Agenda - Council - 05/28/1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Statement of Fact Regarding Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a human retrovirus which infects and eventually destroys a particular set of cells in the human body that have a specific molecule receptor site (CD4). These cells are located throughout the body and include cells in the immune system, the brain, and certain internal organs. The term acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) refers to those clinical conditions where HIV has caused the destruction of cells in the immune system, such that the body is unable to resist certain types of infections and cancers. These illnesses (known as opportunistic diseases) generally do not occur in otherwise healthy individuals. HIV also invades cells in the brain and other parts of the nervous system, resulting in primary neurologic illness. Results of population-based clinical studies have demonstrated that 25-70% of AIDS patients are demented at the time of death from the'direct or indirect effects of HIV infection. People who become infected with HIV may be asymptomatic for years. Studies have shown that most people develop antibody against the virus within several months after becoming infected. Although people develop antibody, they remain infected with the virus indefinitely (probably for life) and are capable of transmitting the virus to others, regardless of symptoms. As of January 1, 1987~ approximately 50,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in the United States. However, it is estimated that more than 1.5 million persons residing in the U.S. are infected with HIV. Most individuals who are currently infected are not aware that they have been infected or that they remain infected for life. Data from ongoing "cohort studies" of homosexual men and persons infected through transfusion of blood or blood products, illustrate that approximately 35-60% of persons with HIV infection