Basic Information

HIV
AIDS
Origin of HIV
Brief History of HIV in the United
Sates How HIV is and IS Not
Transmitted
Risk Factors For HIV Transmission
Preventing Transmission
Symptoms of HIV infection
HIV Testing
Resources for Basic Information

HIV

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This is the virus that causes AIDS. HIV is different from
most other viruses because it attacks the immune system. The immune system gives our bodies the ability
to fight infections. HIV finds and destroys a type of white blood cell (T cells or CD4 cells) that the immune
system must have to fight disease.

















                                 Structure of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, courtesy of NIAID.                      

AIDS                                                                                                                                  

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. It can take
years for a person infected with HIV, even without treatment, to reach this stage. Having AIDS means that
the virus has weakened the immune system to the point at which the body has a difficult time fighting
infections. When someone has one or more of these infections and a low number of T cells, he or she has
AIDS.

Origin of HIV   


                                    








Brief History of HIV in the United States                                                              

HIV was first identified in the United States in 1981 after a number of gay men started getting sick with a
rare type of cancer. It took several years for scientists to develop a test for the virus, to understand how
HIV was transmitted between humans, and to determine what people could do to protect themselves.
During the early 1980s, as many as 150,000 people became infected with HIV each year. By the early
1990s, this rate had dropped to about 40,000 each year, where it remains today.

AIDS cases began to fall dramatically in 1996, when new drugs became available. Today, more people
than ever before are living with HIV/AIDS. CDC estimates that about 1 million people in the United States
are living with HIV or AIDS. About one quarter of these people do not know that they are infected: not
knowing puts them and others at risk. For more information view the spotlight on 25 years of HIV/AIDS.

How HIV is and IS Not Transmitted                                                                           

HIV is a fragile virus. It cannot live for very long outside the body. As a result, the virus is not transmitted
through day-to-day activities such as shaking hands, hugging, or a casual kiss. You cannot become
infected from a toilet seat, drinking fountain, doorknob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. You also
cannot get HIV from mosquitoes.

HIV is primarily found in the blood, semen, or vaginal fluid of an infected person. HIV is transmitted in 3
main ways:

  • Having sex (anal, vaginal, or oral) with someone infected with HIV
  • Sharing needles and syringes with someone infected with HIV
  • Being exposed (fetus or infant) to HIV before or during birth or through breast feeding

HIV also can be transmitted through blood infected with HIV. However, since 1985, all donated blood in the
United States has been tested for HIV. Therefore, the risk for HIV infection through the transfusion of
blood or blood products is extremely low. The U.S. blood supply is considered among the safest in the
world.

Risk Factors for HIV Transmission                                                                   

You may be at increased risk for infection if you have

  • injected drugs or steroids, during which equipment (such as needles, syringes, cotton, water) and
    blood were shared with others

  • had unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex (that is, sex without using condoms) with men who have
    sex with men, multiple partners, or anonymous partners

  • exchanged sex for drugs or money

  • been given a diagnosis of, or been treated for, hepatitis, tuberculosis (TB), or a sexually transmitted
    disease (STD) such as syphilis
  • received a blood transfusion or clotting factor during 1978–1985
  • had unprotected sex with someone who has any of the risk factors listed above

Preventing Transmission                                                                              

Your risk of getting HIV or passing it to someone else depends on several things.  Do you know what they
are? You might want to talk to someone who knows about HIV. You can also do the following:

  • Abstain from sex (do not have oral, anal, or vaginal sex) until you are in a relationship with only one
    person, are having sex with only each other, and each of you knows the other’s HIV status.

  • If both you and your partner have HIV, use condoms to prevent other sexually transmitted
    diseases (STDs) and possible infection with a different strain of HIV.

  • If only one of you has HIV, use a latex condom and lubricant every time you have sex.

  • If you have, or plan to have, more than one sex partner, consider the following:

  • Get tested for HIV

  • If you are a man who has had sex with other men, get tested at least once a year.

  • If you are a woman who is planning to get pregnant or who is pregnant, get tested as soon as
    possible, before you have your baby.

  • Talk about HIV and other STDs with each partner before you have sex.

  • Learn as much as you can about each partner’s past behavior (sex and drug use), and
    consider the risks to your health before you have sex.

  • Ask your partners if they have recently been tested for HIV; encourage those who have not
    been tested to do so.

  • Use a latex condom and lubricant every time you have sex.

  • If you think you may have been exposed to another STD such as gonorrhea, syphilis, or
    Chlamydia trachomatis infection, get treatment. These diseases can increase your risk of
    getting HIV.

  • Even if you think you have low risk for HIV infection, get tested whenever you have a regular
    medical check-up.

  • Do not inject illicit drugs (drugs not prescribed by your doctor). You can get HIV through needles,
    syringes, and other works if they are contaminated with the blood of someone who has HIV. Drugs
    also cloud your mind, which may result in riskier sex.

  • If you do inject drugs, do the following:

  • Use only clean needles, syringes, and other works.

  • Never share needles, syringes, or other works.

  • Be careful not to expose yourself to another person's blood.

  • Get tested for HIV test at least once a year.

  • Consider getting counseling and treatment for your drug use.

  • Do not have sex when you are taking drugs or drinking alcohol because being high can make you
    more likely to take risks.

To protect yourself, remember these ABCs:

A=Abstinence

B=Be Faithful

C=Condoms

Symptoms of HIV Infection

The only way to know whether you are infected is to be tested for HIV. You cannot rely on symptoms alone
because many people who are infected with HIV do not have symptoms for many years. Someone can
look and feel healthy but can still be infected. In fact, one quarter of the HIV-infected persons in the United
States do not know that they are infected.

HIV Testing                                                                                                             

Once HIV enters the body, the body starts to produce antibodies—substances the immune system creates
after infection. Most HIV tests look for these antibodies rather than the virus itself. There are many
different kinds of HIV tests, including rapid tests and home test kits. All HIV tests approved by the US
government are very good at finding HIV.                                                                 
Scientists identified a type of
chimpanzee in West Africa as the
source of HIV infection in humans. The
virus most likely jumped to humans
when humans hunted these
chimpanzees for meat and came into
contact with their infected blood. Over
several years, the virus slowly spread
across Africa and later into other parts
of the world.
Content Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
CDC Questions and Answers on HIV/AIDS
CDC Fact Sheet: HIV and Its Transmission
CDC Fact Sheet: HIV Type 2
HIV Infection and AIDS: An Overview (NIH)
The Evidence That HIV Causes AIDS (NIH)
How HIV Causes AIDS (NIH)
The Origin of HIV (NIH)
Glossary of HIV/AIDS-Related Terms (AIDSInfo)
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