HIV/AIDSWith NetLogo,

AgentSheets, and Stella

Red Blood Cells

• Use Hemoglobin to carry oxygen.

• 5.2x106 per cubic millimeter of blood

• Carry 300% more oxygen than plasma

• Carries CO2 and waste away from tissue.

White Blood cells• Types of WBCs

– Neutrophils– Eosinophils– Basophiles– Monocytes– Helper T cells– Cytotoxic T cells – Memory T cells – Suppressor T cells

HIV/AIDS• Human Immunodeficiency

Virus• Advanced Immunodeficiency

Syndrome• Transferred through direct

bodily contact• Attacks Helper T-cells• Can only be transferred

through unprotected intercourse and the sharing of needles

Anatomy of the HIV Virus

• Gp120 Envelope Protein

• Gp41 Envelope Protein

• P17 matrix protein• P24 Capsule Protein • Reverse Transcriptase• The Lipid Membrane

Image from www.howstuffworks.com

Possible Infections

Virus travels through Bloodstream

Proteins cut and packaged with RNA

Budding new viruses

AIDS virus attaches to a CD4 receptor

Killer t-cells destroy affected cells

Transcription

HIV attacks t-cells

Reverse Transcription

Stopping The Virus

And now, Shodor Scholars Program presents…

Modeling of HIV and Hepatitis B using NetLogo, AgentSheets, and STELLA

Hepatitis B

Effects in the Bloodstream and in a Community

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Transmission

• Unprotected intercourse

• Sharing needles

• Children of infected parents

Risk Groups

• Promiscuity

• House hold contacts with an infected person

• Children born to infected mothers

Prevention

• Hepatitis B vaccine

• Safe Intercourse

• Personal evaluation of the disease

• Hospital testing

Symptoms

• Jaundice• Fatigue• Abdominal pain• Loss of appetite• Nausea• Vomiting• Joint pain

Developing Chronic Hepatitis vaccination

• 90% of infants affected at birth

• 30% of children affected at age 1-5

• 6% of person affected at 5

• Altogether 15-25% of infected persons

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Trends and Statistics• Number of infections

per year declined since 1980

• Highest rate runs from 20-49%

• 30% of infected people don’t show symptoms

Trends and Statistics

• The greatest decline occurs in children and adolescents

• Effective vaccines available since 1982

• Hepatitis is 100x easier to catch than HIV (AIDS)

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Conclusions

– As the virus spread, the immune system is weakened.

Conclusions

In the two-disease model, the second disease progresses faster.

The earlier one begins risky behavior, the more drastic the deaths in community.

Conclusions

• Increased deaths also results in increase in risky behavior.

• The same conclusions arise from global and local model.

Conclusions

– While not necessarily an acceptable societal choice, the models show that higher mortality could lead to lower diseased population