Aids in Mauritius
What is AIDS?
AIDS, which stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is a human disease caused by HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. In this disease, the immune system gradually becomes less effective, which leads to more and more opportunistic infections and tumors. It is transmitted when a bodily fluid, for example blood, semen, or breast milk, of an infected individual comes into direct contact with a mucous membrane or blood stream of another individual. Although most commonly thought of as a sexually transmitted disease, it can be transmitted through several kinds of exposure to infected bodily fluids, such as a blood transfusion or the use of infected hypodermic needles. It can also be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, during childbirth, and through breastfeeding. AIDS was first recognized in the 1980s and is now a pandemic, affecting over 33 million people around the world. Each year, over 2 million people die from the disease. The majority of cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease originated, and where poor economic conditions and limited sex education have exacerbated the pandemic. There is currently no vaccine or cure for HIV or AIDS, though treatments have been developed which can slow the disease's course. The most effective treatments are intensive and expensive, and thus access to them is limited in many parts of the world. Because of this, the most important aspect of fighting the AIDS pandemic is prevention, by educating individuals about the disease, encouraging them to practice safe sex, and providing them with clean needles if they are drug users.
AIDS is a medical condition. A person is diagnosed with AIDS when their immune system is too weak to fight off infections.
Since AIDS was first identified in the early 1980s, an unprecedented number of people have been affected by the global AIDS epidemic. Today, there are an estimated 33.3 million people living with HIV and AIDS worldwide.
What causes
AIDS, which stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is a human disease caused by HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. In this disease, the immune system gradually becomes less effective, which leads to more and more opportunistic infections and tumors. It is transmitted when a bodily fluid, for example blood, semen, or breast milk, of an infected individual comes into direct contact with a mucous membrane or blood stream of another individual. Although most commonly thought of as a sexually transmitted disease, it can be transmitted through several kinds of exposure to infected bodily fluids, such as a blood transfusion or the use of infected hypodermic needles. It can also be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, during childbirth, and through breastfeeding. AIDS was first recognized in the 1980s and is now a pandemic, affecting over 33 million people around the world. Each year, over 2 million people die from the disease. The majority of cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease originated, and where poor economic conditions and limited sex education have exacerbated the pandemic. There is currently no vaccine or cure for HIV or AIDS, though treatments have been developed which can slow the disease's course. The most effective treatments are intensive and expensive, and thus access to them is limited in many parts of the world. Because of this, the most important aspect of fighting the AIDS pandemic is prevention, by educating individuals about the disease, encouraging them to practice safe sex, and providing them with clean needles if they are drug users.
AIDS is a medical condition. A person is diagnosed with AIDS when their immune system is too weak to fight off infections.
Since AIDS was first identified in the early 1980s, an unprecedented number of people have been affected by the global AIDS epidemic. Today, there are an estimated 33.3 million people living with HIV and AIDS worldwide.
What causes