AIDS stands for "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome" and it is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

When HIV enters the human body, it will attack the CD4 cells, a kind of white blood cells, and destroy the human immune system making the infected vulnerable to attack by virus and bacteria.

With the immune system destroyed, the infected will often die as a result of attack by a certain disease or diseases of different kinds.

Routes of HIV transmission and preventive measures

1. Sexual contact

Sexual contact includes vaginal sex, oral sex and anal sex. During unprotected intercourse, we can contract the virus through contact of wounds or cuts on our sexual organ, skin or mucous membrane with body fluids such as blood, semen and vaginal secretion which contain HIV.