HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system & weakens your ability to fight everyday infections & disease.
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the name used to describe several potentially life-threatening infections & illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus.
While AIDS cannot be transmitted from one person to another, the HIV virus can.
Currently there is no cure for HIV, but there are effective drug treatments that enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life.
With an early diagnosis & effective treatment, most people with HIV will not develop any AIDS related illnesses & will live a near normal lifespan.
Always get tested if you believe you might be at risk from HIV. If you have any of the HIV symptoms described below, please consult a doctor immediately.
In the UK, around two thirds of people receiving specialist HIV care are male. Most men infected with HIV will experience a short illness very similar to flu. Symptoms will almost always occur within six weeks of exposure, normally between one and three weeks. This flu-like illness is known as the seroconversion illness. Seroconversion occurs when your body produces antibodies to fight the HIV virus. This battle between the newly transmitted virus and your immune system is what produces the flu-like illness.
