HIV
(Human Immunodeficiency
Virus)
WHAT IS HIV?
• HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a
virus that attacks the body’s immune
system.
• If HIV is not treated, it can lead to AIDS
(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
• Learning the basics about HIV can keep
you healthy and prevent HIV transmission.
• You can also download materials to share
or watch videos on basic information
about HIV.
• HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a
virus that attacks the body’s immune
system. If HIV is not treated, it can lead
to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome).
• There is currently no effective cure. Once
people get HIV, they have it for life.
• But with proper medical care, HIV can be
controlled. People with HIV who
get effective HIV treatment can live long,
healthy lives and protect their partners.
Where did HIV come from?
•HIV infection in humans came from a type of
chimpanzee in Central Africa.
•The chimpanzee version of the virus (called
simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV) was
probably passed to humans when humans hunted
these chimpanzees for meat and came in contact
with their infected blood.
•Studies show that HIV may have jumped from
chimpanzees to humans as far back as the late
1800s.
•Over decades, HIV slowly spread across Africa
and later into other parts of the world. We know
that the virus has existed in the United States
since at least the mid to late 1970s.
How do I know if I have HIV?
• The only way to know for sure whether you have HIV is to get
tested. Knowing your HIV status helps you make healthy
decisions to prevent getting or transmitting HIV.
HIV INFECTION AND T CELLS AND CD4 RECEPTOR
People at higher risk should get Should I get tested for
CDC tested more often. If you were HIV?
recommends HIV-negative the last time you
were tested, the test was more
•
everyone than one year ago, and you can
answer yes to any of the
between the following questions, then you
ages of 13 and should get an HIV test as soon
as possible:
64 get tested
•Are you a man who has had
for HIV at sex with another man?
least once. •Have you had sex—anal or
vaginal—with a partner who
has HIV?
Have you been diagnosed with or treated for hepatitis or
tuberculosis (TB)?
Have you had sex with someone who could answer yes to
any of the above questions or someone whose sexual
history you don’t know?
You should be tested at least once a year if you keep
doing any of these things. Sexually active gay and bisexual
men may benefit from more frequent testing (for
example, every 3 to 6 months).
If you’re pregnant, talk to your health care provider about
getting tested for HIV and other ways to protect you and
your child from getting HIV.
Are there symptoms?
Some people have flu-like symptoms within 2 to 4
weeks after infection (called acute HIV infection).
These symptoms may last for a few days or several
weeks. Possible symptoms include
Fever, Chills, Rash,Night sweats,Muscle aches,Sore
throat,Fatigue,Swollen lymph nodes, and Mouth
ulcers.
But some people may not feel sick during acute HIV
infection. These symptoms don’t mean you have HIV.
Other illnesses can cause these same symptoms.
See a health care provider if you have these
symptoms and think you may have been
exposed to HIV. Getting tested for HIV is the
only way to know for sure.
Stage 1: Acute HIV Infection
•People have a large amount of HIV in their blood.
They are very contagious.
•Some people have flu-like symptoms. This is the
body’s natural response to infection.
•But some people may not feel sick right away or at
What are the stages of HIV? all.
When people with HIV don’t
get treatment, they typically •If you have flu-like symptoms and think you may
progress through three stages. have been exposed to HIV, seek medical care and ask
But HIV medicine can slow or
prevent progression of the for a test to diagnose acute infection.
disease. With the
advancements in treatment, •Only antigen/antibody tests or nucleic acid tests
progression to Stage 3 is less (NATs) can diagnose acute infection.
common today than in the
early days of HIV.
Stage 2: Chronic HIV Infection
•This stage is also called asymptomatic HIV infection or
clinical latency.
•HIV is still active but reproduces at very low levels.
•People may not have any symptoms or get sick during this
phase.
•Without taking HIV medicine, this period may last a
decade or longer, but some may progress faster.
•People can transmit HIV in this phase.
•At the end of this phase, the amount of HIV in the blood
(called viral load) goes up and the CD4 cell count goes down.
The person may have symptoms as the virus levels increase
in the body, and the person moves into Stage 3.
•People who take HIV medicine as prescribed may never
move into Stage 3.
Stage 3: Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome (AIDS)
•The most severe phase of HIV infection.
•People with AIDS have such badly damaged immune systems
that they get an increasing number of severe illnesses,
called opportunistic infections.
•People receive an AIDS diagnosis when their CD4 cell count
drops below 200 cells/mm, or if they develop certain
opportunistic infections.
•People with AIDS can have a high viral load and be very
infectious.
•Without treatment, people with AIDS typically survive about
three years.
Behaviours and conditions that put individuals at greater risk of
contracting HIV include:
having unprotected anal or vaginal sex;
Risk having another sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as syphilis,
herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and bacterial vaginosis;
factors sharing contaminated needles, syringes and other injecting equipment
and drug solutions when injecting drugs;
receiving unsafe injections, blood transfusions and tissue
transplantation, and medical procedures that involve unsterile cutting or
piercing; and
experiencing accidental needle stick injuries, including among health
workers
• HIV can be transmitted via the exchange of a
variety of body fluids from infected people,
such as blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal
secretions.
• HIV can also be transmitted from a mother to
her child during pregnancy and delivery.
• Individuals cannot become infected through
ordinary day-to-day contact such as kissing,
hugging, shaking hands, or sharing personal
Transmission objects, food or water.
• It is important to note that people with HIV who
are taking ART(ANTI RETROVIRAL
THERAPY) and are virally suppressed do not
transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
• Early access to ART and support to remain
on treatment is therefore critical not only to
improve the health of people with HIV but also
to prevent HIV transmission.
• Individuals can reduce the risk of HIV infection
by limiting exposure to risk factors. Key
approaches for HIV prevention, which are often
used in combination, include:
• male and female condom use;
• testing and counselling for HIV and STIs;
Prevention • testing and counselling for linkages to
tuberculosis (TB) care;
• use of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for
prevention;
• harm reduction for people who inject and use
drugs; and
• elimination of mother-to-child transmission of
HIV.
• HIV disease can be managed by treatment
regimens composed of a combination of three or
more antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. Current
Treatment antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not cure HIV
infection but highly suppresses viral replication
within a person's body and allows an individual's
immune system recovery to strengthen and
regain the capacity to fight off opportunistic
infections and some cancers.
References for further details
• CDC SOURCES
• WHO SOURCES
