HIV and The Immune System By Lachlan Evans
What is HIV?
HIV otherwise know as human immunodeficiency virus, if this virus is left untreated it can cause the disease of aids (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
HIV is one of the many incurable diseases; this means that once you have HIV, you will have it until you die. At this moment there are no safe and effective cure for HIV. The human immune system cannot destroy it due to HIV affecting specific cells of the immune system, called CD4 cells, or T-cells. Overtime if HIV is left untreated, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can’t fight of infections and disease. The helper T-cells once activated with HIV will try to create more viruses instead of doing there intended job …show more content…
HIV is not spread easily; HIV can only be passed on through certain body fluids from a HIV-infected person. The list of body fluids possible to contract HIV is blood, semen (cum), pre seminal fluid (pre-cum), rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk. The body fluids listed must come into contact with a mucous membrane or a damaged tissue or HIV injected directly into your bloodstream for transmission of HIV to possibly occur. Having sexual intercourse is the biggest risk of contracting HIV; anal sex is the highest risk sexual behaviour. Vaginal sex is the second highest risk of sexual behaviour. Having multiple sex partners can increase the risks of HIV infection through sex. Sharing needles is the third cause of contracting HIV. HIV can be prevented through sexual acts by wearing a condom and protecting yourself before hand. This raises an issue in certain countries it is harder to find condoms because of manufacturing issues and …show more content…
When our immune system kicks in and recognises the invader the immune system gets to work to produce the protective cells and antibodies to protect us against the invader. Immunisations will not cause or give you the disease, but the immune system will be alerted and will recognise the invaders should they be present at a later stage. Often when our bodies have not had any immunisations our immune response is often slow and we get sick. However after the infection without immunisations the body’s immune system remembers how to make the antibody and works similar to an immunisation just in a more severe
What is HIV?
HIV otherwise know as human immunodeficiency virus, if this virus is left untreated it can cause the disease of aids (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
HIV is one of the many incurable diseases; this means that once you have HIV, you will have it until you die. At this moment there are no safe and effective cure for HIV. The human immune system cannot destroy it due to HIV affecting specific cells of the immune system, called CD4 cells, or T-cells. Overtime if HIV is left untreated, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can’t fight of infections and disease. The helper T-cells once activated with HIV will try to create more viruses instead of doing there intended job …show more content…
HIV is not spread easily; HIV can only be passed on through certain body fluids from a HIV-infected person. The list of body fluids possible to contract HIV is blood, semen (cum), pre seminal fluid (pre-cum), rectal fluids, vaginal fluids and breast milk. The body fluids listed must come into contact with a mucous membrane or a damaged tissue or HIV injected directly into your bloodstream for transmission of HIV to possibly occur. Having sexual intercourse is the biggest risk of contracting HIV; anal sex is the highest risk sexual behaviour. Vaginal sex is the second highest risk of sexual behaviour. Having multiple sex partners can increase the risks of HIV infection through sex. Sharing needles is the third cause of contracting HIV. HIV can be prevented through sexual acts by wearing a condom and protecting yourself before hand. This raises an issue in certain countries it is harder to find condoms because of manufacturing issues and …show more content…
When our immune system kicks in and recognises the invader the immune system gets to work to produce the protective cells and antibodies to protect us against the invader. Immunisations will not cause or give you the disease, but the immune system will be alerted and will recognise the invaders should they be present at a later stage. Often when our bodies have not had any immunisations our immune response is often slow and we get sick. However after the infection without immunisations the body’s immune system remembers how to make the antibody and works similar to an immunisation just in a more severe