What are the real causes of AIDS?
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The cause of the disease is a virus.\n\nThe cause of getting the virus is sexual activity, sharing of needles in illicit drug use, and/or blood transfusion.\n\nWhen you separate the cause from how the cause is spread, it is easy to identify the correct answer.\n\nColds are not actually caused by being caught in the rain.  However, getting wet and/or chilled lowers your resistance to the VIRUS that is the actual cause of the disease.  So it is an indirect cause.  The virus is the direct cause.\n\nDoes that help?  I hope so.\n\nSue
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AIDS is the disease caused by the HIV virus.\n\nYou can get infected with HIV if the virus passes into your body from someone else who is already infected.\n\nThere are two main ways this can happen:\n\n1. Through having unprotected (no condom) vaginal or anal sex with someone who has HIV. Oral sex carries a small risk of transmission. There has never been a reported case of transmission through kissing (even deep kissing).\n\n2. Through someone else's infected blood getting directly into your bloodstream, for example through sharing drug or tattoo needles or injecting equipment, or piercing with unsterile equipment. In the first half of the 1980s a number of people were infected from contaminated blood transfusions, but this is very rare now because blood donations are screened. Sometimes HIV is passed from an infected mother to her foetus either in the womb or during birth.\n\nYou CANNOT get HIV through normal non sexual contact, or from sharing eating utensils or from mosquitoes.
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Cancer, Sickle cell, HIV.
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AIDS, per say, say was not "discovered."  It was named. AIDS itself is NOT a disease.  Rather it is the end manisfestation of infection with HIV.  AIDS is a "collection" of opportunistic infections which prey on the immune system which has been compromised by HIV.  HIV infection/AIDS continues to spread in all corners of the world.  It seems that in the US people have again become complacent about it, with rates increasing in all metro areas.  One factor that the increase of infection is being attributed to is the use of Meth.
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Remember, the HIV virus is what CAUSES AIDS. AIDS itself is not the virus. You have to be infected with the HIV virus FIRST before the onset of AIDS, and being infected with HIV does NOT mean that AIDS is imminent.\n\nAccording to Wikipedia, the median survival time after developing AIDS is under 10 months. It is the progression from HIV to AIDS that can be anywhere from a couple months to 20 years.
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They could be.  A person with AIDS has a suppressed immune system, so they are more prone to getting infections, diseases, or cancers than a person without AIDS.  Actually a lot of people with AIDS die not from AIDS itself, but from other dieases that they contract...their immune system is so weak that they can't fight it off and they die from it.
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Unwanted pregnancy, STD's, HIV...just to name a few things.
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Right.  Technically, AIDS is not sexually transmitted.  The virus that causes it, HIV, is sexually transmitted, though.
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There are several diseases uncommon among those with healthy immune systems that tend to strike AIDS patients with such a frequency that they are considered "pathognomic" (i.e., if they exist, then AIDS exists) of AIDS. The most common of these include conditions such as PCP (Pneumocystis carnii pneumonia) and Kaposi's sarcoma (a type of cancer).
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well AIDS is caused by HIV retrovirus . it affects the immune system by drastically reducing the number of white blood cells in the blood stream . if a person gets AIDS he/she is prone 2 evry disease in the wrld cuz of their weak immune system. a person has 2 b HIV positive 2 determine if he/she has AIDS . a person might eventually die of  AIDS . i said MIGHT therez a chance of survival ... but the person has 2 take a regular dosage of medicines 2 keep away frum diseases and there are chances of the disease spreading to the affected pplz children 2 . once again i sad CHANCES. hope i helped.\n\ncheers\nanu
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by getting HIV.  AIDS is the symptom
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This is a pet topic of mine...\n\nThe origin of AIDS and HIV has puzzled scientists ever since the illness first came to light in the early 1980s. For over twenty years it has been the subject of fierce debate and the cause of countless arguments, with everything from a promiscuous flight attendant to a suspect vaccine program being blamed. So what it the truth? Just where did AIDS come from?\n\nThe first 'officially recognized' cases of "AIDS" occurred in the USA in the early 1980s (the real origin was later recognized to be Africa and a lot earlier than 1980). A number of gay men in New York and San Francisco suddenly began to develop rare opportunistic infections and cancers that seemed stubbornly resistant to any treatment. At this time, AIDS did not yet have a name, but it quickly became obvious that all the men were suffering from a common syndrome. The discovery of HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus that causes AIDS was made soon after. While some were initially resistant to the connection (and indeed remain so today), there is now clear evidence to prove that HIV does cause AIDS. So, in order to find the source of AIDS, it is necessary to look for the origin of HIV, and find out How, When and Where HIV first began to cause disease in humans.\n\nOne theory of the origin of AIDS is that it developed in the Belgian Congo from contaminated vaccines used in the world's first mass immunization for polio. There are a number of reasons why this theory is plausible enough to be worthy of further investigation.\n\n1. The location coincides dramatically. The earliest known cases of AIDS occurred in central Africa, in the same regions where Koprowski's polio vaccine was given to over a million people in 1957-1960.\n\n2. The timing coincides. There is no documented case of HIV infection or AIDS before 1959. Centuries of the slave trade and European exploitation of Africa exposed Africans and others to all other diseases then known; it is implausible that HIV could have been present and spreading in Africa without being recognized.\n\n3. Polio vaccines are grown (cultured) on monkey kidneys which could have been contaminated by SIVs. Polio vaccines could not be screened for SIV contamination before 1985.\n\n4. Another monkey virus, SV-40, is known to have been passed to humans through polio vaccines. A specific pool of Koprowski's vaccine was later shown to have been contaminated by an unknown virus.\n\n5. In order for a virus to infect a different species, it is helpful to reduce the resistance of the new host's immune system. Koprowski's polio vaccine was given to many children less than one month old, before their immune systems were fully developed. Indeed, in one trial, infants were given 15 times the standard dose in order to ensure effective immunization.\n\nIf this theory is correct, it has serious ethical, health and policy implications. In particular, it points to the danger of interspecies transfer of material through vaccinations, organ transplants, etc., which could lead to new variants of AIDS as well as other new diseases. As well, studying the theory may lead to insights about responding to AIDS and preventing new diseases.\n\nHowever, there has been no sustained attempt to test the theory. This could be done, for example, by testing stocks of polio vaccine for the presence of SIV. An offer to undertake tests was made as early as 1991; only in 2000 were some samples tested, and then only US-made vaccine. Another possibility would be to test stored blood samples in Africa from before 1950. If HIV is found, this would undermine the theory.\n\nAlthough the theory has not been properly examined, many people seem to believe it has been refuted. Hilary Koprowski published a letter in Science in 1992 attacking the theory. In 1993, Rolling Stone, which had published a widely publicized article by Tom Curtis about the theory, published an "update", interpreted by Science as a
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Myth & Reality of HIV AIDS (Myth is nothing but perception)\n\nMYTH: HIV or AIDS can be cured.\n\nREALITY: To date, there is no cure for HIV or AIDS and there are no vaccines to prevent HIV infection.\n\nMYTH: HIV/AIDS is a gay disease.\n\nREALITY: Anyone is susceptible to HIV/AIDS, regardless of their sexual orientation. Everyone is potentially at risk of getting HIV if they share needles or practice unsafe sex. Worldwide, HIV is spread most often through heterosexual contact.\n\nMYTH: You can get HIV from breathing the air around an HIV-infected person or from hugging or holding hands with an HIV-infected person.\n\nREALITY: HIV cannot be transmitted through:\n• toilet seats or door-knob handles\n• touching, hugging, holding hands, or cheek kissing with an HIV-infected person.\n• sharing eating utensils with an HIV-infected person.\n• mosquito bites.\nHIV is transmitted through contact with an HIV-positive person’s infected body fluids, such as semen, pre-ejaculate fluid, vaginal fluids, blood, or breast milk. HIV can also be transmitted through needles used for injecting drugs, tattooing or body piercing.\n\nMYTH: I can get HIV by sharing exercise equipment or playing sports with an HIV-positive person.\n\nREALITY: Contact with sweat or tears has never been shown to result in transmission of HIV.\n\nMYTH: You can get HIV by kissing an HIV-infected person.\n\nREALITY: Casual contact through closed-mouth or “social” kissing is not a risk for transmission of HIV. There is a theoretical potential for contact with blood during “French” kissing or open-mouthed kissing, but no cases have been attributed to any kind of kissing.\n\nMYTH: You cannot get HIV if you are using birth control methods like diaphragms, cervical caps, sponges, spermicides, DepoProvera, Norplant, or the Pill.\n\nREALITY: These birth control methods do not prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) such as HIV. They only aim to prevent pregnancy. The surest way to prevent both pregnancy and an STD infections is through abstinence. One way people who are sexually active may prevent pregnancy and STD infection is to use a condom in combination with another form of birth control, such as a diaphragm, cervical cap, sponge, spermicide, DepoProvera, Norplant, or the Pill. Birth control products containing the spermicide nonoxynol-9 (found in most contraceptive creams, gels, suppositories, foams, films and sponges) help to prevent pregnancy but may increase the risk of HIV.\n\nMYTH: I can’t have more than one sexually transmitted disease (STD) at a time.\n\nREALITY: A person can be infected with more than one STD. A person with an untreated STD may also be 6-10 times more likely to pass on or acquire HIV during sex. Risk for infection increases 10 to 300-fold in the presence of a genital ulcer, such as occurs in syphilis or genital herpes.\n\nMYTH: There is so such thing as safer sex.\n\nREALITY: Safer sex is sexual activity without penetration, or sex with a latex condom or a latex barrier (in the case of oral sex). Although safer sex can substantially reduce the sexual transmission of an STD like HIV, sexual abstinence is the surest way to prevent the sexual transmission of an STD, including HIV.\n\nMYTH: Since I only have oral sex, I’m not at risk for HIV/AIDS.\n\nREALITY: While oral sex is of lower risk than other forms of sex, you can get HIV by having oral sex with a man or a woman. It is important to use a latex barrier during oral, vaginal, or anal sex.\n\nMYTH: I would know if a loved one or I had HIV.\n\nREALITY: A person with HIV may not show any symptoms for many years. Since HIV affects each person differently, many people with HIV can look and feel healthy for years. The only sure way to know is to get tested.\n\nMYTH: Getting tested for HIV is pointless.\n\nREALITY: Knowing if you are HIV-positive will allow you to seek early treatment that can help you stay healthy longer and enable you not to pass on the vir
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Aids is a sexually transmitted disease AKA, STD. Aids is when you body suddenly in incapable to kill viruses that are easily transmitted and common, aids is a fatal disease because it highly effects your immune system.\n\nAids is hard to be transmitted, in fact you need to go out of your way to transmit aids. Although aids is a virus, aids can only be transmitted 2 ways, 1: when sharing un-cleaned needles with an infected person and their body fluid enters your bloodstream, and 2: during sexual intercourse with a partner whom is infected with aids. \n\nAlthough traces of aids can be found in natural body fluids (sweat, saliva, tears...) you cannot get aids by sharing a towel with an infected partner. In fact scientist and doctors believe that you need at least a quart of infected fluid in your bloodstream to achieve aids.Therefore, no you cannot get aids unless you have sex with an infected person, or you have several amounts of infected fluid in your bloodstream.
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The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). ‘Acquired’ means not inherited. ‘Immune deficiency’ means a breakdown in the body’s immune system. ‘Syndrome’ refers to a range of diseases that may be associated with another disease.\n\nIn this case, diseases that take advantage of the body’s weakened immune system are used to define the onset of AIDS. In Australia, HIV is most commonly spread by sexual intercourse without a condom and through sharing needles, syringes and other injecting equipment.\n\nSymptoms\nSymptoms of HIV are common to a number of other illnesses. If you think you have been put at risk of getting HIV, or if you have any of the signs below (or a combination of them) for a month or longer, you should consult your doctor. Symptoms can include: \n\nFlu-like symptoms \nExtreme and constant tiredness \nFevers, chills and night sweats \nRapid weight loss for no known reason \nSwollen lymph glands in the neck, underarm or groin area \nWhite spots or unusual marks in the mouth \nSkin marks or bumps, either raised or flat, usually painless and purplish \nContinuous coughing or a dry cough \nDiarrhoea \nDecreased appetite.\nHow it is spread \nSomeone who has HIV may not have any symptoms, but they carry the virus and could pass it on through blood or body fluids. HIV can be spread in a number of ways, including: \nUnprotected vaginal or anal sex with someone who has HIV \nSharing injecting equipment and needles with someone who has HIV \nFrom a mother who has HIV to a child during pregnancy, birth or via breastfeeding \nUnprotected oral sex with someone who has HIV (this is less common).\nHIV can’t be spread by social contact\nThere is no evidence to suggest that HIV is spread by ordinary social or family contact such as hugging, shaking hands, sharing household items or through toilets seats, swimming pools or pets. HIV doesn’t live long outside of the body. It can be killed by ordinary household bleach, or soap and warm water.\n\nSafe sex explained\nSafe sex means sex where semen, vaginal secretions or blood are not exchanged between sexual partners. Some safe sexual activities include: \nMutual masturbation \nTouching \nCuddling \nBody-to-body rubbing \nErotic massage. \nCondoms \nUsing condoms properly during intercourse (anal and vaginal) will greatly reduce the risk of spreading HIV. Condoms must be used correctly and with plenty of lubricant. Water-based lubricant should be used, as other types of lubricants will cause condoms to break. Female condoms are also available and should also be used with lubricants. \n\nSafe sex can prevent infection\nHIV can be spread by unprotected anal or vaginal sex with someone who has HIV. Safe sex is recommended if either partner has HIV or if either partner is unsure of whether they have HIV. Other sexually transmissible infections (STIs) such as herpes, chlamydia and gonorrhoea can also be spread by unprotected sex. If either partner has an STI, or if either partner is unsure of whether they have an STI, safe sex is also recommended. HIV infection is more readily acquired or transmitted if either partner is infected with another STI.\n\nHIV and oral sex\nUnprotected oral sex is low risk for spreading HIV but using a condom or avoiding ejaculation into the mouth is recommended when either partner has ulcers or bleeding gums, or has recently brushed or flossed their teeth. Condom use may also prevent the spread of other STIs such as herpes, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. These STIs may be spread more easily by unprotected oral sex.\n\nHIV and deep kissing\nOnly very small amounts of HIV are found in the saliva of people who have HIV. For you to get HIV, a lot of saliva would need to get into your blood via ulcers or bleeding gums. Deep kissing is a low risk behaviour for spreading HIV.\n\nHIV and blood products\nSince May 1985, all blood donations in Australia have been tested for HIV. This means that blood transfusion
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There is much misconception about this.\nThe Human Immunodefeciency Virus, aka HIV is a virus (obviously) that infects humans, specifically recognising cd4 and cd8 receptors. \nAuto Immunodeficency Syndrom, aka AIDS, is a condition when you the amount of white blood cells in your blood drops below a certain level.\n\nHIV infections, in the latter stages, can lead to AIDS.\nBut other things can cause AIDS. AIDS is not only caused by HIV.\n\nOh, point of note - you don't die from HIV or AIDS. You actually die from a secondary infection, due to having AIDS. Feel free to contact me for more info.
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You can find a complete answer to your question at:\n\nwww.aids.about.com