(a) Define HIV/AIDS. (b) List two causes of HIV/AID.

Answer Details

(a) Definition of HIV/AIDS

HIV means Human Immuno-deficiency Virus. It is the virus that attacks and weakens the body's defence (immune) system, making the body unable to fight off diseases. AIDS means Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is the advanced stage of HIV infection, a condition in which the immune system has become so weak that the body suffers from a collection of infections and diseases it can no longer resist.

(b) Two causes of HIV/AIDS

1. Unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person, which is the most common way the virus is transmitted.
2. Contact with infected blood, for example through blood transfusion of infected blood or the use of unsterilised sharp objects such as needles, syringes, razors and blades shared with an infected person. (Mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding is another cause.)