Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS is a disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS is a potentially fatal disease that develops when HIV goes untreated.
HIV is common in South Africa. Out of all the people in the world living with this virus, one in five are in South Africa.
If you are living with HIV, it is very important to take medication as prescribed by your doctor, as this can protect your health and help prevent AIDS.
After an HIV infection, you will experience initial symptoms such as fever, body aches, diarrhoea, and coughing. After a few days or weeks, these symptoms typically disappear. You will then enter the chronic HIV infection stage, in which you won’t usually notice any symptoms.
If an HIV infection goes untreated and progresses to AIDS, you will likely experience:
HIV attacks your immune system cells, which normally help destroy germs and fight cancer. Therefore, if HIV destroys your white blood cells, you will be much more likely to develop infections and certain forms of cancer, including cancer of the blood cells (lymphoma), cancer of the blood vessels (Kaposi’s sarcoma), or cancers caused by other viruses.
HIV can be spread through:
Modern treatments can keep HIV under control, lowering the number of virus particles in the body. When you don’t take medications, or don’t use them properly, your risk of developing AIDS increases.
If you have HIV, your doctor may regularly perform tests to monitor your health. You will be diagnosed with AIDS if your white blood cell levels drop very low or if you regularly develop infections such as:
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) helps your body fight off HIV. Usually, doctors recommend taking multiple different types of ART that work in different ways to eliminate the virus. This can keep your immune system strong and treat or prevent AIDS.
When you don’t take HIV medications, you are much more likely to have a poor outcome from AIDS. The sooner you start using treatment, the longer you are likely to live.
If you experience complications of AIDS, such as infections or cancer, your doctor will also recommend other treatments to manage these conditions.
Certain strategies can reduce your risk of becoming infected with HIV. Using condoms during sex and choosing clean needles when using drugs can help prevent exposure. Additionally, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP) medication can help protect you from HIV if there is a chance that you will be exposed to it, while post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can prevent infections when you know that you have been exposed to HIV.
If you already have HIV, treatment can lower your chances of developing AIDS. Most people who properly take HIV treatments don’t go on to develop this disease.