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Mon 12 Dec 2002Aid for AIDSMEDICAL MATTERS: Yesterday was World AIDS Day and the latest figures show that 60 million people throughout the world have been infected with HIV since 1980. Some 20 million have died from AIDS - 18 million of whom lived in Africa. Despite these grim statistics, it is sobering to realise that we are still in the early stages of a global AIDS epidemic, writes Dr Muiris Houston.The full name for AIDS is Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. It is an incurable but preventable disease carried by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection; as the immune system becomes overwhelmed, the body loses its ability to fight off opportunistic infections. Untreated, AIDS develops five to 10 years after infection with HIV. AIDS is not curable, but by taking the latest antiviral drugs it can become a chronic rather than a fatal condition.