What is HIV and AIDS?

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

AIDS stands for Aquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

Is it true that HIV and AIDS are two different diseases?

This is a very common, but really very inaccurate myth. HIV is the virus that a human can catch, whereas AIDS refers to the after effects of catching the virus. To clarify: HIV is not a disease.

So what is the difference? How does one go from having HIV to having AIDS?

To make this a little easier, lets imagine that you have caught the HIV virus. The virus travels around your body, finding cells known as T4 Helper Cells. These cells are incredibly importamt to us, as they recognise foreign bodies and are our bodies first line of defence. Once the virus has found one of these cells, it attaches itself to the T4 Helper Cell's membrane and injects its DNA into the T4 Helper Cell. A special enzyme ensures that the T4 Helper Cell does not realise something wrong has happened, allowing the HIV DNA to be replicated by the T4 Helper Cell.

So, now that your T4 Helper Cells are infected with the virul DNA, what happens next? Initially, not very much, it takes some time for the virus to infect all your Helper Cells. For arguments sake, let us say that you wander around for two years. You then develop a cold, something that a healthy body can fight off, as it has healthy T4 Helper Cells. You though, have infected Helper Cells, and your body struggles to both recognise the cold and fight it off. As more and more of your Helper Cells are infected, your immune system becomes weaker and weaker. You have now contracted AIDS.

This all sounds rather complicated and confusing, but it can be easily shown on a simple timeline:

1) HIV is contracted.

2) HIV infects T4 Helper Cells over a period of time.

3) Bugs such as the cold and flu virus are contracted. The body has a lowered immune system and struggles to fight the infections off. The body now has AIDS.

4) Eventually, there are not enough unaffected T4 Cells in the body. There is no proper immune system in place and the body can no longer fight off infections. Unfortunately, the only outlook is death.

Is there nothing that can be done?

There are antiretroviral drugs available, which slow down the rate at which the virus infects the body, giving those infected more time. There is though, no known cure.

Ok, now I know what this is, how do I get it?

HIV can be contracted a number of different ways:

Unprotected sex: this mixture of bodily fluids can transfer the HIV virus from the man's seman into the woman's vagina.

Sharing needles

Blood tranfusions (blood is now fully screened, so this cannot happen. But before screening, catching HIV from blood was a strong possibility)

Mother to baby: During childbirth and the last few weeks of pregnancy, a transfer of the virus can happen. It is more likely to happen during childbirth, as this is when baby could swallow blood and other fluids from its mother.

Well what can I do to help?

Someone with AIDS is not a good for nothing low life who deserves everything they got. They are a real human being with feelings and someone who deserves all the help they can get. So the first thing you can do is help to dispell the ignornace. Look at the link below, stick the stamp in your journal and support AIDS awareness today.

AIDS.org
Red Ribbon Foundation