General Information on HIV

General Information on HIV-AIDS

HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus - is the virus that causes AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. HIV is transmitted from person to person through the exchange of body fluids such as blood, semen and vaginal secretions. This is most often associated with sexual contact but can also be transmitted by exposure to infected blood through transfusions or sharing needles to inject drugs.

The virus infects certain cells of the body, particularly those with CD-4 protein on their surface. CD-4, or T-helper cells, are an important part of the immune system. When a person is first infected, a large amount of virus circulates within the body, resulting in a decline in the number of CD-4 cells. At this point, the body's immune system will regain control and suppress the virus for a period of about ten years. Thus, one can be infected with the HIV virus for years without having AIDS. In other words, having HIV infection does not mean you have AIDS. Certain types of infections must be present for a person to be diagnosed as having AIDS.

Overall infection with HIV typically results in a progressive loss of immune system functions. Eventually the virus overwhelms the body's immune system and starts destroying the cells it has infected, a process that makes the infected person vulnerable to opportunistic infections, ultimately leading to malignancies associated with diagnosis of full blown AIDS.

There is no cure for the HIV virus, even though medications are now available that diminish the virus's ability to reproduce, which in turn helps the immune system stay healthy and able to fight infection a little longer. But while advances in medicine and treatment options can alter the natural course of the illness by extending the period between infection and the development of opportunistic illnesses, it must be noted that medications can't rid the body entirely of HIV and that people can still infect others while on medications.

The only ways to eliminate the risks of HIV infection are through sexual abstinence and avoidance of illicit use of intravenous drugs. Condoms may serve to reduce, not eliminate the risks of catching the HIV virus, which causes AIDS and ultimately death.

Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, UNAIDS Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, "AIDS Epidemic Update December 2001 " and " Report on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic December 2001", World Health Organization 2000 Health Report.

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