AIDS : “Acquired Immuno-

AIDS : “Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome”, a serious disease caused by the HIV virus which destroys the immune defences of the body,
which is then subject to serious “opportunistic” infections and certain cancers.
Anti-retroviral drugs : Substances that reduce the viral load and strengthen the immune system; all are proprietary and therefore expensive,
and must be used in combination in order to be effective.
Combination therapy : The use of more than one drug to treat a disease
Compulsory licensing : Authorisation to a government or company to make and sell a drug without the permission of the patent holder,
allowed only in public health emergencies.
Generic drugs : Drugs without a brand name, which can be manufactured without a licence, usually after the patent held by the original owner
has expired.
HIV: Human immuno-deficiency virus, which causes AIDS. There are two main types of the virus : HIV-1, which is responsible for the world wide
pandemic of AIDS, and HIV-2, which can also cause AIDS and occurs mainly in West Africa.
Kaposi’s sarcoma : A form of cancer involving multiple tumours of the lymph nodes or skin, occurring especially in people with depressed
immune systems. e.g.; as a result of AIDS.
Lymphoma : Any malignant tumour of the lymph (colourless fluid containing white blood cells, drained from the tissues and conveyed through
the body in the lymphatic system) nodes.
Opportunistic infection : An infection induced by a micro-organism that is usually well tolerated by the body and only becomes pathogenic
when the body’s defences are depressed. The most serious manifestations of AIDS are caused by opportunistic infections.
Palliative care : Relief of suffering
Parallel importing : When a country without the ability to manufacture a drug, buys it from another country where it may be cheaper than the
price demanded by the patent holder.
Patent : Legal ownership of an invention or discovery, usually granted for 20 years.
Proprietary drugs : Drugs “owned” by a pharmaceutical company; exclusively made and sold under a brand name by the patent holder or a
licensee.
Resistance : When a virus develops the ability to “resist” a drug; which normally happens when treatment is interrupted or doses are
frequently missed, or taken in unsuitable combinations; resistance can spread together with the virus.
Seropositive or HIV-positive (HIV+) : Refers to a person with a positive screening test for antibodies to HIV. This person has been in
contact with HIV and should be considered to be potentially contagious by his/her blood and by sexual relations. When the test does not
detect antibodies, the person is said to be “seronegative” or “HIV-negative”.
STD : Sexually Transmitted Diseases, i.e. diseases that can be contracted by means of sexual relations. AIDS is essentially a sexually transmitted
disease.
Viral load : The amount of virus in the blood
Virus : An infectious agent. Viruses are responsible for numerous diseases in all living beings. They are extremely small particles (which can
only be seen under the electron microscope) and, unlike bacteria, can only survive and multiply within a living cell at the expense of this
cell. (eg: HIV: human immuno-deficiency virus, which causes AIDS)