What are HIV and AIDS?
HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) but not everyone gets HIV through sexual contact, see: Ways of getting HIV | Zanzu .
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus that attacks your body’s immune system. If you have HIV and you do not take medicines, your immune system becomes weaker. After a long time without medicines, your body cannot defend itself any more against infections. You then have AIDS. A person with AIDS will die if they ar enot getting treated with medicine.
Medicines can keep HIV under control for a lifetime but HIV cannot be cured. With HIV medicines someone with HIV can live a normal life.
If you strictly follow your treatment, you cannot pass HIV on to other people, even if you have any symptoms. Thanks to the medication you are not infectious anymore.
Man standing. The focus is on the blood vessels.
Detail of a blood vessel with a lot of white blood cells that are protecting the body against infections
Detail of a blood vessel with a bit of HIV virus that attacks the white blood cells
Detail of a blood vessel with a lot of HIV virus and only a few white blood cells left. The body cannot defend itself any more against infections.
Man lying in bed ill: if you have HIV and you do not take medicines over a long time, you become ill.
Man taking HIV medicines: HIV cannot be cured, but it can be kept under control for a lifetime.
Detail of a blood vessel: when you take HIV medicines, a bit of HIV virus remains in your blood, but can no longer attack the white blood cells that protect you against infections.
With HIV medicines, an HIV-positive person can live a normal life.
Knowing whether you have HIV
To know whether you have HIV, you need to get tested.
Talk to a health professional if you want to get tested for HIV.
Man talking to a health professional