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Basic information on HIV and AIDS
There are many sources of information on HIV and AIDS - what the initials stand for, what the words mean,
the differences between the two conditions, how HIV is transmitted and how it isn't.
This page gives you a very short summary, and links to the most authoritative sites (WHO and UNAIDS).
Definitions
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus
The virus weakens the body's immune system.
AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
| | The full name for AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - describes three features of the disease: |
| • | Acquired indicates that it is not an inherited condition.
| | • | Immune deficiency indicates that the body's immune system breaks down. A person with HIV becomes vulnerable to a range of opportunistic infections which normally the body could fight off. It is one or more of these infections which will ultimately cause death.
| | • | Syndrome indicates that the disease results in a variety of health problems.
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How HIV is transmitted
HIV is transmitted through body fluids - in particular blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk.
Transmission occurs through these routes:
| | • | unprotected sex with an infected partner (the most common - 70-80% of infections globally);
this may be heterosexual or homosexual sex, and the risk of transmission is increased by the presence of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
| | • | blood and blood products through, for example, infected blood transfusions and organ or tissue transplants,
also the use of contaminated injection or other skin-piercing equipment: infected blood/organs account for 3-5% of infections, needlestick injuries are believed to cause less than 0.1%,
while injecting drug use results in between 5 and 10%.
| | • | mother to child transmission (MTCT) from infected mother to child at birth or through breastfeeding (5-10% of infections). After infection, a person develops antibodies; these are an attempt by the immune system to resist the virus. If a person is tested for HIV, and the presence of HIV antibodies is found, this means that he or she has the virus and is HIV-positive.
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HIV is not transmitted by casual physical contact, mosquito or insect bites, kissing, coughing or sneezing, sharing toilets or washing facilities, consuming food or drink handled by someone who has HIV.
Preventing HIV transmission
HIV is a fragile virus. It can only survive in certain conditions.
It enters the body through naturally moist places and cannot penetrate unbroken skin.
Prevention therefore involves ensuring that there is a barrier to the virus - e.g. a condom (male or female),
protective equipment (especially gloves) - and that skin piercing equipment such as syringes and surgical appliances are not
contaminated.
A full list of universal precautions are available here.
Global trends
The HIV epidemic has evolved in different ways in different parts of the world, and at varying speeds.
In many regions it is still in its early stages. At the end of 2004, the total number of people living with HIV/AIDS was estimated
to be just under 40 million: about half of them are women, but women are now being infected at a faster rate than men, and at
a younger average age. HIV/AIDS caused the deaths of 3.1 million people during 2004 and, despite widespread prevention measures,
4.9 million people were infected.
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Now you have the information you need for a basic understanding of the disease - how does this relate to the workplace?
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