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Average Course Rating

AIDS is the world's deadliest infectious disease. This fast-paced survey course provides an in-depth treatment of topics of relevance to AIDS. We cover the biology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, the infectious agent that causes AIDS), the effects of HIV on the immune system, the pharmacology of the anti-viral agents that are used to suppress HIV infection, and the ongoing quest for an HIV vaccine. Because HIV drugs cannot cure HIV-infected individuals and no HIV vaccine yet exists, we will also study the long-term consequences of HIV infection including opportunistic infections, comorbid conditions, and the HIV-related cancers Kaposi's Sarcoma and AIDS-Related lymphoma. The changing social implications of chronic HIV infection are discussed throughout the semester. Recommended Course Background: AS.020.304, AS.020.305 and AS.020.306. This course is offered in spring terms only.