Final answer:
A person is not said to have AIDS until the T-cell count goes below a certain level. When the helper T cell count falls below 200 helper T cells per microliter of blood or when the infected individual starts to develop opportunistic diseases, they are diagnosed with AIDS.
Step-by-step explanation:
A person is not said to have AIDS until the T-cell count goes below a certain level. When the helper T cell count falls below 200 helper T cells per microliter of blood or when the infected individual starts to develop opportunistic diseases, they are diagnosed with AIDS. Opportunistic diseases are diseases that rarely occur except in people with a compromised immune system. These diseases are typically the immediate cause of death in people with AIDS.