Testing for HIV at Ojom lab, Katine. Photograph: Dan Chung What is HIV/Aids? HIV or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus has evolved to live inside cells called lymphocytes that are produced by the human body to protect it against infection by micro-organisms such as bacteria. The virus invades and kills these cells disrupting the immune system and leaving the person vulnerable to infections that can make them sick and may eventually kill them. HIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus. It is made up of proteins and a genetic material called RNA, and when it enters a lymphocyte it hijacks the...
photo: Public Domain
