About HIV/AIDS

"Twenty-five years ago, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published the first official notice of a new,
nameless and deadly syndrome that had affected a handful of gay men in New York and Los Angeles. A generation later,
HIV/AIDS has become one of the deadliest epidemics in human history. Around the world, more than 25 million people have
died, and 40 million are currently infected with HIV.” Excerpted from: Akron Beacon Journal, 06.06.06; Dr. Julie Gerberding

Currently there are about 1.2 million people (adults and children) living with the HIV virus in North America as
reported by the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) Aids Clock. This year between 36,000 to 54,000 will become
infected with the virus, and approximately 16,000 will die from AIDS. According to the CDC, it is estimated that a quarter
of all people with HIV in the U.S. do not know they are carrying the virus.

An estimated 1,300 to 1,400 people with HIV are living in New Hampshire, almost half of them in Hillsborough County, according
to figures kept by the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

For more information on HIV and AIDS in N.H., please visit the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services Sexually
Transmitted Disease (STD), HIV/AIDS Surveillance Reports at http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/DHHS/CDCS/LIBRARY/Data-
Statistical+Report/hiv-aids-report.htm

For information on HIV prevention programs offered by the N.H Department of Healthy and Human Services visit
http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/DHHS/STDHIVPREVENT/default.htm

What is HIV?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that causes AIDS. A member of a group of viruses called
retroviruses, HIV infects human cells and uses the energy and nutrients provided by those cells to grow and reproduce.

What is AIDS?

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down and
is unable to fight off infections, known as "opportunistic infections," and other illnesses that take advantage of a weakened
immune system.

Recent advances in treatment help more people live longer with HIV infection and AIDS; this makes prevention efforts even
more critical. Prevention services that empower people with life-saving information and skills will help prevent HIV from spreading.

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