We Know: All About HIV & AIDS

What are HIV and AIDS?

The human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, destroys and damages the cells of the immune system, impairing the body's ability to fight disease. Individuals infected with HIV become ill from opportunistic infections that normally don't cause disease in people with healthy immune systems.


Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, occurs during advanced stages of HIV infection. Scientists in the U.S. first encountered the virus in 1981 and since that time, over 900,000 cases have been diagnosed, with higher rates of infection among particular minority groups, such as the African Americans ( seven times as likely) and Hispanics (three times as likely). AIDS is a global epidemic.

How is HIV transmitted?

There are three ways HIV can be transmitted:

  • By unprotected sexual contact with an infected person.
  • By contact with infected blood or blood products.
  • From mother to child in-utero or through breast milk.

What are the symptoms of HIV/AIDS?

The early symptoms of HIV infections may appear flu-like: fever, headaches, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. The initial symptoms are followed by an asymptomatic period which can last for several years. During this time, the virus grows and multiplies, lowering the CD4+ T-cell counts (a type of white blood cell that fights infection) in the body. Individuals are most infectious during this period.


After the asymptomatic period, individuals may experience:

  • Lack of energy
  • Loss of weight
  • Higher number of yeast infections
  • Higher incidence of skin rashes
  • Memory lapses
  • Herpes infections
  • Shingles

At later stages of HIV infection (during AIDS), individuals may develop Kaposi sarcoma, cervical cancer (females), or lymphomas. Individuals are also more susceptible to opportunistic infections.

How is HIV/AIDS diagnosed?

Blood tests detect HIV antibodies that indicate HIV infection. After initial exposure to HIV (usually within the first three months), antibodies may not circulate in sufficient quantities to be detectable. An individual who first tests negative for the virus may need to re-take the tests. The tests used to detect HIV are:

  • ELISA test
  • Western Blot

How is HIV/AIDS treated?

Physicians normally use a combination of three drugs to treat HIV:

  • Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (AZT, ddC, 3TC) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (delavridine, nevirapine, efravirenz) interrupt viral replication early in the reproduction stages.
  • Protease inhibitors (Ritonavir, Saquinavir, Indinavir) interrupt viral replication at later stages.
  • Fusion inhibitors prevent the virus from attaching to the cell membrane and replicating.

Because the virus mutates rapidly, a combination drug cocktail known as highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is used to treat HIV/AIDS. The "cocktail" combines the three types listed above.

How is HIV/AIDS prevented?

Abstinence is the best weapon against HIV. Otherwise, individuals should avoid having unprotected sex, and use condoms to reduce the risk of HIV infection.


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