Adherence The extent to which a patient takes his/her medication according to the

prescribed schedule (also referred to as 'compliance').

AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The most severe manifestation of
infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
AIDS Defining
Conditions
Numerous opportunistic infections and neoplasms (cancers) that, in the
presence of HIV infection, constitute an AIDS diagnosis. Persons living with
AIDS often have infections of the lungs, brain, eyes and other organs, and
frequently suffer debilitating weight loss, diarrhea, and a type of cancer called
Kaposi's sarcoma.
Antiretroviral. Drug
(ARV)
Antiretroviral (ARV) Drug used to fight infection by retroviruses, such as HIV
infection.
Antiretroviral
Therapy (ART)
Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). A treatment that uses antiretroviral medicines to
suppress viral replication and improve symptoms.
Asymptomatic Without symptoms. Usually to describe a person who has a positive reaction to
one of several tests for HIV antibodies but who shows no clinical symptoms of
the disease.
CD4 Cells A type of T cell involved in protecting against viral, fungal and protozoal
infections. These cells normally orchestrate the immune response, signaling
other cells in the immune system to perform their special functions. Also known
as T helper cells.
Combination
Therapy
Two or more drugs or treatments used together to achieve optimum results
against infection or disease. For treatment of HIV, a minimum of three
antiretrovirals is recommended. Combination therapy may offer advantages
over single-drug therapies by being more effective in decreasing viral load. An
example of combination therapy would be the use of two nucleoside analogue
drugs (such as lamivudine and zidovudine) plus either a protease inhibitor or a
non-nucleoside reverse transcription inhibitor.
Continuum of
prevention
The term continuum of prevention refers to a complement of HIV information
support, and services that responds to the evolving behaviors, risks,
vulnerabilities, and opportunities of individuals as they progress through
various stages of their lives.
Dual protection Dual protection strategies are intended to prevent both unintended pregnancy
and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The term refers most often to
dual method use through the use of male or female condoms combined with
other contraceptive methods such as birth control pills or intrauterine devices.
Glossary
Efficacy The maximum ability to produce a result, regardless of dosage. A drug passes
efficacy trials if it is effective at the dose tested and against the illness for which
it is prescribed.

Gender
Sexual roles behavior that others perceive

Highly Active
Antiretroviral
Therapy (HAART)
Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) is the name given to treatment
regimens recommended by leading HIV experts to aggressively suppress viral
replication and progress of HIV disease. The usual HAART regimen combines
three or more different drugs such as two nucleoside reverse transcriptase
inhibitors and a protease inhibitor, two NRTIs and a nonnucleoside reverse
transcriptase inhibitor or other combinations.
Human Immuno-
deficiency Virus
(HIV)
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The virus that weakens the immune
system, ultimately leading to AIDS.
HIV Antibody Test
If positive, the results of this test indicate that the person has been exposed to
HIV and has developed antibodies to the virus after the window period of up to
12 weeks has passed.
HIV-negative
A person who is HIV-negative shows no evidence of infection with HIV on a
blood test (e.g. absence of antibodies against HIV). Synonym: seronegative.
The test result of a person who has been infected but is in the window period
between HIV exposure and detection of antibodies will also be negative.
HIV-positive A person who is HIV-positive has had antibodies against HIV detected on a
blood test. Synonym: seropositive.
International
Classification of
diseases (ICD-10)
The ICD is the international standard diagnostic classification for all general
epidemiological, many health management purposes and clinical use. The tenth
revision, ICD-10, was endorsed by the Forty-third World Health Assembly in
May 1990 and came into use in WHO Member States as from 1994.
Immunodeficiency
Breakdown in the ability of the immune system to resist or fight off infections or
tumors when certain parts of the immune system no longer function. This
condition makes a person more susceptible to certain diseases.
Incidence
The number of new cases within a specific period of time.
Maternal Antibodies
Antibodies passed from mother to fetus during pregnancy. Diagnosis of HIV
through antibody testing for infants under 18 months may detect maternal
antibodies.
Medical Observation
Medical information or concern that a healthcare worker has and can be used
as a starting point for discussing the patients ongoing risk (sexual) or other
concerns you want to raise with a patient.
Nucleic Acid
Amplification Test
(NAAT or NAT)
Nucleic-acid-based tests amplify and detect one or more of several target
sequences located in specific HIV genes.




Nutritional support Nutritional support aims at ensuring adequate nutrition and includes
assessment of the dietary intake, nutritional status, and food security of the
individual or household, offering nutrition education and counseling on how
to ensure a balanced diet, mitigate side-effects of treatment and infections,
and ensure access to clean water, and providing food supplements or
micronutrient supplementation where necessary

Opportunistic
Infections (OIs)
Illnesses caused by various organisms, some of which usually do not cause
disease in persons with healthy immune systems. Opportunistic infections
common in persons diagnosed with AIDS include Pneumocystis carinii
pneumonia; Kaposi's sarcoma; cryptosporidiosis; histoplasmosis; other
parasitic, viral and fungal infections; and some types of cancers.
Polymerase chain
reaction (PCR)
A laboratory method to find and measure very small amounts of RNA or DNA. It
is used as the viral load test to diagnose HIV in infants and to measure the
level of HIV RNA in the blood of infected persons.*
Person/people living
with HIV (PLHIV)
Person/people living with HIV. The term reflects the fact that an infected
person may continue to live well and productively for many years.
Parent-to-Child-
Transmission
(PTCT)
The term parent-to-child transmission is a more inclusive terms preferred to
mother-to-child transmission in some countries (see mother-to-child
transmission) because it is less stigmatizing to women and may encourage
male involvement in HIV prevention. A more inclusive term is vertical
transmission (see vertical transmission)
Prevalence The number of cases at any time during the study period, divided by the
population at risk.
Prophylaxis A treatment that prevents disease or stops it from spreading, e.g. vaccination
Rapid Test HIV blood, saliva, urine, or vaginal secretions test that yields same day
results.*
Resistance The ability of an organism, such as HIV, to overcome the inhibitory effect of a
drug, such as AZT or a protease inhibitor.
Risk Risk is defined as the risk of exposure to HIV or the likelihood that a person
may become infected with HIV.
Risk Reduction Risk reduction is a method of decreasing risk on a continuum with the goal of
eliminating risk. Risk reduction acknowledges that behavior change happens
in small incremental changes and that often it is difficult or impossible to
always eliminate all risk. Further risk reduction perspective acknowledges that
relapses to risk behaviors are common, expected and part of behavior change.
Screening Screening for HIV status for employment purposes may involve assessment
of risk-taking behavior, asking questions about tests already taken or about
medication, and HIV testing.
Seroconversion The development of antibodies to a particular antigen. When people develop
antibodies to HIV, they 'seroconvert' from antibody-negative to antibody-
positive. It may take from as little as one week to several months or more after
infection with HIV for antibodies to the virus to develop. After antibodies to HIV
appear in the blood, a person should test positive on antibody tests. See
Window Period.

Sex Biological sexual characteristics (having male or femal sex organs or a
combination of both in intersex individuals)
Sexual and
reproductive health
services
Sexual and reproductive health services include, but are not restricted to:
services for family planning; infertility services; maternal and newborn health
services; prevention of unsafe abortion and post-abortion care; prevention of
mother-to-child transmission of HIV; diagnosis and treatment of sexually
transmitted infections, including HIV infection, reproductive tract infections,
cervical cancer, and other gynecological morbidities; promotion of sexual
health, including sexuality counseling; and prevention and management of
gender-based violence.
Sexual behavior What people do when they have sexual intercourse, e.g. Same sex behavior,
sex with both men & women; have anal, vaginal or oral sex: have protected or
unprotected sex (use condoms or dont use them)

Sexual desire The sex or sexes to which a person is inherently attracted.
Sexual identity How people see their sexual orientation e.g. homosexual / bisexual /
heterosexual

Sexual intercourse Any physical contact between two individuals involving stimulation of the
genital organs of at least one. The term ommonly refers to the insertion of a
male's penis into a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or
reproduction. The term also describes other sexual penetrative acts, such as
anal sex, oral sex and fingering, or use of a strap-on dildo, which can be
practiced by heterosexual and homosexual pairings or more than two partners.

Sexual orientation The term sexual orientation refers to each persons profound emotional and
sexual attraction to, and intimate and sexual relations with, individuals of a
different, the same, or both sexes.
Sexuality Emotional and sexual attraction together with sexual relationships with a
person's own sex, opposite sex or both sexes. (Sexual performance and sexual
orientation as homosexual / bisexual / heterosexual).
Side Effects Medical problems that result from ARV drug toxicities. Common side effects
include: nausea, diarrhea, peripheral neuropathy, lipodystrophy, hepatitis,
pancreatitis, and lactic acidosis.
Sexually transmitted
infections (STI)
Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are spread by the transfer of organisms
(bacteria, virus, fungi) from person to person during sexual contact.

Stages of Change
Model
The Stages of Change Model was originally developed in the late 1970's and
early 1980's by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente. The idea behind the
SCM is that behavior change does not happen in one step. Rather, people tend
to progress through different stages on their way to successful change. Also,
each of us progresses through the stages at our own rate. Each person must
decide for himself or herself when a stage is completed and when it is time to
move on to the next stage.
The stages of change are:
! Pre-contemplation (Not yet acknowledging that there is a problem
behavior that needs to be changed)
! Contemplation (Acknowledging that there is a problem but not yet ready
or sure of wanting to make a change)
! Preparation/Determination (Getting ready to change)
! Action/Willpower (Changing behavior)
! Maintenance (Maintaining the behavior change) and
! Relapse (Returning to older behaviors and abandoning the new
changes)
Surveillance The ongoing and systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data
about a disease or health condition. Collecting blood samples for the purpose
of surveillance is called sero-surveillance
Testing HIV testing is pivotal to both prevention and treatment programs. The three Cs
continue to be the underpinning principles for the conduct of all HIV testing of
individuals. Testing must be: confidential, accompanied by counseling, and
only be conducted with informed consent, meaning that it is both informed and
voluntary
Transgender A transgender person has a gender identity that is different from his or her
sex at birth. Transgender people may be male to female (female appearance)
or female to male (male appearance). It is preferable to describe them as he
or she according to their gender identity, i.e. the gender that they are
presenting, not their sex at birth.
Voluntary counseling
and testing (VCT)
Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) is a client-initiated HIV testing and
counseling process.
Viral Load In relation to HIV: The quantity of HIV RNA in the blood. Research indicates
that viral load is a better predictor of the risk of HIV disease progression than
the CD4 count. The lower the viral load the longer the time to AIDS diagnosis
and the longer the survival time.
WHO Staging
System
A classification of the clinical stages of HIV disease developed by the World
Health Organization.*
Window Period The window period is a common term used for the time between the initial HIV
infection (the acute infection) and the development of a measurable
immunologic (or antibody) response to the infection. During this period, a
person infected with HIV could still have a negative HIV test result. The window
period varies from person to person and can range from as little as two weeks
to as long as three months.