Name:____________________________________________________Date:__________________Period:__________
HIV and AIDS - Day 12
Objective: Students will be able to explain what a retrovirus is and how it works.
QUESTION:
What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?
Answers will vary.
Research
HIV and AIDS
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a
disease that makes it difficult for the body to fight off
infectious diseases. The human immunodeficiency virus
known as HIV causes AIDS by infecting and damaging
part of the body's defenses against infection — its
lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell in the
body's immune (infection-fighting) system that is
supposed to fight off invading germs.
HIV can be transmitted through direct contact with the
blood or body fluid of someone who is infected with the
virus. That contact usually comes from sharing needles or
by having unprotected sex with an infected person. An
infant could get HIV from a mother who is infected.
HIV and AIDS can be treated, there are no vaccines or
cures for them.
What HIV Does to the Body
The virus attacks specific lymphocytes called T helper
cells (also known as T-cells), takes them over, and
multiplies. This destroys more T-cells, which damages the
body's ability to fight off invading germs and disease.
When the number of T-cells falls to a very low level,
people with HIV become more susceptible to other
infections and they may get certain types of cancer that a
healthy body would normally be able to fight off. This
weakened immunity (or immune deficiency) is known as
AIDS and can result in severe life-threatening infections,
some forms of cancer, and the deterioration of the
nervous system.
Although AIDS is always the result of an HIV infection,
not everyone with HIV has AIDS. In fact, adults who
become infected with HIV may appear healthy for years
before they get sick with AIDS.
What does AIDS stand for?
Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome
What does AIDS do to the body?
Infects and damages the lymphocytes or white
blood cells of the body
What would happen if the AIDS killed off all of
lymphocytes?
You would not be able to defend against other
diseases
How do you get HIV?
Sharing needles or unprotected sex
What, specifically, does this disease do to the body?
The virus attacks the T cells, takes them over in
order to make more viruses that attack more T
cells
If HIV/AIDS does not kill you, then what does? How does
that work?
Without having any immune cells you would not be
able to stop other infections from attacking you
and those other diseases would kill the virus.
Question: What Is the difference between HIV and AIDS?
What does HIV stand for?
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Answer: The quick answer is that the difference between
HIV and AIDS1 is that HIV is a virus and AIDS is a definition.
What is the difference between someone with early stages
of HIV verse someone with later stages of HIV?
What does HIV stand for?
HIV stands for the "human immunodeficiency virus." In
other words, it is a virus that infects human being and
leads to problems with their immune system. The immune
system2 is the body's system for fighting disease.
Someone in early stages would have many white
blood cells to protect them. Someone in late stage
would have little or no white blood cells to protect
them.
AIDS and HIV
Understanding what it means to be HIV positive is
relatively simple -- either you are infected with the virus or
you aren't -- but how do you understand AIDS? AIDS,
which stands for "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome"
is a way of describing a whole group of symptoms and
diseases associated with the damage HIV does to the
immune system. As an HIV infection progresses, there is
ongoing damage to immune defense cells and the body
becomes increasingly less able to fight off infection. This
means that individuals with advanced HIV disease are
susceptible to infections that don't show up in people with
healthy immune systems. They are called opportunistic
infections because they take advantage of the weakened
ability of an HIV positive individual to fight off disease. The
difference between AIDS and HIV is that a person is said to
have AIDS, as opposed to simply being HIV positive, when
either the numbers of specific types of cells in their
immune system3 drop below a certain level or when they
develop one of a specific group of opportunistic
infections4.
What is an opportunistic disease?
Any disease that attacks the body when the
immune system is weakened
What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?
HIV is the virus that attacks and destroys the Tcells.
AIDS is the point when so many white blood cells
are destroyed that the body could become infected
with opportunistic diseases.
Conclusion:
Using the knowledge you gained today. Answer the question: What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?
Answers will vary, but should include:
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HIV with definition
AIDS with definition
T-Cells
White Blood Cells
Immune Deficiency
Ask a partner to read your
Partner's Name: Printed
paragraph. Have them score it 1-5.
5 being the best
Teacher Score
Score