HIV/AIDS – An Introduction

Key Terms

• HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus

• AIDS - Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

HIV and AIDS

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus that attacks the body’s white blood cells and makes an individual more susceptible to infections and diseases. If HIV is left untreated, it can lead to the individual developing AIDS, which stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is a late stage of HIV infection when the immune system is severely compromised. While the length of time varies depending on the individual, AIDS typically develops within 8-10 years of contracting HIV if not treated. Individuals do not die from HIV/AIDS itself but succumb to a weakened immune system and opportunistic infection.

Prevention and Contraction

HIV is spread through the exchange of bodily fluids, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids, anal secretions and breast milk from an HIV infected individual. HIV can be prevented by practicing safe sex, using clean unused needles, knowing your status and contact tracing of newly infected individuals. When having sex with someone who is infected with HIV, properly using male or female condoms or taking Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as prescribed by your healthcare advisor is highly recommended to prevent infection. Effective treatment can reduce the level of the virus in the body of a person living with HIV to the point where the viral load is undetectable through testing, which renders the virus untransmittable to other people.

Treatment

While HIV is currently not curable, effective treatments exist with medicine. Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) can prevent the progression of HIV to AIDS by decreasing viral load in an HIV infected individual. Antiretroviral therapy also decreases the likelihood of an individual transmitting HIV to others through typical transmission means.

Source: National Institutes of Health, hivinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv/fact-sheets/hivaids-basics