HIV/AIDS
7th Grade
Lesson 3
Page D58-61
What does HIV stand for?
H – uman
I – mmunodefieciency
V – virus
It destroys your T and brain cells so your body
cannot fight infections.
HIV
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Virusdestroys infection-fighting T cells
HIV causes AIDS
Ways HIV is spread
Sexual contact with an infected person.
Contact with blood or other body fluids.
Contact with mucous membranes or
broken skin of an infected person.
Sharing needles (tattoos, ear piercing,
injecting drugs)
Mother to child.
Some ways HIV is not spread
Closed mouth kissing. Door handles
Hugging Sitting on a toilet seat
Being sneezed or Donating blood
coughed on Swimming in pools
Insect bites Using a telephone
Sharing towels, used by an infected
combs, hair brushes person.
Sharing a pen
HIV Testing
Tests detect antibodies that fight HIV.
Tests are not effective until the body makes the
antibodies, so you have to wait 3 to 6 months before
getting tested for an accurate result.
EIA is a widely used test.
Ifyou get a positive test, they test again, and if it is
still positive, they use the Western Blot test.
How HIV leads to AIDS
A person who has HIV may not show symptoms
of the virus although he or she can infect others.
This period can last for up to 10 years.
During this period, the virus multiplies and kills helper
T cells in the body.
Physicians diagnose a patient with AIDS when
their T cell count is below 200.
AIDS
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Results when infection with HIV causes a
breakdown of the body’s ability to fight other
infections
AIDS
An opportunistic infection can develop
when a person has a weak immune
system.
These infections lead to death with people
who have AIDS.
Examples are Pneumoncystis carinii
pneumonia; Karposi’s sarcoma, a form of
cancer; and AIDS dementia, a loss of brain
function.
STD and HIV Prevention
STD’s and HIV can be prevented!!!
Practice abstinence from sex.
Avoid the use of drugs and alcohol.
Avoid tattooing and body piercing
Take precautions in first aid situations.
Treating STDs and HIV
If you think you have been put at risk for
an STD, get tested immediately.
Some STDs can be cured-
Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and syphilis.
Some cannot, but can be suppressed with
medicine.
HIV treatment involves taking a combination
of drugs called HAART.