AIDS is a disease that weakens the body's immune system, leaving it unable to fight off infection. Since 1981, when the first AIDS case was reported in the United States, education and prevention have slowed its spread. The answers to our frequently asked questions, below, help shed some light on this disease.
Facts about AIDS
AIDS occurs when the body's immune system is weakened by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV attacks the white blood cells (T cells, or CD4 cells) that the body needs to fight off infections or illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), describe AIDS as the final stage of HIV infection.
The CDC estimates that approximately one million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the United States today and as many as 40 million people worldwide. AIDS is spread through bodily fluid exchange, most often through sex or hypodermic needle sharing. There is no cure for AIDS, though there are several treatments that can halt the opportunistic infections -- such as pneumonia -- that are hallmarks of the disease.
AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. "Acquired" refers to the fact the disease is contracted, rather than inherited through genetics. In this case, the immune system is weakened ("Immune Deficiency"), which means that the body can't fight off infections or illnesses the way it should.
Who can get AIDS
Anyone can get AIDS. A person can contract HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS, through sex, using an infected needle, birth or breastfeeding, or even through transfusions of contaminated blood. People of any age or gender can become infected; around 40,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. At particular risk are teenagers, who may engage in risky sexual behavior, and women, who are about twice as likely as men to become infected through unprotected sex.
Common AIDS Symptoms
According to the CDC, about 25 percent of those infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are unaware that they have it because they show no symptoms. Symptoms of AIDS can include fevers, profound fatigue, weight loss, skin rashes or lesions, seizures, vision loss, memory loss, increased yeast infections or swollen lymph nodes. AIDS is also marked by certain opportunistic infections, including Pneumocystis pneumonia, Kaposis sarcoma, Cytomegalovirus and Candida.
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