HIV and AIDS
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.  In a healthy body, a person’s immune system prevents him from getting sick.  The immune system acts like a protective shield around the person, keeping him safe from diseases.  When HIV enters the body, it breaks through this shield slowly until it is no longer able to protect the person.  Germs take this opportunity to enter the body and cause serious infections.  When this happens, the person is said to have AIDS.  It is these infections that make the person feel very sick and eventually die. A person can have HIV but not have developed AIDS, but if a person has AIDS then they must have HIV, since there is no other way to get AIDS.  This is why people generally talk about them as one disease, since one causes the other.

How HIV is Contracted
You cannot get HIV from someone who has it by touching the person, sharing a drink or food, by sitting on a toilet seat, or by using the same water fountain. HIV is only transmitted through four bodily fluids: blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.  If one of these fluids from an infected person enters an uninfected person’s bloodstream, that person is now infected with HIV.  HIV is spread through sexual activity, including unprotected oral, vaginal, and anal sex, as well as sharing needles for drug use, and from HIV infected mothers to their children by way of breast milk, or even during the pregnancy or delivery.

Getting Tested
If you think you or someone you know may be infected with HIV, go for testing right away.  There are three ways to test for HIV: a blood sample from the finger or arm (which is the most common), fluids from cells in the mouth can be taken (less common), or a urine sample may be used instead (less common).  These tests can tell if your body is making antibodies to fight HIV.  They do not test for AIDS.  If the sample is found positive, it is tested again and if it is found positive again, a different test is used to make sure.  This process takes anywhere from one to two weeks.  If a person tests positive, it means that his body is making the antibodies against HIV. It does not mean that he has AIDS or will get sick soon. If a person tests negative, it means his body is not making the antibodies against HIV but that does not mean he does not have HIV.  If he was exposed to HIV in the last six months, his body may not be making enough antibodies to show up in a test. He should consider getting tested again in the next few months just to make sure he is not infected. HIV tests are administered at STD clinics, family planning clinics, community health centers, a doctor’s office, and hospital.  Many of these offer anonymous testing.

There is no cure for either HIV or AIDS.  If a person does not get treatment, it usually takes about ten years for HIV to progress to AIDS.  However, with the medicines and treatment programs available today, people are living longer lives.