Why Do We Fall — Science STD 9 — Question

HIV attaches to these CD₄ cells. The virus then infects the cells and uses them as a place to multiply. In doing so, the virus destroys the ability of the infected cells to do their job in the immune system. The body then loses the ability to fight many infections. HIV is a unique human RNA virus, capable of infecting cells of the immune system. Specifically, HIV targets T helper cells (CD₄ cells), leading to the eventual death of the cell. CD₄ cells are vital players in the regulation of immune responses to invading microorganisms. In an untreated person, 10 billion to 100 billion new viruses are produced per day. This massive viral replication leads to a progressive loss of CD₄ cells over a period of several years to as long as a decade. And destruction of CD₄ cells renders a patient vulnerable to unusual opportunistic infections (OIs) that are rarely seen in healthy humans. Most patients who die from AIDS succumb to one or more infections.