1 What is HIV/AIDS? HIV stands for: H uman I mmunodeficiency V irus AIDS stands for: A cquired I mmune D eficiency S yndrome.

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What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV stands for:

Human Immunodeficiency Virus

AIDS stands for:

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

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What is HIV/AIDS?

• AIDS is caused by the HIV virus.

• 16,000 HIV viruses can fit on a pinhead.

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What is HIV/AIDS?

• Viruses multiply inside body cells & cause illness.

• Other viruses which cause illness in humans:

– common cold– polio – measles– hepatitis – SARS

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The immune system army

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What is the immune system?

• The immune system is the body’s defense system

• Uses white blood cells & special proteins to fight foreign organisms

• Is controlled by specialized white blood cells called CD4 cells

• Proteins called antibodies are manufactured against specific organisms

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Vaccines

• Vaccines prepare the immune system to fight infections

• Examples: measles, polio, hepatitis A and B

• No vaccine yet for viruses like common cold, SARS and HIV

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How does HIV affect the immune system?

• HIV specifically attacks the CD4 cells

• The HIV antibodies produced by the immune system are unable to overcome the infection

• Over time, HIV progressively weakens the immune system

• The person becomes “immunodeficient”

• A weak immune system can no longer effectively defend the body

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What happens when the immune system is weakened?

• The body becomes vulnerable to a variety of infections & cancers

• Infections that take advantage of a weakened immune system are “opportunistic infections”

• Eventually the immune system is so weak that the body is overwhelmed by infections and/or cancers, and the person dies

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What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV attacks the immune system of humans.

HUMAN IMMUNO deficiency virus

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What is AIDS?

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

• A “syndrome” is a group of symptoms & signs associated with the same underlying condition

• The variety of opportunistic infections & cancers cause a variety of symptoms & signs

• This group of illnesses with their symptoms & signs makes up the syndrome “AIDS”

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What is the difference between “having HIV” and “having AIDS” ?

• When the HIV virus enters the body, the person “has HIV”

• HIV is diagnosed by a blood test

• When the immune system is severely weakened by HIV, resulting in severe opportunistic infections, the person “has AIDS”

• There are specific criteria for making the diagnosis of AIDS

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What is the difference between HIV-1 and HIV-2?

• HIV-1 & HIV-2 are different types of the HIV virus

• Both are transmitted in the same ways

• HIV-2 is less infectious

• People with HIV-2 remain healthy for a longer time after infection

• HIV-2 is common in West Africa

• HIV-1 is the most common type worldwide

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Where did HIV come from?

• First known case of HIV: 1959 in the DRC

• Sometimes viruses can transfer between species

• HIV-1 probably transferred to humans from chimpanzees in Central Africa

• HIV-2 probably transferred to humans from the Sooty Mangabey monkey in West Africa

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When was HIV/AIDS “discovered”?

• The AIDS syndrome was first recognized as a new disease in 1981 in the USA

• The HIV-1 virus was first identified in 1983 in the USA

• The HIV-2 virus was first identified in 1983 in France

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FAQs

• Does HIV really exist?

• Does HIV really cause AIDS?