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From: claris!netcom!jfh@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Jack Hamilton)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: HIV vs AIDS question
Message-ID: <37869@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 8 Aug 90 16:16:09 GMT
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In article <37804@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> Mark_D.Winton@f8.n289.z1.fidonet.org 
(Mark_D Winton) writes:
>From all the conferences and literature it seems that virtually 100% of those 
>infected with HIV1 will eventually develop the end stage of the disease, or 
>AIDS. The incubation period is over 9 years, so this may lead to some of the 
>confusion, but it seems well known now.

That has not been my impression, although I'm not sure what the percentage
is. 

>I teach my students, nurses, physicians about a spectrum of illness, and liken 
>the virus to infection with a Herpes virus, like chickenpox...once the virus 
>is in your system, it is there for good. It does no good to discriminate 
>against AIDS syndrome, or to worry about the source of acquisition at that 
>point.

Well, once the virus has incorporated itself into your cells, it's probably
there for good, but there is some speculation that a few people have shaken
off the virus itself. 

>I'm hoping to get a feel as to why folks will seperate the two terms as if 
>they are mutually exclusive, and HIV does not have the same stigma as AIDS????

As you said, there is a spectrum of illness.  AIDS is at one end of the
spectrum.  If you don't have a specific set of symptoms, you don't have
AIDS, by definition.  I think it's an important distinction.  Think of the
difference between having the bacteria which cause meningitis in your throat
(which a fair number of people do), and having meningitis.  You would take
different actions in each case.

Why doesn't HIV have the same stigma?  I don't know.  Perhaps when the
general public becomes as familiar with the term "HIV" as it is with
"AIDS", there will be an equal amount of prejudice and discrimination.
-- 
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Jack Hamilton                                         
jfh@netcom.uucp