Viral Structure and Genetic Diversity

In the 25 years since the first reported cases of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), more than 70 million people have been infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV is a retrovirus that is spread from mother to child, through blood contamination and through sex. Antiretroviral drugs administered to HIV infected pregnant women and the newborn child, together with exclusive or no breastfeeding, have drastically reduced mother to child transmission. Screening of blood supplies, universal safety precautions in medical settings and needle exchange programmes for intravenous drug users are effective in avoiding blood borne spread. Reduction in sexual transmission is achievable through sexual abstinence, monogamy, condoms, treatment of concurrent sexually transmitted infections, male circumcision and HIV counseling