I have come to the conclusion that HIV/AIDS is not entirely about death. People die and will continue to die for one reason or the other. AIDS is also about the living.
HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection, attacks the immune system. It eventually causes AIDS, which stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. With cases first recognised in the United States in 1981, AIDS increases the risk of many infections and tumours.
In 2013, the highest HIV prevalence was Swaziland, where 27%, or almost 3 in every 10 people aged 15 to 49 years, were HIV positive. All ten territories with the highest prevalence of HIV are in Central and Southeastern Africa. The highest absolute number of people with HIV live in South Africa, followed by Nigeria and India.
Transmission of HIV is through sex, using infected needles and in the womb. Infected children are not shown here. HIV/AIDS often has an acquired social stigma.
