Understanding HIV/AIDS for Children: A Clear Explanation

HIV/AIDS is a major health problem that affects people all around the world. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, while AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. HIV causes AIDS.

Definitions

• HIV is a virus--a very tiny, non-living particle that causes disease. AIDS is a syndrome, meaning a group of medical conditions that all have the same basic cause.

Causes

• You can get HIV from having unprotected sex with someone who has HIV and by sharing needles with someone who has HIV. Some children born to mothers who have HIV also get the virus, according to the HIV/AIDS charity Avert.org.

Features

• HIV attacks cells of the immune system, which is your body's natural way of protecting itself from disease. HIV makes these cells produce more copies of the virus instead of helping protect the body.

Effects

• When the body's immune defenses are weakened, people can become very sick. People with advanced HIV disease, or AIDS, develop diseases in many different parts of their bodies.

Treatment

• There is no cure for HIV. However, medicines called antiretrovirals help slow down HIV, letting people with HIV live longer and be more healthy.

Considerations

• You cannot get HIV from playing with a friend who has HIV, by sharing her drink, or by hugging her. You also cannot get HIV from a bug bite, when someone coughs or sneezes, or by using the bathroom or a swimming pool.