What Is HIV?

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What Is HIV?

3 Answers

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Answer 1

The widely known term HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

The virus is particularly infectious due to the way it metabolises itself, by feeding off cells in the body to multiply and spread. More specifically, HIV attacks the human immune system by attacking white blood cells which affect our ability to fight everyday infections.

Upon contraction a short flu-like bout may occur, but not always. After this period, 6-12 weeks after infection, the body will have made lots of antibodies to try and fight the HIV. This is the point where one can be tested and found to be HIV Positive.

Persons who are HIV Positive will go on to feel perfectly well for a long time. Over the course of time the virus will continue to destroy the immune system until the infected individual will start to show the symptoms of AIDS.

If there is no treatment being given during the HIV Positive stage the AIDS infection may take around nine years to appear, when things start to rapidly deteriorate.

See What is AIDS? for more information.

Answer 2

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is a disease that occurs when HIV breaks down the body's immune system and is unable to fight off infections, known as "opportunistic infections," and other illnesses that takes advantage of a weakened immune system

Answer 3

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is what causes AIDS (Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome). HIV was first identified in 1983 by researchers working in France and the United States. It belongs to the class of viruses known as retroviruses.
HIV gradually degrades the quality of the body's immune system, making it less and less able to fight off infection. Eventually a person with AIDS falls prey to an infectious agent which would not normally present a serious problem to someone with a fully-functioning immune system.
HIV exists in the bodily fluids of an infected person. It can be spread through sexual contact, the sharing of needles, and it can be passed from a pregnant woman to the child in her womb.
Despite extensive research, no cure or vaccine for HIV has yet been found, though drugs which retard the progression of the virus within an infected person's body exist and are in widespread use in wealthier countries.