AIDS facts for kids

HIV virus going out of a cell

Red ribbon – the symbol of the fight against AIDS

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a serious disease. It is caused by a tiny living thing called a virus. This virus is known as HIV.

Let's break down the name "Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome":

• Acquired means you are not born with it. People get AIDS after they are infected with the HIV virus. It's something you pick up later in life.
• Immune or Immuno- refers to your immune system. This is your body's special team that fights off diseases and keeps you healthy.
• Deficiency means "not enough." So, an immuno-deficiency means your immune system is damaged. It can't fight off diseases well anymore.
• Syndrome is a group of symptoms or problems that happen together. Because the immune system is weak, people with AIDS get many different health problems. These problems together are called the "Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome."

How many people have AIDS?

In 2018, experts thought about 39.7 million people around the world had HIV. The HIV pandemic (a widespread disease) is most serious in Sub-Saharan Africa. More than 60% of all people with HIV live in this area.

Many people with HIV do not know they have it. Because of this, the exact number of people with HIV is not fully known.

Images for kids

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  A close-up picture of HIV-1 (colored green) leaving a cell.

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  How the HIV virus makes copies of itself inside a cell.

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  This graph shows how HIV copies and special immune cells change over time if HIV is not treated.

    CD4+ T Lymphocyte count (cells/mm³)

    HIV RNA copies per mL of plasma
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  A quick test for HIV being used.

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  An Oraquick home HIV test kit.

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  An AIDS clinic in McLeod Ganj, India, in 2010.

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  Stribild – a common medicine for HIV. It helps people with HIV stay healthy.

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  This graph shows how new HIV cases and deaths from HIV/AIDS have changed over the years.

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  A report from 1981 that first talked about the disease later called "AIDS."

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  These animals are sources of viruses similar to HIV. From left to right: the African green monkey, the sooty mangabey, and the chimpanzee.

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  Ryan White became famous for having HIV. He was a symbol for people fighting against the disease.

See also

In Spanish: VIH/sida para niños