TANZANIA COMMISSION FOR AIDS - Global HIV M&E Information

• HIV-1: the most common cause of AIDS worldwide, except in West Africa where
HIV-2 is relatively common
• HIV-2 appears to be less virulent than HIV-1.
What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome. The meaning of these words
can be explained as follows:
• Acquired: means the conditions are not inherited but are acquired from
environmental factors such as virus infections.
• Immune Deficiency: means that the viruses gradually cause deficient immunity,
which reflects poor nutrition and low resistance to infections and cancers
• Syndrome: means the viruses cause several kinds of diseases, each with
characteristic signs and symptoms. Because the infectious diseases caused by HIV
have so many variable manifestations before AIDS appears, HIV disease is a good
descriptive term to use.
Brief History of HIV/AIDS
The history of HIV/AIDS can be traced back to 1976-1979 when unrecognized cases of
AIDS in human parts appeared in the United States. It was not known exactly how the
AIDS virus initially entered the human population. Theories range from transmission
via monkey bites in Central Africa to contaminated vaccines. We continue to hear and
read about many such theories, but none have yet been proven
From the United States., the virus spread to Europe, Africa, and across the globe. In
Tanzania, the HIV was identified in 1983 when three persons were diagnosed to have
HIV infection. Since then the spread of HIV has not been halted such that by the year
2002, it was approximated two million people had been infected (United Republic of
Tanzania, National HIV/AIDS Policy, 2002). The infection rate is highest among 25-49
year olds (70%).
Page 9