introduction to hiv and aids. it is bad enough that people are dying of aids, but no one should die...

Introduction to HIV and AIDS

It is bad enough that people are dying of AIDS,

but no one should die of ignorance.

Elizabeth Taylor

UMAN

HIV is a virus that attacks the cells that fight disease.

People who are HIV-positive don't get sick immediately. Instead, the virus slowly wears down the immune system, until the body can no longer fight disease.

Once the immune system is damaged, HIV-positive people develop a group of diseases that are known as AIDS.

People who have the virus are medically known as HIV-positive. A more helpful term to use is “people living with HIV”.

H IV Image copyright Russell Kightley Media

MMUNODEFICIENCY

IRUS

A set of diseases that people get once their immune system is damaged by HIV.

CQUIREDA IDSAcquired means “caught” not inherited

Immunodeficiency means weakness of the immune system

Syndrome means a pattern of signs or symptoms that indicate the presence of a disease

MMUNO

YNDROME

EFICIENCY

HIV is spread through human body fluids, especially blood and sexual fluids.

The most common way to get HIV is:

Other common ways:

mother-to-child transmission

dirty medical equipment

people who inject drugs using unsterile needles

blood products

unprotected male-to-male sex

How do people get HIV?

unprotected heterosexual sex

time

Living with HV combined with antiretroviral therapy is a completely different proposition to living with HIV without treatment.

dying from AIDS

ARV brings hope

vs. living with HIV

Source: UN GLOBAL HIV/AIDS RESPONSE Progress Report 2011

Towards universal access to antiretroviral therapy

Stigma

People living with HIV People diagnosed with AIDS

Children of parents living with HIV Grandparents with families living with HIV

Nurses and doctors Students and teachers

Sick people Healthy people People living positively

This topic is about people.

This study is not about:

victims bad people good people accusing judging

This study is about people affected by HIV and AIDS.

People

Let’s talk more about HIV, let’s get informed.

We know that stigma kills. Let’s ‘Think Wise’,

don’t stigmatise.

Virender Sehwag