Glossary

adefovir – anti-viral drug used to treat hepatitis B.

cirrhosis – severe scarring of the liver (see fibrosis) that makes it difficult for the liver to carry out its functions

chronic infection – established infection (everything after the first 6 months)

reverse transcriptase – an enzyme unique to HIV. It is used to convert single-strand RNA into double-strand DNA. This is needed before HIV’s genetic material can be integrated in the human DNA. HIV drugs that stop this process are called reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs).

mixed feeding – combination of breastfeeding and bottle feeding.