HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV)

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).  Scientists believe a virus similar to HIV first occurred in some populations of chimps and monkeys in Africa, where they're hunted for food. Contact with an infected monkey's blood during butchering or cooking may have allowed the virus to cross into humans and become HIV. HIV attacks the immune system, resulting in a chronic, progressive illness that leaves infected people vulnerable to opportunistic infections and cancers. The median time from infection to AIDS diagnosis now exceeds 10 years. AIDS is fatal if left untreated. There is no cure for AIDS yet.

The following activities can place a person at high-risk for HIV infection:

During sex. You may become infected if you have vaginal, anal or oral sex with an infected partner whose blood, semen or vaginal secretions enter your body. The virus can enter your body through mouth sores or small tears that sometimes develop in the rectum or vagina during sexual activity.

Blood transfusions. In some cases, the virus may be transmitted through blood transfusions. American hospitals and blood banks now screen the blood supply for HIV antibodies, so this risk is very small.

Sharing needles. HIV can be transmitted through needles and syringes contaminated with infected blood. Sharing intravenous drug paraphernalia puts you at high risk of HIV and other infectious diseases such as hepatitis.

From mother to child. Infected mothers can infect their babies during pregnancy or delivery, or through breast-feeding. But if women receive treatment for HIV infection during pregnancy, the risk to their babies is significantly reduced.

 HIV can not Transmitted by following activities

Unfortunately, there are still many myths around HIV. A person cannot be infected through:

•    Mosquito bites 
•    Urine or sweat 
•    Public toilets, saunas, showers or swimming pools 
•    Sharing towels, linen or clothing 
•    Going to school with, socialising or working with HIV-positive people 
•    Sharing cutlery or crockery 
•    Sneezes or coughs 
•    Touching, hugging or dry kissing a person with HIV 
•    (Sexual) contact with animals, since HIV is strictly a human virus and is not carried by animals 

In South Africa, blood donated for transfusions or blood products is screened for antibodies to HIV and for viral RNA (genomes). Any contaminated blood is discarded. The probability of HIV infection via blood transfusion in this country is therefore extremely low, but transmission can still occur because even these highly sensitive tests cannot always detect very early HIV infection in a donor. (See "the window period" in the section on HIV tests.)