Office of HIV/AIDS & Viral Hepatitis

About HIV/AIDS

What is HIV? What is AIDS?

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). AIDS is a serious condition that weakens your body’s ability to fight off disease. Being infected with HIV does not necessarily mean you have AIDS. It can take years for AIDS to develop in an HIV-infected person.

Over time, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers by damaging or killing cells of the body's immune system. When the damage reaches a certain point, an HIV-infected person may get sick with an opportunistic infection. Opportunistic infections are caused by viruses and bacteria that usually don’t make healthy people sick, but will make HIV-infected persons sick because of their weakened immune system. At this point, an HIV-infected person is said to have AIDS.

For more information, go to CDC’s Frequently Asked Questions about HIV & AIDS.

How is HIV spread?

An HIV-infected person can pass the virus on to others. HIV is passed from one person to another through blood, semen and vaginal fluids. Anyone who has unprotected sex or shares needles with an infected person can be exposed to HIV. Infected mothers can expose their babies to the virus during pregnancy, childbirth, or while breastfeeding. Anyone who is exposed to the virus may become infected. If you think that you may have been exposed to HIV, please get tested.

You can’t get HIV from mosquitoes or swimming pools. You can’t get HIV by sharing dishes, toilets, or workspace with an infected person. You can’t get HIV by being coughed or sneezed on.

How can I tell if I have HIV/AIDS?

The only way to know if you are infected with HIV is to be tested. You cannot rely on symptoms to know whether or not you are infected with HIV. Many people who are infected with HIV do not have any symptoms for many years. In addition, t he symptoms of AIDS are similar to the symptoms of many other illnesses, such as pneumonia.

Is there a link between HIV and STDs?

More information comes out everyday about the link between Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and HIV. Both HIV and STDs are sexually transmitted by unprotected rectal, vaginal and oral sex. Consider the following:

• A person with an STD is 2 to 5 times more likely to become infected with HIV.
• A person with both HIV and another STD can more easily spread HIV to others.

For more information about STDs, go to our STD website.

Where can I get more information about HIV/AIDS?

For more information, go to:

• CDC’s Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention
• CDC’s Frequently Asked Questions about HIV
• National Library of Medicine’s Health Topic: AIDS
• CDC National Prevention Information Network: HIV/AIDS
• Center for AIDS Prevention Studies’ HIV Prevention Fact Sheets (English & Spanish)
• United States Department of Health and Human Services for Kids
• ¡ Soy Unica! ¡ Soy Latina! (Spanish)
• 4 Girls Health
• The Center for Health and Healthcare in Schools
• Kaisernetwork.org
• Healthcast
• National Minority AIDS Council - National Conferences