What is HIV/AIDS?

What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, which is the virus that causes HIV infection. The abbreviation “HIV” can refer to the virus or to HIV infection.

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV infection.

HIV attacks and destroys the infection-fighting CD4 cells of the immune system. Loss of CD4 cells makes it difficult for the body to fight infections and certain cancers. Without treatment, HIV can gradually destroy the immune system and advance to AIDS.

How is HIV spread?

HIV is spread through contact with certain body fluids from a person infected with HIV. These body fluids include:

• Blood
• Semen
• Pre-seminal fluid
• Vaginal fluids
• Rectal fluids
• Breast milk

The spread of HIV from person to person is called HIV transmission. The spread of HIV from an HIV-infected woman to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding is called mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

In the United States, HIV is spread mainly by having sex with or sharing drug injection equipment with someone who is infected with HIV. To reduce your risk of HIV infection, use condoms correctly and consistently during sex, limit your number of sexual partners, and never share drug injection equipment.

Mother-to-child transmission is the most common way that children become infected with HIV. HIV medicines, given to HIV-infected women during pregnancy and childbirth and to their babies after birth, reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. 

You can’t get HIV by shaking hands or hugging a person infected with HIV. You also can’t get HIV from contact with objects such as dishes, toilet seats, or doorknobs used by a person with HIV.

What is the treatment for HIV?

The use of HIV medicines to treat HIV infection is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV regimen) every day. (HIV medicines are often called antiretrovirals or ARVs.)

ART prevents HIV from multiplying and reduces the level of HIV in the body. Having less HIV in the body protects the immune system and prevents HIV infection from advancing to AIDS.

ART can’t cure HIV, but it can help people infected with HIV live longer, healthier lives. ART also reduces the risk of HIV transmission.

What are the symptoms of HIV/AIDS?

Soon after infection with HIV, some people have flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, or rash. The symptoms may come and go for a month or two after infection.

After this earliest stage of HIV infection, HIV continues to multiply but at very low levels. More severe symptoms of HIV infection, such as chronic diarrhea, rapid weight loss, and other signs of opportunistic infections, generally don’t appear for many years. (Opportunistic infections are infections and infection-related cancers that occur more frequently or are more severe in people with weakened immune systems than in people with healthy immune systems.)

Without treatment, HIV can advance to AIDS. The time it takes for HIV to advance to AIDS varies, but it can take 10 years or more.

HIV transmission is possible at any stage of HIV infection—even if an HIV-infected person has no symptoms of HIV.

How is AIDS diagnosed?

The following criteria are used to determine if a person infected with HIV has AIDS:

• The person’s immune system is severely damaged as indicated by a CD4 count of less than 200 cells/mm³. A CD4 count measures the number of CD4 cells in a sample of blood. The CD4 count of a healthy person ranges from 500 to 1,600 cells/mm³.
  AND/OR
• The person has one or more opportunistic infections.

What is HIV?

HIV is a virus that gradually attacks the immune system, which is our body’s natural defence against illness. If a person becomes infected with HIV, they will find it harder to fight off infections and diseases. The virus destroys a type of white blood cell called a T-helper cell and makes copies of itself inside them. T-helper cells are also referred to as CD4 cells.1
There are many different strains of HIV – someone who is infected may carry various different strains in their body. These are classified into types, with lots of groups and subtypes. The two main types are:

• HIV-1: the most common type found worldwide
• HIV-2: this is found mainly in Western Africa, with some cases in India and Europe.

Basic facts about HIV

• HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.
• If left untreated, it can take around 10 to 15 years for AIDS to develop, which is when HIV has severely damaged the immune system.
• With early diagnosis and effective antiretroviral treatment, people with HIV can live a normal, healthy life.
• HIV is found in the following body fluids of an infected person: semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids and breast milk.
• HIV cannot be transmitted through sweat, saliva or urine.
• According to UK statistics, the most common way for someone to become infected with HIV is by having anal or vaginal sex without a condom.2
• You can also risk infection by using infected needles, syringes or other drug-taking equipment (blood transmission), or from mother-to-child during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.3

What is AIDS?

AIDS is a syndrome caused by the HIV virus.4 It is when a person’s immune system is too weak to fight off many infections, and develops when the HIV infection is very advanced. This is the last stage of HIV infection where the body can no longer defend itself and may develop various diseases, infections and if left untreated, death.
There is currently no cure for HIV or AIDS. However, with the right treatment and support, people can live long and healthy lives with HIV. To do this, it is especially important to take treatment correctly and deal with any possible side-effects.

Basic facts about AIDS

• AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
• AIDS is also referred to as advanced HIV infection or late-stage HIV.
• Someone with AIDS may develop a wide range of other health conditions including: pneumonia, thrush, fungal infections, TB, toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus. 
• There is also an increased risk of developing other life-limiting conditions, including cancer and brain illnesses. 
• CD4 count refers to the number of T-helper cells in a cubic millilitre of blood. When a person’s CD4 count drops below 200 cells per millilitre of blood, they are said to have AIDS.5

- See more at: http://www.avert.org/about-hiv-aids/what-hiv-aids#sthash.vOzcv98U.dpuf

What is HIV?

HIV is a virus that gradually attacks the immune system, which is our body’s natural defence against illness. If a person becomes infected with HIV, they will find it harder to fight off infections and diseases. The virus destroys a type of white blood cell called a T-helper cell and makes copies of itself inside them. T-helper cells are also referred to as CD4 cells.1
There are many different strains of HIV – someone who is infected may carry various different strains in their body. These are classified into types, with lots of groups and subtypes. The two main types are:

• HIV-1: the most common type found worldwide
• HIV-2: this is found mainly in Western Africa, with some cases in India and Europe.

Basic facts about HIV

• HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.
• If left untreated, it can take around 10 to 15 years for AIDS to develop, which is when HIV has severely damaged the immune system.
• With early diagnosis and effective antiretroviral treatment, people with HIV can live a normal, healthy life.
• HIV is found in the following body fluids of an infected person: semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids and breast milk.
• HIV cannot be transmitted through sweat, saliva or urine.
• According to UK statistics, the most common way for someone to become infected with HIV is by having anal or vaginal sex without a condom.2
• You can also risk infection by using infected needles, syringes or other drug-taking equipment (blood transmission), or from mother-to-child during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.3

What is AIDS?

AIDS is a syndrome caused by the HIV virus.4 It is when a person’s immune system is too weak to fight off many infections, and develops when the HIV infection is very advanced. This is the last stage of HIV infection where the body can no longer defend itself and may develop various diseases, infections and if left untreated, death.
There is currently no cure for HIV or AIDS. However, with the right treatment and support, people can live long and healthy lives with HIV. To do this, it is especially important to take treatment correctly and deal with any possible side-effects.

Basic facts about AIDS

• AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
• AIDS is also referred to as advanced HIV infection or late-stage HIV.
• Someone with AIDS may develop a wide range of other health conditions including: pneumonia, thrush, fungal infections, TB, toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus. 
• There is also an increased risk of developing other life-limiting conditions, including cancer and brain illnesses. 
• CD4 count refers to the number of T-helper cells in a cubic millilitre of blood. When a person’s CD4 count drops below 200 cells per millilitre of blood, they are said to have AIDS.5

- See more at: http://www.avert.org/about-hiv-aids/what-hiv-aids#sthash.vOzcv98U.dpuf

What is HIV?

HIV is a virus that gradually attacks the immune system, which is our body’s natural defence against illness. If a person becomes infected with HIV, they will find it harder to fight off infections and diseases. The virus destroys a type of white blood cell called a T-helper cell and makes copies of itself inside them. T-helper cells are also referred to as CD4 cells.1
There are many different strains of HIV – someone who is infected may carry various different strains in their body. These are classified into types, with lots of groups and subtypes. The two main types are:

• HIV-1: the most common type found worldwide
• HIV-2: this is found mainly in Western Africa, with some cases in India and Europe.

Basic facts about HIV

• HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.
• If left untreated, it can take around 10 to 15 years for AIDS to develop, which is when HIV has severely damaged the immune system.
• With early diagnosis and effective antiretroviral treatment, people with HIV can live a normal, healthy life.
• HIV is found in the following body fluids of an infected person: semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids and breast milk.
• HIV cannot be transmitted through sweat, saliva or urine.
• According to UK statistics, the most common way for someone to become infected with HIV is by having anal or vaginal sex without a condom.2
• You can also risk infection by using infected needles, syringes or other drug-taking equipment (blood transmission), or from mother-to-child during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.3

What is AIDS?

AIDS is a syndrome caused by the HIV virus.4 It is when a person’s immune system is too weak to fight off many infections, and develops when the HIV infection is very advanced. This is the last stage of HIV infection where the body can no longer defend itself and may develop various diseases, infections and if left untreated, death.
There is currently no cure for HIV or AIDS. However, with the right treatment and support, people can live long and healthy lives with HIV. To do this, it is especially important to take treatment correctly and deal with any possible side-effects.

Basic facts about AIDS

• AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
• AIDS is also referred to as advanced HIV infection or late-stage HIV.
• Someone with AIDS may develop a wide range of other health conditions including: pneumonia, thrush, fungal infections, TB, toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus. 
• There is also an increased risk of developing other life-limiting conditions, including cancer and brain illnesses. 
• CD4 count refers to the number of T-helper cells in a cubic millilitre of blood. When a person’s CD4 count drops below 200 cells per millilitre of blood, they are said to have AIDS.5

- See more at: http://www.avert.org/about-hiv-aids/what-hiv-aids#sthash.vOzcv98U.dpuf

What is HIV?

HIV is a virus that gradually attacks the immune system, which is our body’s natural defence against illness. If a person becomes infected with HIV, they will find it harder to fight off infections and diseases. The virus destroys a type of white blood cell called a T-helper cell and makes copies of itself inside them. T-helper cells are also referred to as CD4 cells.1
There are many different strains of HIV – someone who is infected may carry various different strains in their body. These are classified into types, with lots of groups and subtypes. The two main types are:

• HIV-1: the most common type found worldwide
• HIV-2: this is found mainly in Western Africa, with some cases in India and Europe.

Basic facts about HIV

• HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.
• If left untreated, it can take around 10 to 15 years for AIDS to develop, which is when HIV has severely damaged the immune system.
• With early diagnosis and effective antiretroviral treatment, people with HIV can live a normal, healthy life.
• HIV is found in the following body fluids of an infected person: semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids and breast milk.
• HIV cannot be transmitted through sweat, saliva or urine.
• According to UK statistics, the most common way for someone to become infected with HIV is by having anal or vaginal sex without a condom.2
• You can also risk infection by using infected needles, syringes or other drug-taking equipment (blood transmission), or from mother-to-child during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.3

What is AIDS?

AIDS is a syndrome caused by the HIV virus.4 It is when a person’s immune system is too weak to fight off many infections, and develops when the HIV infection is very advanced. This is the last stage of HIV infection where the body can no longer defend itself and may develop various diseases, infections and if left untreated, death.
There is currently no cure for HIV or AIDS. However, with the right treatment and support, people can live long and healthy lives with HIV. To do this, it is especially important to take treatment correctly and deal with any possible side-effects.

Basic facts about AIDS

• AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
• AIDS is also referred to as advanced HIV infection or late-stage HIV.
• Someone with AIDS may develop a wide range of other health conditions including: pneumonia, thrush, fungal infections, TB, toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus. 
• There is also an increased risk of developing other life-limiting conditions, including cancer and brain illnesses. 
• CD4 count refers to the number of T-helper cells in a cubic millilitre of blood. When a person’s CD4 count drops below 200 cells per millilitre of blood, they are said to have AIDS.5

- See more at: http://www.avert.org/about-hiv-aids/what-hiv-aids#sthash.vOzcv98U.dpuf