2.1 Introduction

Section 2 provides information about HIV as a virus: what kind of infection is HIV, what happens after you are infected and how is the virus monitored.

2.2 Aims for this section

After reading section 2, advocates will have a basic understanding of:

• Definition of HIV.
• Difference between different causes of illness: viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites.
• Viral load in early and chronic infection and the natural history of HIV.
• Impact of coinfections on viral load.
• Viral load tests and how accurate they are.
• The importance of viral load depending on whether you are on treatment or off treatment.
• Viral life cycle.
• Basic theory of resistance.
• CD4 count and viral load graphs and how to superimpose them.