BasicFactsAboutHIV/AIDSWhatisHIV
HIVisthehumanimmunodeficiencyvirusthatcausesAIDS
Amemberofagroupofvirusescalledretroviruses,HIVinfectshumancellsandusestheenergyandnutrientsprovidedbythosecellstogrowandreproduce
WhatisAIDS
AIDS(acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome)isadiseaseinwhichthebody'simmunesystembreaksdownandisunabletofightoffcertaininfections,knownas"opportunisticinfections,"andotherillnessesthattakeadvantageofaweakenedimmunesystem
WhenapersonisinfectedwithHIV,thevirusentersthebodyandlivesandmultipliesprimarilyinthewhitebloodcells
Thesearetheimmunecellsthatnormallyprotectusfromdisease
ThehallmarkofHIVinfectionistheprogressivelossofaspecifictypeofimmunecellcalledT-helperorCD4cells
Asthevirusgrows,itdamagesorkillstheseandothercells,weakeningtheimmunesystemandleavingtheindividualvulne