ACT
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is caused by a virus known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV.
HIV attacks the body's immune system, our defence against infection and disease, and weakens it over time. A person who has HIV gradually loses the protection of his or her immune system and begins to experience health problems. These may be fairly small problems at first - skin problems or yeast infections - but over time the illnesses become more serious. The amount of time that it takes HIV to begin to affect a person's health varies widely from one individual to another. When a person is diagnosed with one of the serious illnesses or cancers which are "AIDS-defining," the person is then said to have AIDS
Living with a serious, stigmatized and potentially life-threatening illness can be extremely stressful and difficult. Although someone with HIV may remain in good health for many years, there is a lot of fear, prejudice and misunderstanding in society about HIV/AIDS and the people who have this disease.
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