HIV and AIDS

The article "Quality TV drama takes realistic look at AIDS" on Oct. 3 again demonstrates a lack of clear understanding of the difference between HIV and AIDS, in noting that "There are more than 700 AIDS registered patients nationwide."

Actually, as I noted in a previous letter, up until recently the statistics released by the Ministry of Health have quoted the number of identified cases of HIV infection (744 as at end August 1998) and the number of those cases which are known to have progressed to AIDS (207 as at the same date). Since in future, only the number of diagnosed AIDS cases will be reported, it is important that we are clear about the difference, or else we may assume that the number of cases has reduced.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is a virus that people can become infected with and that they can then pass on to other people. Infection with this virus is detected by testing the blood for presence of antibodies which the body produces to try to fight the infection. These antibodies are not present in sufficient quantities to be detected until several weeks or even months after infection -- this is called the Window Period. However, people infected by HIV can immediately start passing on the virus to others; in fact, they are at their most infectious during the Window Period.

HIV attacks the body immune system, slowly reducing its ability to fight infections. A person infected with HIV may look and feel perfectly well for many years and they may not know that they are infected. Then, as the person's immune system weakens they become vulnerable to illnesses, many of which they would normally fight off.

When a person is infected with HIV they are likely, as time goes by, to be ill more and more often. A person is said to have AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ) when, on average, 10 years or more after first being infected with HIV, they have developed one or more of a number of particularly severe illnesses. Examples of these illnesses are tuberculosis, forms of cancer and severe fungal infections. With diagnosis of these infections, together with testing which identifies antibodies to HIV in the blood, the HIV-infected person is considered as having what is sometimes called "full-blown AIDS."

During the period when the person infected with HIV has no symptoms of illness, they look no different from anyone else -- in fact their only difference is the invisible presence of the virus in their bodies. Since HIV infection is extremely difficult to transmit to others except by sexual relations or by contaminated needles, no special precautions are required by family, friends or coworkers in their relationship with an HIV- infected person, except to avoid unprotected sex or sharing needles.

CHRIS W. GREEN

Jakarta