Hiv Historey

A Look into HIV/AIDS Epidemic

Greg Jones

HCA/240

Professor Loretta Owens

March 10, 2013

The AIDS/HIV virus is one of the most deadly diseases to affect our world population today. The virus first made its appearance in the early 1980s and affected men who had multiple sexual partners. Mostly in the beginning it was affecting men who were having sexual contact with other men and drug users who would share hypodermic needles. That was just the beginning of the disease and it has traveled throughout the world now. It now not only affects men but women, children and some elderly people as well. According to the Joint United Nations Programme, at the end of 2007 an estimated 30.8 million adults and 2.5 children worldwide were living with HIV/AIDS. They state that heterosexual transmission accounts for two- thirds of new infections. Sadly, mother to infant transmission and IV drug use each account for approximately 10% of HIV infections. Homosexual transmission and healthcare transmission each account for approximately 5 to 10% of HIV infections. The causative agent of AIDS is the human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is transmitted via contaminated body fluids, including blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk. You can contract the disease by having unprotected anal, oral, or vaginal intercourse, birth, breastfeeding, and sharing of needles. The virus infects primarily helper or CD4 T lymphocytes, killing them and spreading to others. The lymphocytes activate B- cell lymphocytes therefore crippling the body’s immune response making the body susceptible to infections and tumors that a normal healthy immune system could typically handle. The B- cell is mainly responsible for producing antibodies, and the T- cells have two main responsibility. T- Cells help the B- cells to make antibodies as well as killing the damage...