Epidemiology And Communicable Diseases Human...

Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases: Human Immunodeficiency Virus With the prevalence and spread of communicable diseases on the rise, epidemiologists are working very diligently to find the agent, host, environment, and how it is spread with every new discovery. According to MedicinePlus (2016), â€Å"infectious diseases kill more people worldwide than any other single cause†. The human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV has been one of the largest epidemics in history. â€Å"HIV continues to be a major global health issue, having claimed more than 34 million lives so far. In 2014, 1.2 [980,000-1.6 million] million people died from HIV-related causes globally† (World Health Organization, 2015, n.p.). Having a good understanding of HIV†¦show more content†¦In order to replicate and make copies of itself, the virus infects the CD4T cells in this course of infection. As for the CD8T cells, they are known as â€Å"suppressor† cells. The CD8T cells are activated in response to CD4T cells to produce antiviral substances, also known as antibodies, that help fight off the foreign invaders. They will then act by shutting off CD4T activity when a sufficient immune response has been achieved. During the infection process, the host CD4T cell is killed while the virus empties its genetic material within the cell, resulting in the production of other HIV virions. As the CD4T cells are taken over, the ability for the CD4T cell to trigger an immune defense gradually depletes so much, leaving the human body open to opportunistic infections. With the drop in the number of CD4T cells, the CD8T cells generally increase although the ability to neutralize the virus will decline over time as there are fewer CD4T cells to trigger an effective response. If left untreated, the virus will continue to take over the CD4T cells, therefore compromising the immune system. The signs and symptoms of the virus vary depending on whether the individual in t he acute or chronic stage of the infection. Within this stage, the infection spreads more efficiently and the viral load is high. In the beginning