HIV and AIDS
HIV is short for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It’s a virus that depletes your immune defence system, which as a result is not able to fight some pathogens. HIV penetrates the white blood cells (CD4 cells, or anciently called T4 cells) and stimulates them to make new viruses. As a result, these cells, which play an essential role in immune defence, die.
The body is usually able to replace these white blood cells, but at some point it becomes harder and harder. That’s when symptoms start to appear. Some serious diseases may develop, which only affect people with a weakened immune system (opportunistic infections). Only when that happens, does the person in question have AIDS, not before.
AIDS is short for Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome. In simple terms, AIDS is something you develop out of HIV and that affects the performance of the immune system, enabling various diseases to develop.
Infection
Treatment
HIV and other STDs