What is HIV/AIDS?

1. What is HIV/AIDS? HIV stands for: Human Immunodeficiency Virus AIDS stands for: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

2. What is HIV/AIDS? • AIDS is caused by the HIV virus. • 16,000 HIV viruses can fit on a pinhead.

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4. What is HIV/AIDS? • Viruses multiply inside body cells & cause illness. • Other viruses which cause illness in humans: • common cold • polio • measles • hepatitis • SARS

5. The immune system army

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. What is HIV/AIDS? HIV attacks the immune system of humans. HUMAN IMMUNO deficiency virus

11. 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”

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. FAQs • Does HIV really exist? • Does HIV really cause AIDS?