Kwanza Definition: AIDS Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. The condition of the body in which its defence system is compromised so that it is not able to protect itself from infection.

So how does HIV cause this condition. Now in a normal body there are things called white blood cells (there are several types of these lakini I don't feel like going into the details for now) which are like the askaris of the body. They arrest any bad guys that try to get into the body. You are in a crowded matatu and some guy with TB keeps coughing and releasing the TB Bacteria into the air which you breath in but you don't develop TB. As soon as the TB bacteria gets in your throat or in your lungs where it would begin to multiply and cause problems these Askaris come and arrest it, beat it up and take it to Kamiti (Lymph Nodes) where they destroy it. Every day these blood Askaris take care of bad guys that come through all sorts of routes lungs, stomach (umekula Nyama imeoza kidogo), skin (Umesalimiana na mikono hujui zilikuwa wapi) etc. You get exposed to infectious agents every minute of every day but when you have healthy White blood cells (good askaris) you don't notice it and you go about life kama kawaida posting on Wazua, organising mbuzi parties, looking for airports to land your pine tree etc.

HIV (Human Imunodefficiency Virus) is a little useless virus that actually does not cause any disease on its own. What it does however is that it targets the Askari white blood cells that keep bad guys away from your body. The virus attaches itself to some of the white blood cells so that they are not able to perform the function of fighting off infection. So as explained above the next time you are in a matatu and someone coughs TB in your face. The TB bacteria goes straight into the lungs and since hakuna mtu inaziuliza it sets up house and starts reproducing. Unapata TB. Meanwhile some fungus nazo zinaanza kumea kwa matumbo na unaanza kuhara. Bacteria zingine nazo zinaanza kuvamia your skin and you have all these vidondas. There are always infectious material everywhere you go and as soon as you don't have defence ni kama zinaitana zote. Pneumonia ndiyo hiyo, Herpes Zoster, Fungal infections zote zinakuvamia. Sasa Hapo ndipo tunasema una UKIMWI (Ukosefu wa Kinga Mwilini a.k.a AIDS.

@kusadikika...

Interesting.So how do ARVs work?

ARVs,apart from modifying the natural history of HIV infection.It is used to reduce infections after exposure-occupationa,nonoccupational and Mother-child.

As far as my knowledge tells me, HIV is unable to outside of body fluids, even for a second, hence they kick the bucket immediately a mosquito ingests blood.