Glossary

fibrosis – mild to moderate scarring of the liver (see cirrhosis)

C-section – Caesarean section, procedure to deliver a baby that involves making a cut through the abdominal wall to surgically remove the infant from the uterus.

selective pressure – this is when a factor in the environment causes one type of organism to develop and grow in preference to another. With HIV drug resistance, the presence of a drug exerts selective pressure for resistance to develop. It is based on evolution and the concept of ‘survival of the fittest’ theory developed by Charles Darwin.

empirical treatment – treating an illness based on its symptoms to see if it gets better.

foetoplacental circulation is the blood supply in the foetus and placenta.