The Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Aids ) Essay - 2117 Words

Introduction The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is coming from a subgroup of retrovirus called Lentivirus which causes HIV infection leading to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) later on among humans. AIDS is a human condition which progresses to the failure of the immune system, causing life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Treatments can be given, but without those, survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV subtype. Vital cells in the human immune system such as helper T cells (specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophages, and dendritic cells are the main target of HIV. HIV infection leads to decreased CD4+ T cells through a number of mechanisms like apoptosis of uninfected bystander cells, pyroptosis of abortively infected T cells, direct viral killing of infected cells and killing of CD4+ T cells that are infected by CD8 cytotoxic lymphocytes. When CD4+ T cells decreased into a number below critical level, cell- m ediated immunity is lost making the body more susceptible to opportunistic infections. Transmission of HIV can be of blood as well as body secretions and fluids such as seminal fluid, vaginal fluid and breast milk. The virus can be present as both virus within infected immune cells within these body fluids and free virus particle in the human body. Medical technology is one of the professions that is very prone to accidental exposure to this blood borne pathogen due to their natureShow MoreRelatedThe Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Aids ) Essay1235 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction At the end of 2011, an estimated 1.2 million people aged 13 and older were living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that approximately 50,000 people are newly infected with HIV each year (CDC, 2013). Fortunately, after more than 30 years of research on HIV, much progress has been made in fighting this disease. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) transformed what was once a death sentence intoRead MoreThe Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Aids ) Essay2084 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction The Human Immunodeficiency Virus is from a sub group from retrovirus called Lentivirus which causes HIV infection leading to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is a human condition which progresses to the failure of the immune system causing life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive. Without treatment, survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending in the HIV subtype. Vital cells in the human immune system such asRead MoreHuman Immunodeficiency Virus ( Aids )1381 Words   |  6 Pagesdamaging diseases, and Ebola and HIV/Aids fall into the categories as one of the tougher diseases. Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the earlier stages of aids, it is a virus that either destroys or impairs the functions of the immune system cells. The last stage of HIV is the Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) which is when the immune system is defenseless to normal infections which now can be deadly. Ebola generally does the same thing as HIV/Aids, it attacks the immune system initiallyRead MoreThe Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Aids )1765 Words   |  8 PagesThe Human Immunodeficiency Virus Degie Gelaw American Sentinel University The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are public health threats that require comprehensive, organized, and evidence-based control and prevention programs. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine formerly known as the Institute of Medicine (IOM) appointed a 19-member multidisciplinary expert council to study the emergence of microbial threats to health and publishedRead MoreHuman Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv ) / Aids1278 Words   |  6 PagesHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS is a pandemic problem affecting global health. At the end of 2015, 36.7 million people were living with HIV/AIDS globally. The rate of incidence is more prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa with almost 1 in every 24 adults living with HIV/AIDS. In the united states, HIV/AIDS is a diversified health problem affecting all sexes, ages and races and involving the transmission of multiple risk behavior. However, with the introduction of various prevention programs andRead MoreHuman Immun odeficiency Virus : Hiv And Aids1935 Words   |  8 PagesHuman Immunodeficiency Virus, better known as the acronym HIV is a virus that destroys the immune system and can evolve into an infection. HIV is known a as pandemic because the immune system can fight off the infection but can never clear the HIV out of the body. â€Å"HIV is spread through contact with the blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, or breast milk of a person infected with HIV.† [AIDS] According to AIDS.info, in the United States, the virus is usually contractedRead MoreHiv / Aids : An Acronym For Human Immunodeficiency Virus971 Words   |  4 Pageswith no vaccine or cure. That disease is HIV/AIDS. A disease that is so powerful its position in our society has moved from epidemic to pandemic. In this paper we will explore HIV/AIDS and my one-day journey at one of Delaware County’s largest full service HIV/AIDS providers and how it changed my perspective on the disease a nd the people who carry it. What is HIV/AIDS? HIV is an acronym for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus can only attack humans, hence the name, and reproduces by taking overRead MoreThe Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv ) And Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease ( Aids )1366 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Over the last three decades, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease (AIDS) epidemic has been a public health concern in the United States (US) and globally. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], (2015d) estimates that in the US, over 1.2 million people are living with HIV, of which 12.8% are unaware of their diagnosis. Due to exceptional medical advances in treatment and prevention strategies, a healthier quality of life and longevityRead MoreHiv / Aids Paper : Human Immunodeficiency Virus Essay1835 Words   |  8 PagesJanuary 2016 HIV / AIDS Paper Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the human immune system, your body’s means of defense. The virus attacks specific viral defense cells, known as CD4+. As the disease spreads and attacks more CD4+ cells, your body no longer maintains its’ ability to fight of infections and diseases which leads to the death of the host. The final stage of HIV is known as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). During this stage of the virus, the host getsRead MoreHiv / Aids ( Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Human Immune Deficiency )1249 Words   |  5 Pagesintroduction to the topic of HIV/AIDS, (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Human Immune Deficiency) from its early appearance as a deadly communicable disease that causes a viral infection in humans. During the 1960’s the infection was largely due to unprotected sex; the victims contracted the disease mostly due to unprotected sexual contacts from others who already had the virus. It became an epidemic and even pandemic. Those infected eventually died from HIV/AIDS as it came to be known, and there