Aids and HIV

DATE \ "d MMMM yyyy " 27 April 2008

HIV /AIDS

Introduction

HIV and AIDS has become a growing , seemingly endless problem in the United States , as well as globally . This will seek to explain HIV and AIDS in an informative manner . In addition , statistical information will be provided , along with a possible explanation for why the incidences of HIV and AIDS have not made a significant change in the last decade

HIV

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV ) is a disease that infects the body and destroys the immune system

. It is spread more frequently through unprotected sex with an infected partner . However , HIV can also be spread by sharing needles with an infected person , through birth or breast-feeding by an infected mother , through contact with contaminated blood , and through blood transfusions with contaminated blood , although not frequent (CDC , 2007 NIAID , 2007

According to AIDSInfo (2005 , HIV has six main parts in its life cycle

Binding and Fusion - the HIV cell binds to the CD4 receptor on the surface of a CD4 T-lymphocyte (T helper the HIV cell fuses with the host cell the virus releases RNA into the host cell after fusion

Reverse Transcription - the reverse transcriptase of the virus converts the RNA to DNA

Integration - the HIV DNA enters the nucleus of the host cell an HIV enzyme hides the HIV DNA

Transcription - RNA polymerase is used to create copies of the HIV DNA and messenger RNA

Assembly - HIV proteins join with copies of HIV DNA to produce a new virus particle

Budding - the new virus buds from the host cell and can now move to infect other healthy cells

Signs and Symptoms

Generally , symptoms of HIV infection do not initially occur . Most HIV infected people will exhibit flu-like symptoms a few months after exposure . Patients are often misdiagnosed at this point . During this time , the HIV infected person is extremely contagious (NIAID , 2007

More severe and problematic symptoms can generally take 10 years or longer to appear after initial infection . This is known as asymptomatic infection . Although there may be a lack of symptoms during this period the virus is still killing immune system cells , and multiplying (NIAID 2007

Statistical Information

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008 there were approximately 35 ,314 newly diagnosed cases of HIV /AIDS in children , adults , and adolescents in 2006 . Three quarters of those cases were among adolescents and adult men . At the end of 2003 , it was reported that an estimated amount of 1 ,039 ,000 to 1 ,185 ,000 people in the United States were living with HIV or AIDS (CDC , 2008

In 2006 , African Americans accounted for 49 of the estimated 37 , 331 new cases of HIV /AIDS . Hispanics and Latinos accounted for 19 of the new cases . Women , of all races , accounted for 26 of new cases (CDC 2007 CDC , 2008

Stages of HIV Infection

HIV infects the body 's T helper cells , which help coordinate the actions of immune system cells . HIV attaches...