What is AIDS?
Acquired
Immune Deficiency
Syndrome
-
No known cure
-
Battles the immune system
-
Your body's defenses fight back
with an ordinary virus, but the AIDS virus (HIV) prevents the body from
identifying the "enemy"
-
Usually special cells tell an
"invader" to get out.
-
If someone has AIDS, the body
can't tell if an invader" (disease) is bad
Usually your skin keeps out
a virus. But if one gets in:
-
There are white blood cells
on patrol
-
Helper T-cells identify the
trouble maker
-
Other helper cells called Killer
T-cells get rid of the trouble maker
But AIDS fools the immune
system.
-
AIDS is caught by the white
blood cells.
-
But the helper T-cells can't
identify the AIDS virus.
-
The AIDS virus now becomes part
of the helper T-cells.
-
All types of viruses can now
get in.
AIDS only gets in if you
are careless. It must get in
to the blood system.
How? (1) sex with an
infected person
(2) illegal drugs - when needles are shared.
Links:
The
AIDS Handbook (written by middle school
kids for middle school kids)
AIDS,
The War Within
Our
House
