II. Introduction and Literature Review HIV attacks T cells, reducing the body’s ability to fight off infections. A person with the virus is more susceptible to infection and has a harder time fighting them off. Often an infected person will show little to no signs of infection for years. If left untreated, HIV can develop into Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). A person with AIDS has an immune system so badly damaged, that they become vulnerable to opportunistic infections. If the body’s T cell count has fallen below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood they have progressed into AIDS. One can also be diagnosed with AIDS if they have gotten two or more opportunistic infections (aids.gov). Without treatment, people with AIDS can live for about three years. But opportunistic
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Besides the fact that these young men might be in serious risk of contracting HIV, there 's a great stigma surrounding HIV in sports. For example, several Oklahoma high schools have cancelled basketball games against a team with an HIV-positive player (Mitten 2016). Also, several athletes have been barred from competition because they tested positive for the virus. These young men have worked hard to be able to compete at such a high level, but some of them cannot play and it is not always because they are unable to. The legality of prohibiting HIV-positive athletes in sports is uncertain. Technically, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits excluding HIV-positive athletes from competition without medical basis (Mitten 2016), but there lies the grey area. What does “medical basis” mean in regards to the virus? Also, should there even be a worry? In fact, there are no proven cases of HIV transmission in competition (Mitten 2016), but the fear is still there. Our hope is that the argument of whether HIV-positive athletes can participate will not happen because our research will have identified a risk factor and the raised awareness could eliminate
Besides the fact that these young men might be in serious risk of contracting HIV, there 's a great stigma surrounding HIV in sports. For example, several Oklahoma high schools have cancelled basketball games against a team with an HIV-positive player (Mitten 2016). Also, several athletes have been barred from competition because they tested positive for the virus. These young men have worked hard to be able to compete at such a high level, but some of them cannot play and it is not always because they are unable to. The legality of prohibiting HIV-positive athletes in sports is uncertain. Technically, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits excluding HIV-positive athletes from competition without medical basis (Mitten 2016), but there lies the grey area. What does “medical basis” mean in regards to the virus? Also, should there even be a worry? In fact, there are no proven cases of HIV transmission in competition (Mitten 2016), but the fear is still there. Our hope is that the argument of whether HIV-positive athletes can participate will not happen because our research will have identified a risk factor and the raised awareness could eliminate