Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Unlike some other viruses, the human body cannot get rid of HIV. That means that once you have HIV, you have it for life.
Infant jaundice is most often caused by an excess of bilirubin. Bilirubin is the waste that remains after hemoglobin (the predominant protein in red blood cells) is released from the breakdown of the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body.
Causes of jaundice in newborn babies. Jaundice is caused by too much bilirubin in the blood. This is known as hyperbilirubinaemia. Bilirubin is a yellow substance produced when red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body, are broken down. The bilirubin travels in the bloodstream to the liver. The liver changes the form of the bilirubin so it can be passed out of the body in poo. However, if there's too much bilirubin in the blood or the liver can't get rid of it, excess bilirubin causes jaundice.