HIV can be spread by having unprotected sexual contact with an HIV-positive person. "Unprotected" means sex (anal, oral, or vaginal) without barrier protection, like a condom.  Some of the ways to reduce your risk of getting HIV through sexual contact include: Don't have sex - ABSTAIN. Sex (anal, oral, or vaginal) is the main way that HIV is transmitted. If you aren't having sexual contact, you are 100% protected from getting HIV in that way. Be

As early as 2-4 weeks after exposure to HIV (but up to 3 months later), people can experience an acute illness, often described as “the worst flu ever.” This is called acute retroviral syndrome (ARS), or primary HIV infection, and it’s the body’s natural response to HIV infection. During primary HIV infection, there are higher levels of virus circulating in the blood, which means that people can more easily transmit the virus to others. Go

Many people who are HIV-positive do not have symptoms of HIV infection. Often people only begin to feel sick when they progress toward AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). Sometimes people living with HIV go through periods of being sick and then feel fine. While the virus itself can sometimes cause people to feel sick, most of the severe symptoms and illnesses of HIV disease come from the opportunistic infections that attack a damaged immune

HIV is found in specific human body fluids. If any of those fluids enter your body, you can become infected with HIV. AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection, when a person’s immune system is severely damaged and has difficulty fighting diseases and certain cancers. Before the development of certain medications, people with HIV could progress to AIDS in just a few years. Currently, people can live much longer - even decades - with HIV before they

Which Bodily Fluid contains HIV?  HIV lives and reproduces in blood and other body fluids. We know that the following fluids can contain high levels of HIV: Blood Semen (cum) Pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum) Breast milk Vaginal fluids Rectal (anal) mucous Other body fluids and waste products—like feces, nasal fluid, saliva, sweat, tears, urine, or vomit—don’t contain enough HIV to infect you, unless they have blood mixed in them and you have significant

To understand what AIDS is, let’s break it down: A – Acquired – AIDS is not something you inherit from your parents. You acquire AIDS after birth. I – Immuno – Your body's immune system includes all the organs and cells that work to fight off infection or disease. D – Deficiency – You get AIDS when your immune system is "deficient," or isn't working the way it should. S – Syndrome – A syndrome is a collection of symptoms and signs

To understand what HIV is, let’s break it down: H – Human – This particular virus can only infect human beings. I – Immunodeficiency – HIV weakens your immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. A "deficient" immune system can't protect you. V – Virus – A virus can only reproduce itself by taking over a cell in the body of its host. Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a lot like other viruses that cause