Human Immuno Deficiency Virus

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system, the system that fights off infection. It is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). HIV is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, blood, and pregnancy or childbirth from an infected person to another. HIV is a serious global health concern; as of 2019, there were an estimated 38 million people living with HIV worldwide. Treatment for HIV has improved over the past decades, and a person with HIV can still have a normal healthy life with regular medical care and antiretroviral therapy. This therapy helps reduce virus in the body, allowing the person’s immune system to work better, and enabling them to live with HIV for many years. Prevention is key to reducing the spread of HIV, and includes education and awareness, behavior change, condom promotion, testing, and the use of antiretroviral therapy.