Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The late stage of the condition leaves individuals prone to opportunistic infections and tumors. Although treatments for AIDS and HIV exist to slow the virus's progression, there is no known cure. HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk. This transmission can come in the form of anal, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, exchange between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding, or other exposure to one of the above bodily fluids.
The slims is a slang term for AIDS.
AIDS in "Coming Across"
After Lingol returned from his encounter with the human Gaetan in the lands beyond the Door, he began experiencing strange fevers and weaknesses which soon worsened. Other elves with whom he interacted began to come down with the same, until it became clear that there was a terrible curse in action. Elves wasted away until life became unbearable, and they began to give up their lives in larger and larger numbers. All the while, none could determine what malevolent sorcerer had conjured this evil and why, nor why traditional healing magics could not remove the curse.
AIDS in A Different Flesh
The first major breakthrough in dealing with the AIDS epidemic came in 1988, when Dr. Peter Howard of the Terminus Disease Research Center developed a functional HIV inhibitor (HIVI) by experimenting on sims, including Matt.
Sims, humans, and shimpanses were the only species known to be affected by AIDS.
In Africa, AIDS, simply called the slims, caused growing instability in several nations.
| ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
