HIV/AIDS: How does HIV cause AIDS?


	Overview \| Facts at a Glance \| FAQ \| Libraries \| Organizations \| News Summaries
	Global Health Reporting How does HIV cause AIDS? HIV destroys CD4+ T cells that are important to the normal function of the human immune system. As the virus destroys these cells, HIV-positive people are susceptible to illnesses that generally do not affect people with healthy immune systems. According to studies including thousands of people, most HIV-positive people are infected with the virus for years before it does enough damage to the immune system to make them susceptible to AIDS-related diseases. Tests are available to measure the amount of HIV in the blood – the viral load – and those with higher viral loads are more likely to develop AIDS-related diseases and to experience a decline in their CD4+ T cells. Reducing the amount of virus in the body with antiretroviral medications can dramatically slow the destruction of a person's immune system and the progression of illness. Overview Facts at a Glance FAQ Libraries Organizations

What factors make women more vulnerable to HIV infection?

A combination of biological, social, cultural and economic factors contribute to women's increased vulnerability. In particular, gender inequalities prevent women from asserting power over their own lives and controlling the circumstances that increase their vulnerability to infection. Women are also physiologically more susceptible to becoming infected with HIV than men.

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Kaiser Provides Online Coverage of International AIDS Conference; Broadcast-Quality Daily Highlight Videos Available for Media
In partnership with the International AIDS Society, kaisernetwork.org provided online access to the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. More than 75 webcasts and transcripts of conference sessions are available online, in addition to English-language podcasts. Journalists are also able to download daily broadcast-quality highlight videos of the conference. For more information, please click here.

2008 AIDS Report

UNAIDS/WHO, 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic Update, July 2008
The annual AIDS epidemic update reports on the latest developments in the global AIDS epidemic.

Global HIV/AIDS Timeline
An interactive web-based timeline designed to serve as an ongoing reference tool for many of the political, scientific, cultural, and community events that have occurred from 1981 to today.