Renee Beaulieu
What is AIDS?
This article explains the many definitions associated with HIV/AIDS. The first begins with what is aids? AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome: Which means: Acquired-you can get infected with it; Immune-a weakness in the body's system that fights diseases; syndrome-means a group of health problems that make up a disease. This article reassures that being HIV-positive, or having HIV disease, is not the same as having AIDS. The HIV disease slowly wears down the immune system. Viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria that usually don't cause any problems can make you very sick if your immune system is damaged. Someone can acquire AIDS from having sex with an infected person; sharing a needle (shooting drugs) with someone who's infected; being born when their mother is infected, or drinking the breast milk of an infected woman. This article is very informative and allows the public to understand what HIV/AIDS truly is and the different ways one can become infected with the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 to 1.2 million U.S. residents are living with HIV infection or AIDS; about a quarter of them do not know they have it. About 75 percent of the 40,000 new infections each year are in men, and about 25 percent in women. About half of the new infections are in Blacks, even though they make up only 12 percent of the US population. This article states the facts that everyone needs to understand when living in a world with such disease.
http://www.aids.org/factSheets/101-what-is-aids.html
No comments:
Post a Comment