Viral Diseases and Immunity

TRUE is correct because AIDS is considered a pandemic - a disease prevalent over a whole country or the world. HIV/AIDS has affected millions of people across all continents since it was discovered. The WHO declared HIV/AIDS a global pandemic, and it remains a major global health issue to this day.

The question asks what type of cell HIV targets, then states it targets CD4 positive T cells. CD4 cells are a type of WHITE BLOOD CELL (lymphocytes) that coordinate the immune response. HIV specifically infects and destroys these white blood cells, weakening the body's ability to fight infections.

FALSE is correct. HIV is a fragile virus that cannot survive for long outside the human body. It is quickly destroyed by heat, air drying, and exposure to light. HIV transmission requires direct contact with infected body fluids inside the body - the virus dies rapidly in dry air.

Condoms with oil-based lubricants are NOT advisable because oil-based products (like petroleum jelly, baby oil, or mineral oil) can weaken and break down latex, causing the condom to fail or leak. This significantly increases the risk of HIV transmission. Water-based or silicone-based lubricants are safe to use with latex condoms.

HIV/AIDS treatments (antiretroviral therapy) work by preventing the virus from replicating and growing in the body, not by directly killing it. Option B correctly states this. Option A is incorrect because HIV cannot be completely killed - only controlled. Option C is incorrect because treatments don't both kill and prevent growth.

AIDS stands for "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome," a condition caused by HIV that severely damages the immune system. Option A incorrectly uses "System" instead of "Syndrome," and D incorrectly uses "Acquire" instead of "Acquired."

Both statements are correct. Hepatitis B is significantly more infectious than HIV (estimated 10-100 times more contagious through blood contact) and is a major risk factor for liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), especially in chronic carriers. The virus causes liver cirrhosis and cancer over decades of chronic infection.

The risk of male-to-female transmission of HIV during sexual intercourse is actually higher than female-to-male transmission. Therefore, the statement claiming female-to-male transmission is twice as likely is incorrect.

Cancer causes approximately 9-10 million deaths globally each year, while AIDS-related deaths number around 600,000-700,000 annually. Therefore, more people die of cancer than AIDS.

ELISA stands for Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, a widely used laboratory technique that detects and measures antibodies, antigens, proteins, and hormones. The 'I' stands for 'Immuno,' referring to the immunological principles the test is based on.

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - the disease caused by HIV. 'Acquired' means it's not inherited, 'Immune Deficiency' refers to the weakened immune system, and 'Syndrome' indicates a collection of symptoms.

The 1260 virus was the first to use a polymorphic engine, changing its code structure to avoid antivirus detection while maintaining the same malicious functionality. This innovation made it significantly harder to detect using traditional signature-based methods.

A virus structurally comprises an infection mechanism (for replication), a trigger (deciding when to execute), and a payload (the actual action). Other options misstate these standard terms.