According to Aids.gov, 33.4 million people currently have HIV/AIDS. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Similar to many other viruses, it can cause common colds. However, unlike other sicknesses, your immune system is unable to get rid of the virus. HIV attacks a person's T-cells or CD4 cells, using those cells to replicate itself and then destroying them. When HIV destroys many of your CD4 cells that your body is unable to fight it anymore, it can result in AIDS. AIDS stands for Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. As the final stage of HIV infection, people in this stage have defectively damaged immune systems.
Where did HIV originate from? Scientists identified that a particular kind of chimpanzee from West Africa contributed to HIV. Believed that humans were affected when they came in contact with chimpanzees infected with SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus), the SIV mutated into what we know as HIV. Slowly, the virus spread across Africa and to the rest of the world. The earliest known case of an HIV infection in human was found in a blood sample of a man from the Republic of the Congo in 1959.
HIV can be found in human body fluids. It can be transmitted through many different ways, including through sexual contact, pregnancy, breast feeding, occupational exposure, and rarely, through blood transfusion or organ transplant. If your partner has HIV, it can be transmitted to you through sexual contact. A baby can get HIV from drinking infected breast milk. Healthcare workers can get HIV when they come in contact with infected blood through needles sticks or cuts. Getting HIV from a blood transfusion or an organ transplant is rare because medics carefully examine it before giving it to a donee.
The earliest signs of HIV include headaches, fevers, rashes, swollen lymph node, and exhaustion. Other symptoms may include muscle or joint pain, sore throat, and ulcers. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, these symptoms usually arise between 1-2 months of the infections. If you suspect that you have HIV/AIDS, it is important to consult with a doctor as soon as possible.
Sites Used:
http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/what-is-hiv-aids/index.html
http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/statistics/index.html
http://www.theaidsinstitute.org/node/259
http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/how-you-get-hiv-aids/index.html
http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/early-signs-hiv-infection
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