gov/ or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636). You can also use home testing kits, which are available for purchase in most pharmacies and online. Myth # 6: Everyone who is HIV-positive will eventually develop AIDS. When people get HIV and don’t receive treatment, they will typically progress through three stages of disease, the last and most severe stage being AIDS. Yet if properly treated, an HIV-positive person may never acquire AIDS. Medicine to treat HIV, known as antiretroviral therapy (ART) , helps at all stages of the disease if taken the right way, every day . This treatment can slow or prevent the progression from one stage to the next. It can also dramatically reduce the chance of transmitting HIV to someone else.
In addition, thanks to new drug therapies, many people who are aware of their HIV-positive status are living symptom free and have no outward sign of carrying the virus. Medications and treatments can keep them at a healthy body weight and prevent them from progressing to symptomatic stages of HIV. As previously noted, many are able to maintain an undetectable status, meaning there are so few copies of the virus in their bloodstream that they can no longer be detected by a laboratory test . However, even if undetectable, there is still a possibility (though greatly diminished) of transmitting the disease. The only way to know for sure whether a person has HIV is for them to get tested. Knowing your status is important because it helps you make healthy decisions to prevent contracting or transmitting HIV. To find places near you that offer confidential HIV testing, visit https://gettested.cdc.
SPREAD OF HIV/AIDS STAGES OF HIV INFECTION
HIV can be controlled. Beginning in the 1980s with the drug AZT, ART therapy has developed to the point that it can dramatically prolong the lives of many people infected with HIV and lower their chance of infecting others. Today, someone diagnosed with HIV and treated can have a nearly normal life expectancy. Without ART treatments, however, HIV will continue to duplicate itself within the body, moving through the three stages of HIV infection.
HIV is a virus spread through certain body fluids. It attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (a type of white blood cell), often called T cells. These special cells help the immune system fight off infections. Over time, if left untreated, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can’t fight off infections and disease, thus allowing opportunistic infections or cancers to take advantage of a very weak immune system . While no safe and effective cure currently exists, with proper medical care,
THREE STAGES OF HIV
are not virally suppressed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that roughly 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023). There are 39 million people living with HIV globally. At the end of this phase, a person’s viral load starts to go up, and the CD4 cell count begins to go down. As this happens, the person may begin to have symptoms as the virus levels increase in the body and the person moves into Stage 3. Stage 3: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) AIDS is the most severe phase of HIV infection . People with AIDS have badly damaged immune systems, leading to an increasing number of severe illnesses called opportunistic illnesses. Without treatment, people with AIDS typically survive about three years. Common symptoms of AIDS include chills, fever, sweats, swollen lymph glands, weakness, skin lesions, and weight loss. People are diagnosed with AIDS when their CD4 cell count drops below 200 cells/mm3 or if they develop certain opportunistic illnesses. People with AIDS can have a high viral load and be very infectious. More than 700,000 people in the U.S. with an AIDS diagnosis have died since its discovery, with 1,744 deaths in 2020, despite advances in treatment (Kaiser Family Foundation [KFF], 2023).
Stage 1: Acute HIV infection Within two to four weeks after infection with HIV, people may experience a flulike illness, which may last for a few weeks. This is the body’s natural response to infection. During this time, the body produces an influx of white blood cells in an attempt to eradicate the virus. As the body is unable to eliminate the virus, it readjusts and proceeds to the second stage of the disease. Stage 2: Clinical latency (HIV inactivity or dormancy) This period is sometimes called asymptomatic HIV infection or chronic HIV infection. During this phase, HIV is still active but reproduces at very low levels. People may not have any symptoms or get sick during this time. For people who aren’t taking medicine to treat HIV, this period can last a decade or longer, but some progress through this phase much faster. People who are taking medicine to treat HIV (ART) the right way, every day may be in this stage for several decades or throughout their life span. It’s important to remember that people can still transmit HIV to others during this phase, although people who are on ART and stay virally suppressed (with a very low level of virus in their blood) are much less likely to transmit HIV than those who
RISK FACTORS
The following are risk factors that can affect anyone at any age, regardless of status: • Having sex with someone without being 100% sure of their HIV status. Remember, 13% of people are unaware of their infection. • Injecting drugs or sharing needles. This can include steroids, hormones, and insulin.
Anyone who engages in behaviors that place them in contact with blood, semen, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk may be at risk for getting HIV. Even if you are in a long-term, monogamous (one-partner) relationship, it is important to confirm your HIV status to be sure that you and your partner remain healthy and HIV negative. According to the CDC, everyone ages 13 to 64 should include HIV testing at least once as part of their healthcare routine, even if they do not feel they are at risk .
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