Glossary

lactation – the process of producing and releasing milk from the mammary glands in your breasts.

Lactation begins in pregnancy when hormonal changes signal the mammary glands to make milk in preparation for the birth of your baby.

seroconversion – the immune reaction when you develop antibodies to a new infection. HIV seroconversion usually starts a couple of week after infection. Because this is when viral load is very high (often millions of copies/mL), this is when symptoms occur.

About 70% people have HIV seroconversion symptoms. Some people become very ill and need immediate ART, and other have no symptoms.

autoantibody – abnormal antibodies produced against the body’s own tissues.

escape mutation – a mutation or change in the genetic structure of HIV that makes it easier to evade the persons immune system (rather than a mutation that stops an HIV drug from working).

SVR (sustained virological response) – having a negative HCV viral load test 6 months after stopping HCV treatment. The response, 6 months after treatment is stopped, determines whether treatment has been effective in terms of clearing HCV. SVR is the most important result from an HCV treatment trial. See ETR.