Aids/HIV

HIV/AIDS

• HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes the illness, AIDS.
• HIV is a slow retrovirus, which means that it takes years to show symptoms
• It invades the white blood cells in the blood by literally writing itself backwards into them and reproducing itself inside the cells.
• White cells produce the antibodies that are the body’s main defence against disease
• Without white bloodcelss the body becomes a target for everyday infection.

Transmission:

• Exchange the body fluids during sexual intercourse
• Contaminated needles in intravenous drug use
• Contaminated blood transfusions
• From mother to child during pregnancy

Patterns:

• See a spread of HIV in 1970's first among homosexuals, bisexuals and drug users then later in th general population which in cludes North America, Australia and Western Europe.
• Countries where the spread has been between heterosexual contact which include Sub-saharan Africa with a ratio of women to men being 60:40. In 2005 half a million transmissions was from mum to baby.
• Disease apperead later in 1980's aqns was bought in by travellers and from blood tranfusions in places…