Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, is a currently recognized disease. It is caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which attacks selected cells in the immune system and causes them to function defectively. These deficiencies may not be apparent for years. They lead to the suppression of the immune system's ability to combat harmful organisms. This leaves the body open to invasion by various infections, which are called opportunistic diseases, and to the development of unusual cancers. The virus also affects certain brain cells. This leads to so-called neuropsychiatric abnormalities, or psychological disturbances caused by physical damage to the nerve cells.
The first AIDS cases were reported in 1981 through 1996 more than 510,000 AIDS cases and more than 315,000 deaths have been reported in the United States alone.(Grolier). This is only the beginning of the HIV infection. It is estimated that nearly 1 million Americans had been infected with......
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