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Human Immunodeficiency Virus

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Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a disease that only infects humans, weakens the immune system, and like other viruses, reproduces itself by taking over cells within the body of its host. HIV is similar to other viruses such as those that cause the common cold or flu. The difference is that with most viruses, the body’s natural immune system is able to rid the body of it. With HIV, the body’s immune system cannot clear the virus and the reason behind this is still trying to be figured out by scientists (AIDS.gov, 2014). Scientists believe that the source of HIV came from a certain type of chimpanzee in Western Africa and was transmitted to humans when these infected animals were hunted and eaten. Studies have shown that HIV may have transmitted to humans as far back as the 1800s and slowly spread across Africa, eventually making its way to different parts of the world. HIV has existed here in the United States since the mid to late 1970s (CDC, 2014). So what causes HIV? How does one get infected with this non-curable disease? In this short essay we will explore this communicable disease in detail, discuss factors that contribute to the development of this disease, discuss the epidemiologic triangle as it relates to HIV, and lastly explain the role that a community nurse has in regards to prevention.
HIV is a non-curable disease and once you have it, you have it for life. HIV is found in bodily fluids such as, blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, breast milk, vaginal fluids, and rectal mucous. If any of these infected fluids enters a person’s body, they can become infected with this disease (AIDS.gov, 2014). Here in the United States, HIV is mainly spread through sharing of syringes and unprotected sex (vaginal and anal). HIV can also be spread to newborns from infected mothers, from receiving blood transfusions, being bitten by an infected person, oral

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