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Education & HIV/AIDS Awareness Programs
Resources and Links
HIV/AIDS Basic Information
The term AIDS stands for the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Taken word by word, it means that AIDS is a Syndrome (a combination of symptoms) that someone has acquired (or gotten) that is caused by the deficiency (or weakness) of their Immune System. Because the immune system is the system in the human body that works to protect the body from disease, someone with a weak Immune System from AIDS may get sicker more often than people with healthy immune systems. There is no cure for AIDS. People with AIDS can, and sometimes do, die from diseases their Immune System cannot defeat.
The latest estimate from the Centers for Disease Control is that more than 13,000 American children under the age of 19 are living with AIDS.
AIDS is caused by a virus called HIV, which stands for the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus. When HIV gets into a person's blood stream, it begins to reduce CD-4 cells (T cells) - a vital part of the Immune System. As the level of CD-4 cells in a person's body decreases, they become susceptible to more and more illnesses.
Today, there are several medications - and combinations of medications - that help protect the immune system from HIV, and that help stop the HIV from replicating inside a person's body. However, while the medications often decrease the amount of virus in the body and allow the body to become stronger, the improvement may only be temporary. Doctors and researchers worldwide are still searching for a cure.
How HIV May Be Transmitted:
1. Blood to Blood (ex: sharing IV drug needles)
2. Unprotected Sexual Contact
3. Mother to Unborn Baby
4. Breast Milk
HIV/AIDS Cannot Be Transmitted Casually!
Links
Here are a few great links to Web sites with more information about HIV/AIDS:
The Body.com AIDS and HIV Resource
Center for Disease Control Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention
National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA)
National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC)
National Pediatric and Family HIV Resource Center
HIV In Site
AIDS Information Global Information System
AIDSInfo
Project Inform
White House Office of National AIDS Policy
World Health Organization HIV/AIDS/STI Surveillance Reports
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