HIV/AIDS

Lore & Background

HIV made the jump from other primates to humans in west-central Africa in the early-to-mid-20th century. AIDS was first recognized by the U.S. The disease is spread primarily by unprotected sex, contaminated needles or blood transfusions, and from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding. Some bodily fluids, such as saliva, sweat, and tears, do not transmit the virus.

Reader's Guide

HIV/AIDS has had a large impact on society, both as an illness and as a source of discrimination, and has large economic impacts. There are many misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, such as the belief that it can be transmitted by casual non-sexual contact. The disease has become subject to many controversies involving religion, including the Catholic Church's position not to support condom use as prevention. It has attracted international medical and political attention as well as large-scale funding since it was identified in the 1980s. The United States' National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Gates Foundation have pledged $200 million focused on developing a global cure for AIDS. Treatment is recommended as soon as diagnosis is made, and an HIV-positive person with an undetectable viral load has effectively no risk of transmitting HIV sexually, communicated as Undetectable = Untransmittable.

Did You Know?

• Without treatment, life expectancy of an individual with HIV is around 11 years.
• An HIV-positive person on treatment can expect to live a normal life and die with the virus, not of it.
• Oral sex has little risk of transmitting the virus.