HIV, wacce ke nufin Human Immunodeficiency Virus, kwayar cuta ce da ke kai hari ga tsarin garkuwar jikin ɗan adam. Ana kamuwa da ita da farko ta hanyar jima’i marar kariya, aiki da allura ɗaya, amfani da abubuwa mai kaifi kamar reza a tsakanin mutane, da yaɗuwa daga uwa zuwa jariri yayin haihuwa ko shayarwa.
Kanjamau na cutarwa da kuma lalata kwayoyin halittar mutum (cell CD4), wani nau’in farin jini ne wanda ke taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen kare jiki daga cututtuka. Lokacin da aka gano wani yana dauke da kwayar cutar kanjamau, yana nufin yana dauke da kwayar cutar, amma ba wai yana nufin ya kamu da cutar AIDS ba.
AIDS, a daya bangaren, yana nufin Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Lokaci ne na ƙarshe na kamuwa da cutar kanjamau lokacin da tsarin rigakafi ya lalace sosai kuma ba zai iya yaƙar cututtuka yadda ya kamata ba. Ana ɗaukar mutum yana da AIDS lokacin da adadin CD4 ɗin su ya ragu ƙasa da sel 200/mm³ ko kuma lokacin da suka sami wasu cututtuka masu yawa saboda raunin garkuwar jiki sosai.
AIDS wani yanayi ne mai barazana ga rayuwa kuma yana raunana tsarin garkuwar jiki sosai da sosai, yana barin mutum ya riƙa kamuwa da cututtuka daban-daban, ciwon daji, da sauran matsaloli. Duk da yake ba duk masu fama da cutar kanjamau ke zama masu cutar AIDS ba, ba tare da kulawar likita da magani ba, HIV na iya haifar da cutar AIDS a cikin lokaci.
