What Does "AIDS" Mean?

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome:

Acquired means you can get infected with it.
Immune Deficiency means a weakness in the body's immune system that fights diseases.
Syndrome means there's a group of health problems that make up the disease.

AIDS is caused by a virus called HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. If you get infected with HIV, your body will try to fight the infection.

How Do You Get AIDS?

You can't actually "get" AIDS. You could get infected with HIV, and you might develop AIDS later on.

You can get HIV from anyone who is infected.

Even if they don't look sick
Even if they haven't tested HIV-positive yet

The first cases of AIDS were identified in the United States in 1981.

Scientists believe HIV came from the sooty mangabey monkey. The new study says that HIV came about when two sooty mangabey monkey viruses joined together in a chimpanzee to form a third virus capable of infecting humans. This new virus was later transmitted to humans to become HIV-1.

HIV can be spread by blood, semen, breast milk, and other body fluids or tissue containing blood.

HIV and AIDS are deadly diseases! They destroy your body cell by cell.

At first, the infected person may appear to have the flu. It goes away soon, so nobody really thinks there's a problem. Meanwhile the virus is killing more helper T cells (which are the directors of the immune system). Without the T cells there is no one to direct the B cells to fight off the virus.

Symptoms of HIV are having severe headaches, fever, being tired and/or faint, sore muscles and joints, and enlarged swollen lymph nodes or a skin rash for one or two weeks. Some people have no symptoms.

You are at high risk of getting AIDS if you use drugs, are a prostitute, are homosexual, or are sexually active.

Having multiple sexual partners puts you at high risk for contracting HIV AIDS.

If you give birth when you are HIV AIDS positive this is what can happen to your child.

If you have a friend or family member with AIDS don't be alarmed to be with them. AIDS cannot be spread by sharing a pencil or sharing a basketball.

HIV is starting to affect more children. It is commonly found among runaways.

There is no cure for AIDS

To protect yourself from AIDS you can 1) USE condoms!! 2) Don't share needles with ANYONE! 3) Don't Do Drugs.