Most cases of HIV infection occur in Africa where the spread of the HIV epidemic is greatest in Southern Africa. Over 40 million people world-wide have HIV infection. South Africa has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics with 1000 to 2000 people infected every day. Between 12 and 15% of all South Africans are [...]
Yes. Adults are usually infected with HIV for years while remaining clinically well (asymptomatic HIV infection). Only after this long latent period do the clinical signs of HIV infection develop (symptomatic HIV infection). In children the latent period may be as short as a few months. HIV infection is only called AIDS when the patient [...]
AIDS is the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This is an advanced stage of HIV infection presenting with serious clinical illness. It presents in both adults and children in many different ways. The main feature of AIDS is severe damage to the immune system leading to many viral, bacterial and fungal infections, many of which do [...]
HIV infects the CD4 lymphocytes of the immune system. The CD4 lymphocytes are a special group of white cell which play an important role in protecting the body from infections. HIV introduces its own genes into the nucleus of the CD4 lymphocytes giving instructions to produce millions of new HIV. These HIV are then released [...]
Two types of HIV are recognized: HIV 1 and HIV 2. Most infections in Southern Africa are caused by HIV 1 which has many subtypes (clades). The important subtype in Africa is subtype C while subtype B is the most common subtype in the developed world.
HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The virus is infectious and can be spread from one person to another and is found in most body fluids, e.g. blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk. HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV is a new human virus which was first identified in Paris in 1983. [...]
