About HIV/AIDS

What is HIV?

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) was identified in 1983 as the virus that causes AIDS. This virus passes from person to person through body fluids: blood, semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk. People with HIV may not have any symptoms; however, they may develop severe or prolonged fevers, swollen lymph glands, diarrhea, and other symptoms. Many develop AIDS, which makes them susceptible to diseases that most healthy people resist.

What is AIDS?
AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a condition caused by HIV infection. The HIV virus attacks the body’s immune system making it difficult to fight off other infections. These infections may eventually become fatal. People with AIDS develop diseases that most healthy people can normally resist or control, such as certain pneumonias, thrush, or recurrences of childhood infections. They may also suffer from cancers rarely found among people with healthy body defenses. Since the virus can enter the brain and other organs throughout the body, many people with AIDS have trouble with movement, memory, and body functions.

How would I know if I had HIV?
You wouldn’t know unless you get tested. HIV does not announce itself. There is no one symptom. A person can be infected for many years before having any symptoms at all – and they can infect others. It is important for everyone to get tested for HIV. For more information about HIV testing, click here.

If I have HIV will I get AIDS?
People with HIV may eventually develop AIDS, but early diagnosis and good medical care with potent anti–retroviral medications can slow the progress of the disease. Although there is no cure for AIDS, many people with HIV can live long, healthy lives.

How is AIDS diagnosed?
Medical providers look for HIV antibodies in the blood by ordering special blood tests. Before making a diagnosis, providers can count the number of T–helper cells (a type of white blood cell) in the blood, a measure of how strong the immune system is. Medical providers also look for other signs that show the body’s defenses are damaged – for example cancers or illnesses that generally attack only people whose defenses aren’t working.

When was the first case of AIDS in the United States?
The first cases of AIDS in the US were reported in 1981, but the illness was not referred to as AIDS until 1982.

Is AIDS found only in the United States?
No. AIDS is a growing epidemic around the globe, especially in Asia, Eastern Europe, India and Africa.