George and Lizzy
without HIV.
George and Lizzy
with HIV. They still
look well.
George and Lizzy
have HIV for many
years. They have AIDS.
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HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) are so much in the media and in our daily lives, that finding out you're infected with the virus can seem like a knell of doom. That may have been true back when AIDS first became a public health threat, but it isn't anymore. People with HIV/AIDS are living longer, healthier lives today, thanks to new and effective treatments.
AIDS was first
reported in Los Angeles in 1981.
- A number of
previously healthy men all presented with a rare form of pneumonia.
- They all had
severe immune deficiency.
- they all belonged
to the gay community.
In Central Africa,
health workers diagnosed a disease causing severe weight loss and diarrheoa,
which they called 'Slims Disease'.
- Both
males and females were infected.
- They all had
severe immune deficiency.
- They all belonged
to the heterosexual community.
AIDS is a chronic
disease that severely damages and ultimately destroys the immune system.
It has now become a worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by HIV. The virus
targets the immune system of the body which normally protects it from any
number of viral and other attacks. Individuals infected with HIV may develop
full-blown AIDS, thus making the individual susceptible to a wide range
of life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infections.
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George and Lizzy without HIV. |
George and Lizzy with HIV. They still look well. |
George and Lizzy have HIV for many years. They have AIDS. |