HIV Education Series 3: FACTS ABOUT AIDS.

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Many people missed HIV and AIDS together and always considered it the same. HIV is the one that becomes AIDS. HIV is the beginning of this deadly disease and AIDS is the final stage.

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AIDS - ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME

The acronym 'AIDS' is the what most people known this disease to be but the full meaning is actually Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and not what many us known it to be Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

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AIDS represents the advanced stage of HIV infections during which the HIV - infected individual immune system is unable to fight off opportunistic infections.

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Let's break it down to a lay man language where:

Acquired means the deficiency is neither innate nor hereditary i.e. It is not a disease or sickness that you can inherit but you received from someone or through a sharp object or contact with the victim blood.

Immunity means the capacity of the organism to defend itself.

Syndrome means a collection of symptoms and signs that you look out for in animals generally which brings us to CD4T - cell counts.

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CD4T - CELL COUNTS

A CD4T - Cell Count is a measurement of a person's immune system being weakened and he or she will more than likely to develop an opportunistic infection. It's also subset of white blood cell that play an important role in the body's immune system.

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We can talk about CD4T without mentioning Virus Load. And Virus Load is the amount of HIV in a person's blood. People with high virus loads are more likely to progress rapidly TO AIDS than people with low levels of the virus load.

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Let's use the opportunity to talk about Immune System which is very important in the subject of HIV and AIDS.

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IMMUNE SYSTEM

The immune system is a collection of cells and organs that work together to defend the body from germs or substances, which may cause disease. These germs also called organisms includes bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, both the germs and foreign substances are called antigens. The immune system of the human body can be compared to an army guarding the frontiers of a state and protecting it from foreign invasion.

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As long as the army is strong the state has nothing to fear. But if it is weakened or meets a stronger enemy, the state becomes vulnerable, and can no longer defend itself against attacks, even from smaller neighbour.

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The immune system function in a similar way. I is composed at T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that play the role of defending army. B-lymphocytes are responsible for the production of antibodies. Among the T-lymphochtes or CD4 cells. HIV infected cell with HIV.CD4 cells are progressively destroyed.

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As these cells are destroyed. The person's immune system is weakened and the person is more likely to develop an opportunistic infection.

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SUMMARY

• The immune system is a collection of cells and substances (antigens)

• An antigens is a substance which when introduced into the body, stimulates the production of an antibody.

• HIV is the very early stages of AIDS while AIDS is the final stage of the deadly disease.

• Antibodies are material that form in a person's blood when HIV or other antigen, goes into the body. Although antibodies usually defend against disease agents, after a time, especially without intervention, due to the replication of HIV, the immune system is no longer able to protect against disease agents!!!?

• By the time people with HIV develop AIDS, the virus has usually destroyed the immune system and they develop disease most healthy people can resist or control.

• Such diseases are called opportunistic infections.

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Thank you for stopping by to read and in my next series, I will be talking about The immune Boosting Herbs.

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