| " Sub-Saharan Africa is thought to be most blighted by the virus, but it poses a huge problem across much of the developing world, where the latest drugs to control infection are not always readily available. " " The virus is transmitted from person to person through blood and some other bodily fluids such as semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk. " " The virus attacks the person's natural defence against disease - the immune system - weakening it over time. " " They are likely to become more ill with time as their immune system fails and is less able to fight off other illnesses. " " When their immune system has become very damaged or they become sick with a number of particularly severe illnesses, usually around 10 years after they first became infected with HIV, they are said to have AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. " " Someone who is HIV positive may feel perfectly healthy and well and may not be aware that they have the virus. " " Within a few weeks of infection with the virus, some may develop a flu-like illness or a rash or swollen glands. " " A routine HIV test at this stage will not show that the person has the virus, however. " " It is not until about three months after becoming infected that they will test HIV positive on an antibody test. " " In the early disease, people who are HIV positive can develop illnesses that people with normal immune systems can also get, such as tuberculosis, malaria, blood poisoning and some skin infections. " " With time - years if the person is otherwise healthy and well nourished - HIV weakens the immune system. " " This makes people with HIV vulnerable to infections that healthy people would normally fight off easily. " " These are called opportunistic infections and are caused by germs that are around us all the time. An example is thrush or candida. " " A person cannot catch HIV from toilet seats, by hugging or by eating food prepared by someone who has HIV. " " There is still no cure for HIV. However, the disease is no longer an imminent death sentence thanks to the major advances in HIV research and drug development over recent years. " " Of the 6.5 million people in developing and transitional countries who need life-saving AIDS drugs, only 1 million are receiving them. " " The mainstay of treatment is with antiretroviral drugs. They will not cure HIV but can delay the onset of AIDS and help the person to remain healthy for longer. " " There are four main groups of antiretroviral
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