How does the HIV virus suppress the immune system?

It destroys the cells that direct the white blood cells to attack infections.

These are called T cells.

Without instructions to attack your immune system becomes less and less effective till you develop AIDS

HIV destroys CD4+ T cells, which are crucial to the normal function of the human immune system. In fact, depletion of CD4+ T cells in HIV-infected individuals is an extremely powerful predictor of the development of AIDS.

This is a relatively easy and reliable read: http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/focuson/h...

It kills the cells that help us fight infections (CD4 or T-Cells).

kills the T cells

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