• Introduction
• AIDS and HIV:
  The Basics
• Transmission
  of HIV
• AIDS and HIV in Schools
• Protecting School Employees Against HIV Infection
• Rights of HIV-Infected Staff and Students
• UFT Services for HIV-Infected Staff
• AIDS Education in the Schools
• Obtaining More Information About AIDS

AIDS and HIV: The Basics

What is AIDS? How is it different from HIV infection?

HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, causes AIDS. HIV damages the body’s immune system, eventually crippling its ability to fight off other diseases.

AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is the name for the later stages of HIV infection when the body is attacked by serious diseases it can’t resist. These illnesses (called “opportunistic infections” because the weakened immune system gives them the opportunity to develop) may include pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), pulmonary tuberculosis, Kaposi’s sarcoma (a rare cancer) and invasive cervical cancer.

How long can a person live with HIV/AIDS?

People can look and feel healthy for many years after being infected with HIV. But the virus remains in their bodies.

For most people, after about 10 years of incubation, the immune system will begin to weaken and a series of opportunistic infections eventually will lead to death.

How is HIV diagnosed?

HIV infection can be diagnosed with a series of blood tests that detect the presence of HIV antibodies rather than the virus itself. Antibodies are proteins the body produces in response to an infection.

People whose blood contains HIV antibodies are said to be HIV-positive. That means they have been infected and can spread the virus through the routes of transmission described below.

What are the symptoms of HIV infection?

Initially a person infected with HIV may not have any symptoms. As the virus begins to damage the immune system, however, the following symptoms may appear: fatigue, night sweats or fevers that don’t go away, severe diarrhea and weight loss, and/or swollen lymph glands.

Can HIV infection be cured or controlled with medication?

Although there is no cure for HIV at this time, drugs have been developed that can slow the progression of HIV to AIDS in some people. Eating a healthy diet and reducing stress also appear to keep the immune system strong.

Scientists are now developing and testing medications that can slow the reproduction of the HIV virus, boost the immune system or treat the various infections associated with AIDS.

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