The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks the body’s immune system. If the immune system is damaged by HIV, it increases the risk of developing a serious infection or disease.

Human Immune The HIV FAQ below should answer all your questions – but don’t forget to explore the great information provided by the Terrence Higgins Trust, too. You can also find further information at AIDSMAP and HIV i-Base.

What is HIV?

  • HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
  • This particular virus was discovered in the mid 1980s and belongs to a group of viruses called ‘retroviruses’.
  • HIV attacks the immune system, and gradually causes damage. A person infected with HIV is therefore at risk of developing some serious infections and cancers that a healthy immune system can fight off. When a person develops certain illnesses and cancers, they are said to have developed AIDS.
  • HIV is present in blood, genital fluids and breast milk.
  • The main ways HIV can be passed on to someone else are during unprotected sex, by sharing injecting equipment, and from a mother to her baby during pregnancy, birth or through breastfeeding. But there are ways of preventing HIV infection in all of these situations.
  • There is no cure for HIV. However, there are more than 20 anti-HIV drugs, and treatment with a combination of these drugs can mean a longer and healthy life.

What is AIDS?

  • AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. AIDS is the name used to describe a combination of potentially life-threatening infections and cancers, which can develop when someone’s immune system has been damaged by HIV.
  • You cannot catch AIDS and there is no AIDS test. HIV causes AIDS and it is HIV that can be passed on.
  • Being diagnosed with AIDS means different things for different people. Just because someone has AIDS does not mean they will die – but it is important to have medical care and treatment. Good HIV treatment has led to a fall in the numbers of people with AIDS – likewise many who did have AIDS are now well and healthy.

What are the symptoms of HIV?

This varies from person to person. The only way to be sure if you have been infected with HIV is to have an HIV test. You cannot tell from symptoms alone, though many people have flu-like symptoms shortly after infection: fever, sore throat, headache, aches and pains – and a blotchy red rash.

But HIV is still very difficult to diagnose, and a blood test is the only way. If you have HIV, it’s very important that it’s diagnosed for the best chance of getting treatment and care, and of staying well.

So if you’ve had unprotected sex and notice these symptoms about two weeks later, you might want to consider having an HIV test.

After this initial illness, it’s not uncommon for people to live with HIV and not to have any symptoms at all. But the virus will still be causing damage to the immune system, and without treatment most people with HIV will eventually become ill because of it.

HIV-related illnesses can cause a wide range of symptoms. These can include fevers and night sweats, a high temperature, a cough that won’t go away, unexplained weight loss, severe diarrhoea, bad headaches, or persistent mouth and skin problems. Of course, these can all have other causes, too.

How do I know if I have HIV?

  • The only way of knowing if you have HIV is to take a test. If you do, this is described as being HIV-positive.
  • HIV tests are extremely accurate.
  • Modern tests can tell if you’ve been infected with HIV very soon after exposure to the virus – normally within one to three weeks.
  • If you have HIV, it’s very important that it’s diagnosed. This will give you the best chance of getting the treatment and care you need to stay well.

What is the life expectancy of someone with HIV?

With modern HIV treatment, many people with HIV are living long and healthy lives. In fact, some doctors are hopeful that many people with HIV will live a near-normal life expectancy.

Your best chance of staying well is to start treatment at the right time. To do this you need to know you have HIV. Many of the people who die from HIV-related illnesses in countries where treatment is easily available were diagnosed very late, often not until they were already very ill.

What is the life expectancy of someone with HIV?

With modern HIV treatment, many people with HIV are living long and healthy lives.  There is starting to be some evidence, though based on very small numbers of patient records, that if people with HIV in the UK reach the age of 60, their life expectancy may actually be starting to exceed the average, possibly because of superior medical monitoring and treatment for people with HIV compared to other older people

You can read this and more about life expectancy here.

Your best chance of staying well is to start treatment at the right time. To do this you need to know you have HIV. Many of the people who die from HIV-related illnesses in countries where treatment is easily available were diagnosed very late, often not until they were already very ill.

How many people have HIV in the world?

Latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that at the end of 2013 there were 35 million people living with HIV. That same year, some 2.1 million people became newly infected, and 1.5 million died of AIDS-related causes.

Their report also showed that, at the end of 2013, 11.7 million people had access to antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries.