HIV/AIDS
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HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.  Like other viruses, HIV multiplies by entering and overtaking the metabolic machinery of human cells. But HIV is unique because it kills the very cells that are meant to fight infection — T cells, a type of white blood cell. Over the course of several years, HIV systematically destroys these cells, dismantling the immune system. Eventually, the body is left defenseless against a host of deadly opportunistic infections and cancers.HIV is spread through blood, semen, breast milk and vaginal fluid, including menstrual fluid. People who contract HIV may remain healthy for many years and, without testing, may be unaware that they carry the virus. Indeed, the disease has spread so far and so fast precisely because many people are unaware that they are infected and so fail to take precautions to prevent spreading it to others. HIV is also unusual because it is virtually 100% fatal. In the vast majority Each HIV particle is composed of an outer layer studded with proteins Once inside, the HIV virus fuses with the cell’s genetic machinery
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