual contact. AIDS is now the leading killer of people aged 15 to 44 in this country. There are no cures for the AIDS virus but effective vaccine treatments developed in recent years have slowed but not stopped the process and helped patients live longer. HIV can be transmitted through vaginal secretions in women to men by way of the bloodstream. This is a method of AIDS transmission that the patient can do little about. If one is HIV positive it does not mean that a person has full-blown AIDS, and not everyone who gets HIV develops full-blown AIDS.