What are T-Cells?

• T-cells are white blood cells that protect the body from "germs" such as viruses and bacteria. T-cells are also called T-helper cells and CD4 cells.

• When HIV enters the body, it infects the T-cells. The virus kills these cells slowly. As more and more T-cells die, the body loses its ability to fight infection.

• Counting the number of T-cells in a person's blood is one way to find out how well the person's body can fight infection. A normal T-cell count is about 1,000.