It is an affliction in which the virus attacks the body's immune sys-tem, leaving victims sus-ceptible to a wide variety of infections.

The virus is transmitted primarily through sexual contact but can also be transmitted through trans-fusions of blood or blood products and the sharing of contaminated hypoder-mic needles or syringes by drug abusers. It can also be passed on from mother to child at or before birth.

Statistics provided by the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit show that in Bermuda, the virus has been passed primarily passed through intravenous drug use, with heterosexual sex and homosexual sex the next two risk factors.