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What is HIV?
• HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency
Virus.
• HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
• HIV affects the T-cells (white blood
cells) in the immune system.
• These cells help your body fight diseases.
• Once the virus gets into a cell, it produces
millions of tiny viruses. These viruses will eventually
destroy the cell and move on to another white blood cell.
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Different types of HIV
There are two types of HIV:
1. HIV-1: is the most
dominant form of the virus worldwide
2. HIV-2: is the only
prevalent in Western Africa
Both types of the virus are transmitted the same ways, the
time between initial infection and illness may be longer
for HIV-2 than HIV-1.
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What is AIDS?
• AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome
• AIDS is the condition caused by the virus
HIV.
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How are HIV & AIDS different?
• HIV weakens the person immune system
putting them at risk for OIs (opportunistic infections).
• AIDS is the condition in which someone’s
T-cell (a type of white blood cell) count is below 200.
A person with a non-compromised immune
system has a T-cell count of 500-1600.
OIs can more easily infect the body with
a low T-cell count.
• AIDS is caused by HIV infection
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How is HIV transmitted?
• Vaginal, oral and anal sex
• It can be transmitted from a male to
female or female to male during both oral & vaginal
sex.
• Sharing injectable needles, razors.
• Contact with blood or substances containing
blood
• Mother to child - during pregnancy and
through breast milk
• Blood transfusions before 1986. Since
1987 the US blood supply has been screened. Today, the risk
of receiving an HIV+ unit of blood is 1 in 1.5 million today
(American Red Cross, http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_103_,00.html#721)
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How is HIV NOT transmitted?
• Insect bites
• Casual contact
• Sharing dishes or food
• Donating blood
• Contact with saliva, tears, feces or
urine (unless there is blood present)
• Pets
• Swimming pools and hot tubs
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