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Glossary

Selected words and phrases

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.

qualitative (in a study) – where what is being measured either fits one of several categories, or includes descriptive results.

internal fetal labour monitoring – where an electrode is inserted through the vagina and placed on the baby’s scalp to record the baby’s heart rate during labour.

morbidity – medical term for illness.

toxoplasmosis (toxo) – an opportunistic infection caused by a protozoa. The risk to develop toxo increases after CD4 counts fall below 100 cells/mm3.

Toxo section of the training manual.