AIDS is a chronic disease caused by a virus called the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that infects and destroys CD4 cells, a type of white blood cells responsible for the immune system.

Symptoms of the disease vary according to the stage of infection, but the following common symptoms are observed in all stages: high fever, muscle pain, rash, headache, ulcers in the mouth and genitals, swollen lymph glands, diarrhoea and difficulty in breathing.

HIV infection is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids such as semen and female genitalia discharge. HIV is also transmitted through sexual contact and sexual fluids and secretions from an infected person to a healthy person. The virus is also transmitted through blood transfusions and syringes, as well as from a nursing infected mother to her child during breast feeding.

Although the virus exists in other bodily fluids such as saliva, sweat, tears, and urine, it is not transmitted through any of them, nor is it transmitted through hugging, kissing, shaking hands, or using toilets and towels. People most at risk of contracting ‘acquired’ HIV: are people who have sexually transmitted diseases, and inject drug users, and males who have sex with males. Complications: its effect on the immune system, making it easy for people to develop diseases and different types of cancer.

There is no definitive cure for AIDS to date, but some treatments are used to discourage it.