What is AIDS?

AIDS means Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. It results from infection with a virus called HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This virus infects key cells in the human body called CD4-positive (CD4+) T cells. These cells are part of the body’s immune system, which fights infections and various cancers. For someone with HIV, the process of the virus destroying T-cells and multiplying may go on for years. Tests for HIV look for these antibodies in your blood or mouth lining.  If you have them in your blood, it means you have HIV infection. Being HIV-positive, or having HIV disease, is not the same as having AIDS. Many people are HIV-positive but don’t get sick for many years.  As HIV disease continues, it slowly wears down the immune system. HIV can be found in tears of infected people, but no cases of AIDS have ever been reported from tear contact. You don’t actually get AIDS.  You might get infected with HIV, and later you might develop AIDS.  You can get infected with HIV from anyone who’s infected, even if they don’t look sick and even if they haven’t tested HIV-positive yet.

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