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Archive for the 'Aids hiv Causes' Category
Established Causes
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS. HIV not only attacks and destroys the white blood cells that are key to fighting infection (T4 or helper T cells), it actually uses the T cell’s genetic material to multiply itself. Eventually, HIV cripples the immune system, making the infected person vulnerable to multiple infections, diseases, and nervous system problems. One of the reasons AIDS is such a fatal disease is that HIV is an extremely resistant virus, mutating constantly to survive the immune system’s attacks.
HIV is transmitted when the body fluid of an infected person enters the bloodstream of a person without HIV. Researchers have found the virus in:
- Semen
- Vaginal secretions
- Blood
- Human breast milk
The HIV virus has not been transmitted by:
- Sweat
- Tears
- Mosquito bites
- Saliva
Theoretical Causes
There are very rare cases of transmission among family members living together with no identifiable source of transmission. No one knows the cause of transmission in these few rare cases.