HIV / AIDS

AIDS can also be defined based on the number of CD4 cells in the blood Healthy adults have CD4 and T cells counts of 1 ,000 or more . Person with AIDS have less than CD4 cells per cubic millimeter of blood ( Mathe G 1992

Diagnosing HIV Infections and AIDS

A pregnant woman should be first tested for HIV to prevent the transmission of the virus to her unborn child . If the woman is HIV infected and already has children , then it is recommended that all of her children should take the necessary

test to prevent further spread ofthe virus . The most common test done to children is the ELISA test . A blood test from a newborn baby is usually positive and it is therefore not suitable to test the newborn child with this test . There is no immediate way to know whether the baby is infected with the virus Whose , J , Sept . 1996

Infants who are not actually infected with the virus (but are born to HIV-positive mothers ) will not make their own antibodies the HIV antibodies that came from their mothers will gradually disappear from their blood before they reach 2 years of age . Any blood tests performed after this point will likely be HIV-negative . Infants who are infected with HIV from their mothers will begin to make their own HIV antibodies and will generally remain HIV-positive after 18 months of age

The most accurate diagnosis of HIV infection in early infancy comes from tests that show the presence of the virus itself (not HIV antibodies ) in the body . These tests include an HIV viral culture and PCR (polymerase chain reaction , a blood test that looks for the DNA of the virus

Older children , teens , and adults are tested for HIV infection by a blood test known as an...