1. HIV, like other virus, is very small i.e too small to be seen by an ordinary microscope. To replicate, HIV must enter the white blood cell, which in this case is an immune cell.
2. It interferes with the cells that defend us against infection.
3. HIV leaves the body poorly defended against the particular types of diseases which these cells normally deal with.
4. Infections that develop because HIV has weakened the immune system are called ‘opportunistic infections’. These include respiratory infections e.g . Tuberculosis; Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia; gastrointestinal infections e.r. candidiasis in the mouth or diarrhoea; and brain infections e.g toxoplasmosis or cryptococcal meningitis . Some people may also develop cancers; e.g. Kaposi’s, a cancer which affects the skin.
5. HIV is transmitted from one person to the other in ways very similar to that of Hepatitis B, i.e. infection occurring via blood and blood products and body fluids. Sexual intercourse, sharing injection needles or transfusion of infected blood is the three most common routes of transmission. Fortunately, the communicability of HIV is 100 fold less than that of Hepatitis B virus. But the consequences of HIV infection are much more serious. Therefore, in general, the precautions required for attending patients with AIDS and HIV infections are identical with those for Hepatitis B.
