What is HIV & AIDS

What is HIV? HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and is a ‘Retrovirus’. Retroviruses consist of Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) and were discovered by Robert Gallo in 1978. They contain a special viral enzyme called Reverse Transcriptase, which allows the virus to convert its RNA to DNA and then integrate, and take over, a cell’s own genetic material. Once taken over, the new cell - now HIV infected - begins to produce new HIV retroviruses. HIV replicates in and kills the helper T cells, which are the body’s main defense against illness. HIV is ONLY spread through:

• Sexual contact - unprotected vaginal or anal sex. Only condoms provide ‘all-in-one’ protection from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections including HIV.
• Direct innoculation of the virus - for example infection through contaminated needles
• Contaminated blood products / transplanted organs. In the US all donated blood has been tested for HIV since 1985
• An infected mother may sometimes pass the virus to her developing fetus during the birth or breast milk

In the first month to three months after a person is initially infected with the HIV virus is when that person is most infectious (i.e. meaning the amount of virus in their system is at its highest and T-cell counts are at their lowest). During the time, the body has not had time to react to the virus and produce an adequate immune response to start suppressing HIV. More and more HIV viruses are produced and then released by a process known as budding. This means that when someone becomes infected with the HIV virus it begins to attack their immune system. This process is not visible and a person who is infected can look and feel perfectly well for many years and they may not know that they are infected. As their immune system weakens they become more vulnerable to illnesses that their immune system would normally have fought off. As time goes by they are likely to become ill more often and develop AIDS.

What is AIDS? AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. When HIV infection becomes advanced it often is referred to as AIDS. It generally occurs when the CD4 count is below 200/mL and is characterized by the appearance of opportunistic infections. These are infections that take advantage of a weakened immune system and include:

• Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia
• Toxoplasmosis
• Tuberculosis
• Extreme weight loss and wasting; exacerbated by diarrhea which can be experienced in up to 90% of HIV patients worldwide
• Meningitis and other brain infections
• Fungal infections
• Syphilis
• Malignancies such as lymphoma, cervical cancer, and
• Kaposi’s Sarcoma

Today we know that Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a disease and not a syndrome. A syndrome is commonly used to refer to collections of symptoms that do not have an easily identifiable cause. This name was more appropriate 13 years ago, when doctors were only aware of the late stages of the disease and did not fully understand its mechanisms. A more current name for the condition, regardless of an AIDS diagnosis, is HIV Disease. This name is more accurate because it refers to the pathogen that causes AIDS and encompasses all the condition’s stages, from infection to the deterioration of the immune system and the onset of opportunistic diseases. However, AIDS is still the name that most people use to refer to the immune deficiency caused by HIV.

• Acquired — because it is a condition that has to be contracted. It cannot be inherited or transmitted through the genes.
• Immune — because it affects the body’s immune system, the part of the body that fights off diseases.
• Deficiency — because it makes the immune system stop working properly.
• Syndrome — because people with AIDS experience a number of different symptoms and opportunistic diseases.