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SEXUAL HEALTH INDEX
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Aids (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the Human Immune Virus (HIV).
It is not a single disease , it is a collection of the most common illnesses [such as tuberculosis] which affect people infected with HIV. The organisms causing some of these illnesses [like thrush] can be quite harmless to people with normal immune systems that are able to fight infections.
However, if the immune system is badly damaged some of them cause severe illness and even death. There is a list of AIDS defining illnesses and when someone with HIV developes some of these conditions, they are said to have AIDS. Some of the conditions are serious illnesses and others are minor. In many cases after an AIDS diagnosis, even with a damaged immune system, people can be treated, and many will have long periods when they are well and able to continue to work and live normal lives as long as they maintain a safe and healthy lifestyle.
