UNDERSTANDING HIV/AIDS IN MORE DEPTH
        
        HIV isn't at all a simple disease. It can come in many ways and in different forms and shapes. HIV is one of the most popular diseases in the world because it doesn't matter where or who you are, you can always get it. The worst part about it is that, its very hard to cure. 
        HIV eventually turns into AIDS. When the body detects a virus, white blood cells try and kill that virus for protection, AIDS kills of all of these white blood cells and shuts the immune system down. 
        It's hard to identify exactly where exactly this disease came from, but many scientists hypothesize it might have started in Africa. HIV was first identified in 1984 by French and American scientists, but the human immunodeficiency virus did not get its name until 1986.
       Having HIV means that you can pass it to others while having sex (because it is an STD) or by sharing needles. If someone has HIV/AIDS they should use condoms and inform their sex partners because it is highly contagious and having a baby with HIV/ AIDS can cause the baby to have many problems.  
        While treatment is limited, a person with HIV should get tested once every six months. There are many types of tests but a common one other than HIV screening is CD4 cell count. CD4 is a cell that helps protect your body, the number of CD4 cells in your blood shows how strong your immune system is. As long as your CD4 count is over 600, you will need to have it tested about every 6 months. If your CD4 count drops below 500, your doctor may suggest testing your blood more often and may start you on medicine to slow HIV. 
     
 "Understanding HIV: early HIV infection." Pamphlet by: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 1994. COV+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Mar. 2012.