What is HIV/AIDS?

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What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV means Human Immuno-deficiency Virus. A virus is a harmful agent that attacks, harms or corrupts body cells. Human is in the meaning of HIV because virus can only survive in human beings. The immune system of a person behaves like soldiers that defend a city. The HIV attacks the immune system, that is the helper cell and weakens them. This allows all manner of sicknesses such as fever, cough, diarrhea, vomiting, etc. to affect the body. If it is not diagnosed and attended to quickly, the affected person becomes very sick and weak and this can lead to the sickness called AIDS which is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

The HIV virus can be transferred through transfusion or contact with blood of an infected person. And use of sharp objects that already have the contaminated blood of an infected person. The virus easily finds its way into a person’s body especially if the person has an open cut or wound.

The HIV virus can be contacted through sleeping close to or playing with an infected person. It is important that we all check our HIV status to be sure we do not have the virus. We should also advise whoever has been falling sick many times to go for medical check-up.

Vocabulary Development

Immune: to be resistant to a particular infection.

Transfusion: an act of transferring donated blood, blood products, or other fluid into the circulatory system of a person or animal.

Infected person: someone affected with a disease-causing organism.

Contaminated: having been made impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance.

Advise: to recommend, to suggest

Comprehension Questions.

  1. What is HIV?
  2. How can HIV be contacted?
  3. How can you not contact HIV?
  4. Why is it important to check a person’s HIV status?
  5. What should a person who has been falling sick several times do?

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