HIV and AIDS

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an infection that attacks the body's immune system, in particular the white blood cells known as CD4+ cells. HIV destroys these cells, weakening the effectiveness of the patient's immune system against infections such as tuberculosis and certain cancers. AIDS (or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is thus associated with HIV. It's important to point out that while it's possible to be HIV-positive without developing the disease, it's also possible to continue transmitting the virus. HIV-AIDS moved from a public health to a development issue in the 2000s, when the world became aware of the impact of this condition on productive populations, businesses and development management structures.