HIV And AIDS

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Throughout history, HIV and AIDS have influenced the American society. Once HIV was transferred to the United States from chimpanzees in Africa, there was a new outlook on diseases. Many people did not know what the disease was, which caused difficulties for the people infected at work, in relationships, and in their daily lives. There are many complications that add to having an immunodeficiency disease because these people are at a higher risk for contracting other illnesses that will cause more damage to their bodies. There are, however, different stages of HIV where the progression into AIDS can be stopped with specific treatment. With investigative research, AIDS has also become easier to avoid and prevent because more precautions are taken during sexual intercourse and drug use than there were in the 1970s and 1980s.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) started to appear in the United States around the 1970s. It did not take long for this newly discovered disease to become publically known and spread virally (Rushing 1). AIDS typically starts as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which is a type of virus that attacks the body’s immune system. AIDS is a retrovirus that causes the body to become immunocompromised. This means the body attacks itself when it is unable to produce the proper lymphocytes to fight an infection (Rushing 1). Lymphocytes are cells in the body
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If HIV is treated before it progresses to AIDS, there is a chance of survival for the people who are infected. There are three steps during the progression of HIV to AIDS. It begins with the latency stage, which is the primary HIV infection. This stage begins two to four weeks after a person has come in contact with an infected person. The latency phase is the most opportune time for the virus to spread in the host (“HIV Basics). During this phase, there will be flu-like symptoms present such as fever, chills, and

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