HIV/AIDS

Also called: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS, HIV, Human immunodeficiency virus

On this page

Summary

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It harms your immune system by destroying the white blood cells that fight infection. This puts you at risk for serious infections and certain cancers. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is the final stage of infection with HIV. Not everyone with HIV develops AIDS.

HIV most often spreads through unprotected sex with an infected person. It may also spread by sharing drug needles or through contact with the blood of an infected person. Women can give it to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth.

The first signs of HIV infection may be swollen glands and flu-like symptoms. These may come and go within two to four weeks. Severe symptoms may not appear until months or years later.

A blood test can tell if you have HIV infection. Your health care provider can do the test, or you can use a home testing kit. Or to find free testing sites, call the national referral hotline at 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636 in English and en español; 1-888-232-6348 - TTY).

There is no cure, but there are many medicines that fight HIV infection and lower the risk of infecting others. People who get early treatment can live with the disease for a long time.

Strategies to reduce the risk of HIV infection include not having sex, limiting your number of sexual partners, never sharing needles, and using condoms the right way every time you have sex. People who are at high risk may take HIV prevention medicines.

Start Here

HIV / AIDS (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
HIV and AIDS: Know the Facts (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
HIV/AIDS (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
HIV/AIDS Basics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
What Is HIV/AIDS? (AIDS.gov)

Latest News

The Science Is Clear: With HIV, Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (01/10/2019, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms (AIDS.gov)

Diagnosis and Tests

CD4 Lymphocyte Count (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Get Tested for HIV (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion)
HIV Screening Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
HIV Testing (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
HIV Viral Load (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Information Regarding the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test (Food and Drug Administration)
Screening for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) - PDF
Testing for HIV (Food and Drug Administration)

Prevention and Risk Factors

CDC Vital Signs: HIV and Injection Drug Use (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
HIV Risk and Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
HIV Transmission (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
HIV Transmission Risk (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
How Is HIV Transmitted? (AIDS.gov)
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (AIDS.gov)
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) (AIDSinfo) Also in Spanish
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) (AIDS.gov)
PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) 101 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
What is a Preventive HIV Vaccine? (AIDSinfo) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

HIV/AIDS Medicines: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Living With

HIV Genotypic Resistance Testing (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
HIV Resistance Testing (New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) Also in Spanish
Live Well (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Related Issues

AIDS Myths and Misunderstandings (New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center) Also in Spanish
Alcohol and Drug Use and HIV Risk (AIDS.gov)
CDC Vital Signs: New Hope for Stopping HIV (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
HIV and Hepatitis B (AIDSinfo) Also in Spanish
HIV and Hepatitis C (AIDSinfo) Also in Spanish
HIV and Pulmonary Hypertension (Pulmonary Hypertension Association) - PDF
HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) (AIDSinfo) Also in Spanish
HIV Risk among Adult Sex Workers in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
HIV/AIDS and Alcohol (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Vaccinations for Adults with HIV Infection (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF

Images

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Primary Infection (Logical Images)

Videos and Tutorials

Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

Aging with HIV: Responding to an Emerging Challenge (National Institute on Aging)
Basic HIV/AIDS Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Black Americans and HIV/AIDS (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
CDC Vital Signs: HIV Among Youth in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Drug and Alcohol Use -- A Significant Risk Factor for HIV (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Expanded HIV Screening Projected to Decrease Spread of the Virus (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
HIV among African American Gay and Bisexual Men (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
HIV Among Asians (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
HIV among Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders in the United States and Dependent Areas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
HIV among Transgender People (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
HIV and Young Men Who Have Sex with Men (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
HIV in Correctional Settings (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
HIV Incidence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
HIV Infection Accelerates Hepatitis C-Related Liver Fibrosis (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
HIV Testing in the United States (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
HIV Vaccines (AIDS.gov)
HIV/AIDS (World Health Organization)
HIV/AIDS among African Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
HIV/AIDS among American Indians and Alaska Natives (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
HIV/AIDS in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
HIV/AIDS Statistics Overview (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
NCHHSTP Atlas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Research Report: HIV/AIDS (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
State Profiles: HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
The Science Is Clear: With HIV, Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
Treat Jail Detainees' Drug Abuse to Lower HIV Transmission (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
What is a Therapeutic HIV Vaccine? (AIDSinfo) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: HIV Infections (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: HIV/AIDS Vaccines (National Institutes of Health)
HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials (AIDSinfo)
HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Fact Sheet (AIDSinfo) Also in Spanish

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

AIDSinfo Glossary (AIDSinfo) Also in Spanish
HIV Life Cycle (AIDSinfo) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

AIDSinfo (Department of Health and Human Services) Also in Spanish
AIDSource (National Library of Medicine)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
HIV.gov (AIDS.gov)
NIAID Division of AIDS (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Children

HIV and AIDS (Nemours Foundation)

Teenagers

Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
HIV and AIDS (Nemours Foundation)
How Do People Get AIDS? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Men

HIV among Gay and Bisexual Men (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Women

HIV/AIDS in Women: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Seniors

HIV Among People Aged 50 and Over (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
HIV, AIDS, and Older People (National Institute on Aging) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

AIDS (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Asymptomatic HIV infection (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Bloodborne pathogens (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Condom Fact Sheet in Brief (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
Screening and diagnosis for HIV (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
T-cell count (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Topic Image

Stay Connected

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on HIV/AIDS is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Other Languages

Find health information in languages other than English on HIV/AIDS

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Disclaimers

MedlinePlus links to health information from the National Institutes of Health and other federal government agencies. MedlinePlus also links to health information from non-government Web sites. See our disclaimer about external links and our quality guidelines.