Aids is one of the world's most deadly contagious diseases. It has become the number one killer in Africa, overtaking malaria. Because of how it is transmitted, many patients have fallen victim to prejudice, but it has also led to innovative campaigns which have raised awareness around sexual health and gender relations.What is Aids?Aids is caused by a virus called HIV which is able to break down the immune system, making the patient prone to a range of opportunistic infections.
Aids worldwideAids and four other contagious diseases now account for a half of all deaths of children and young people in the world. It is Africa's biggest killer.
Aids in the UKAids in the UK has been dogged by prejudice and ignorance, but prevention campaigns have managed to keep the number of people contracting the virus down.
Aids drugs factfileAids is a major killer in many developing countries, but, due to expensive new drugs, it has become almost a treatable condition in the developed world.
Thursday, 4 November, 1999, 15:14 GMT 
E-mail this story to a friend
