AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among people aged 25 - 44 in the United States, down from number one in 1995. About 25 million people worldwide have died from this infection since the start of the epidemic, and 40.3 million people around the world are currently living with HIV/AIDS.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS. The virus attacks the immune system and leaves the body vulnerable to a variety of life-threatening infections and cancers.
Common bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses that ordinarily do not cause serious disease in people with healthy immune systems can cause fatal illnesses in people with AIDS.
HIV has been found in saliva, tears, nervous system tissue and spinal fluid, blood, semen (including pre-seminal fluid, which is the liquid that comes out prior to ejaculation), vaginal fluid, and breast milk. However, only blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk generally transmit infection to others.
The virus can be transmitted:
Through sexual contact -- including oral, vaginal, and anal sex
Through blood -- via blood transfusions (now extremely rare in the US) or needle sharing
From mother to child -- a pregnant woman can transmit the virus to her fetus through their shared blood circulation, or a nursing mother can transmit it to her baby in her milk
Other transmission methods are rare and include accidental needle injury, artificial insemination with infected donated semen, and organ transplantation with infected organs.
HIV infection is not spread by casual contact such as hugging, by touching items previously touched by a person infected with the virus, during participation in sports, or by mosquitoes.
It is NOT transmitted to a person who DONATES blood or organs. Those who donate organs are never in direct contact with those who receive them. Likewise, a person who donates blood is not in contact with the person receiving it. In all these procedures, sterile needles and instruments are used.
However, HIV can be transmitted to a person RECEIVING blood or organs from an infected donor.
Pulmonary tuberculosis (9 images)
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(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pulmonary tuberculosis(TB) is a contagious bacterial infection that mainly involves the lungs, but may spread to other organs.Pulmonary tuberculosis is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis(M. tuberculosis). You can get tuberculosis by...Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 09/17/2008
Encephalitis(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Encephalitis is irritation and swelling(inflammation) of the brain, usually due to infections.Encephalitis is most often caused by a viral infection. Many types of viruses may cause it. Reviewer: Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 09/28/2008
Meningitis - meningococcal (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Meningococcal meningitis is an infection that causes swelling and irritation(inflammation) of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 09/28/2008
Cholera (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that causes a large amount of watery diarrhea.Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria releases a toxin that causes increased release of water in the intestines, which produces...Reviewer: George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 02/21/2009
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) is a serious form of pneumonia, caused by a virus isolated in 2003. Infection with the SARS virus results in acute respiratory distress(severe breathing diffculty) and sometimes death. Reviewer: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Section Chief, Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Bridgeport Hospital-Yale New Haven Health System, and Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Date: 03/02/2009
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