Background
- AIDS is an infection of human lymphocytes (types of white blood cells) and other organs. It is caused by a retrovirus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Sexual intercourse, needle injections, transfusions, trans-placental or trans-vaginal routes, breast milk or other direct contact with infected human body fluids transmits the virus from human to human.
- Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) results in late-stage HIV infection and immuno-suppression, with reduced numbers and function to T-lymphocytes. Primary HIV-related organ involvement and a variety of opportunistic infections result in death unless the growth of the virus is stopped by drugs that can kill the virus (antiretroviral therapy). When HIV infection progresses to illness, the symptoms are usually due to the failure of the immune system to resist other infectious diseases called opportunistic infections (OI). These include tuberculosis, bacterial pneumonia or sepsis, oro-pharyngeal candidiasis, chronic diarrhoea, chronic skin infections, recurrent herpes zoster, and others.
- Close to twenty-six million Africans, close to one in ten adults between the ages of 15 and 49 years of age, are living with HIV/AIDS. The impact of the epidemic is already measurable in greatly increased adult and child morbidity and mortality. HIV/AIDS is now the leading cause of adult mortality in the African Region.
- Incubation period is approximately 1 to 3 months from the time of infection to the time that antibodies can be detected in a laboratory process. The time from HIV infection to the onset of AIDS is generally 7 to 9 years.
- Risk factors: populations at high risk of acquiring HIV are commercial sex workers with or without other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Some STIs may increase HIV transmission. Others at risk include intravenous drug users (IDU), recipients of unscreened blood products and neonates born to HIV-infected mothers.
- Tuberculosis, visceral leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, and other subacute or chronic bacterial, parasitic, and viral infections may cause similar syndromes.
