Pages
496 - 499
Vocabulary
- Pandemic - disease spread quickly through human populations around the world
What is HIV and AIDS
- HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infects cells of immune system and causes AIDS
- Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the disease caused by HIV infection which weakens the immune system
- HIV infection is when HIV has entered the blood stream and multiplies in the person’s body cells.
- HIV eventually destroys the ability to fight off infection
- It uses the immune system cells to replicate
AIDS
- Having HIV doesn’t mean you have AIDS
- AIDS is when the immune system is damaged badly.
- AIDS generally takes 5 to 10 years for a HIV positive person to get AIDS
- People with AIDS generally die from illnesses that they could not fight off due to the AIDS
- There is no cure
- Protection from HIV is of utmost concern
HIV History and Facts
- More than 20 million people have died throughout the world from AIDS in the last 20 years
- Discovered in US in early 80s.
- Believed to have come from central Africa
- AIDS is the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa (28.1 million living with HIV or AIDS in sub-saharan Africa)
- Some African countries have more than 30% of adults living with HIV.
- 850,000 to 900,000 are living with HIV in US and 300,000 with AIDS. 40,000 get infected with HIV each year in US
Teens and HIV
- AIDS is common among young adults, but most were infected in their teen years.
- Many do not know they are infected and pass it to others
- Teens are the fastest growing group to be infected with HIV
- 10,000 teens between 13 and 19 years old are diagnosed with HIV, 4,000 have developed AIDS. These numbers are only the ones reported.
- HIV cases are rising in teens. Possibly due to myths, e.g. you can see that someone is infected (untrue)