PCP: See Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia.

PLWHAs: Person (or people) living with HIV/AIDS.

PMTC: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission.

PWA: Person (or People) with AIDS.

PWARC: Person (or People) with AIDS-related complex.

PWHA: Person (or People) with HIV or AIDS.

Palliative: To do with relieving rather than curing symptoms.

Pandemic: An epidemic that affects multiple geographic areas at the same time.

Passive immunotherapy: A process in which individuals at an advanced stage of HIV/AIDS (who have low levels of HIV antibody production) are infused with plasma rich in HIV antibodies or an immunoglobulin concentrate (HIVIG) made from such plasma. The plasma is obtained from asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals with high levels of HIV antibodies.

Pathogen: Any micro-organism capable of causing illness. The four main types are: bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses.

Peer education: A way to teach and learn that can develop, strengthen and empower young people to take an active role in influencing policies and programmes.

Peer pressure: Persuasion or influence from one’s acquaintances.

Placebo: An inactive substance against which investigational treatments are compared for efficacy.

Plasma: The 10 percent of blood that contains nutrients, electrolytes (dissolved salts), gases, albumin, clotting factors, wasters and hormones.

Platelet: The circulating cellular fragments critical for blood clotting and sealing wounds.

Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP): Common parasite which grows rapidly in the lungs of people with AIDS and is the leading cause of death in AIDS.

Pre-clinical: The first stage of drug testing done only in test tubes and on animals.

Prevalence rate: The proportion of a population that has a disease or condition at a specific point in time.

Prevention: Control by preventing the occurrence of something.

Preventive education: Education, including HIV awareness and sexual health information, targeted at reducing behaviour that can be considered harmful to oneself or ones surroundings.

Prognosis: Likely outcome, such as the risk of disease progression.