Human Immunodefinciency Virus (HIV) Essay - 1108 Words

People who are sexually active often take Sexual Transmitted Disease (STDs) such as Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and Chlamydia for granted. However, the real concern comes to play when an individual is diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Just the mere thought of finding out or the possibility of being HIV positive can make a person stress and begin to question themselves. â€Å"How do I tell my family?† â€Å"How can I build a family now?† â€Å"What will my new partner will think of me?† That is only the tip of the iceberg of the physical, mental and emotional torments of the person’s life. Where did HIV come from? Scientists believe that a type of chimpanzee in West Africa was the source of HIV infection in humans. They classified the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The most popular way to transfer the virus from one person to another is horizontal transmission, some example of this transmission are blood to blood transmission and sexual transmission. Another way to transmit the virus is through vertical transmission such as prenatal transmission is an example of vertical transmission. (â€Å"Transmission of HIV† Health Reference Center)† Untreated, HIV is almost universally fatal because it eventually overwhelms the immune system that can ultimately lead to AIDS. Treatment of HIV can help people who are infected at all stages and can slow or prevent progression from one stage to the next. Please note a person can still transmit HIV to others during any these stages. The first stage is acute infection: during this period of infection huge amounts of HIV are being produced in the body. The virus then begins to use vital immune cells called CD4 which are part the white blood cells to make more copies of the virus while destroying the cells in the process. This stage is very critical because the HIV disease is at its all time highest. Within 2 to 4 weeks after infection with HIV an individual may feel ill with possible flu-like symptoms like fever, sore throat and rash. This is the body’s natural response to the HIV infection which is also called Acute Retroviral Syndrome (ARS). However, not everyone experience any kind of symptoms or develop ARS. Second stage is the clinical latency (inactivity or