Question

which of the following statements is true?
aids is the illness that follows once hiv has weakened the person’s immune system so that it cannot fight off infection.
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (aids) and the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) are two different names for the same thing.
at the moment, there are no medications that control hiv so that someone who is hiv - positive can manage the virus and live longer.
the human body can rid itself of hiv completely, just like it can with a number of other contagious viruses.

Explanation:

• Analyze the first option: HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) attacks the immune system. When the immune system is severely weakened by HIV, the person develops AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), which is characterized by the body's inability to fight off infections. This statement is correct.
• Analyze the second option: HIV is the virus, and AIDS is the syndrome (a set of symptoms/illnesses) that occurs when HIV has severely damaged the immune system. They are not the same thing, so this statement is false.
• Analyze the third option: There are antiretroviral medications that can control HIV, allowing people with HIV to manage the virus and live long, healthy lives. So this statement is false.
• Analyze the fourth option: The human body cannot rid itself of HIV completely. Unlike some other viruses (like the common cold virus in some cases), HIV integrates into the host's DNA and evades the immune system in a way that makes it impossible for the body to fully clear the virus without medical intervention (and even with intervention, it's managed, not cured). So this statement is false.

Answer:

A. AIDS is the illness that follows once HIV has weakened the person’s immune system so that it cannot fight off infection.