HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. (HIV is a Retorvirus)

HIV was discovered in 1983. HIV is a retrovirus that infects several kinds of cells in the body, the most important of which is a type of white blood cell called the CD4 lymphocyte (also known as "T-cell") . The CD4 cell is a major component of the human immune system that helps keep people free from many infections and some cancers. HIV can effectively disable the body's immune system, and destroy its ability to fight diseases.

Two major types of HIV have been identified so far:

• HIV-1 is the cause of the worldwide epidemic.                                     
• HIV-2 is found mostly in Africa.
• At least ten different sub-types of HIV-1 have also been found.

HIV infection is spread through exposure to semen and vaginal fluid (including menstrual blood) from unprotected sex (without a condom) or through exposure to blood from injection drug use (via contaminated needles or syringes). HIV can also be transmitted from mother to child through birth or by breast feeding.

Presently there are 2 types of HIV virus.HIV-1 and HIV-2 (found mostly in African Continent )

Blood, pre-cum, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk all contain high concentrations of HIV, and all have been linked to transmission of   
the virus.

Saliva, tears, sweat, and urine can have the virus in them, but in such small concentrations that nobody has ever been infected through them.   
However, if any body fluid is visibly contaminated with blood, the risk of transmission exists.

The HIV virus must get into the bloodstream in order to infect you. If it doesn't get into the bloodstream, you will not get the infection. 
Blood, pre-cum, semen, vaginal secretions, or breast milk must have direct access to your bloodstream in order to infect you. 
Activities where this can happen include vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, giving oral sex, sharing needles (IV, tattoo etc), and rarely 
through   receiving a blood transfusion. HIV can also be transmitted from mother to child. HIV is NOT transmitted through any form of casual 
contact

1. You must be exposed to pre-cum (the white colorless fluid which aids in lubrication of the genital parts during sex ), semen, vaginal secretions, blood, or breast milk.
   
2. The virus must get directly into your bloodstream through some fresh cut, open sore, abrasion etc.
   
3. Transmission must go directly from 1 person to the other very quickly.....the virus does not survive more than a few minutes outside the body.

No matter what the circumstances are, if you think about these 3 factors for transmission, you will l be able to determine whether you're at risk for HIV or not. But do remember that other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) can be transmitted easier than HIV, so what might be low risk for HIV may be high risk for other STD's.

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down. 
Normally, the immune system fights off infections and certain other diseases. When the system fails, a person with AIDS can develop a variety of life- threatening illnesses.

HIV and AIDS are closely related, and if you understand HIV infection, you can better understand AIDS.

Before scientists had discovered the HIV virus, they named the set of symptoms and diseases experienced by people with a severe breakdown 
of the immune system "AIDS". Later, the definition was changed to include anyone infected with the HIV virus, with advanced breakdown of the immune system, even if they didn't have a disease or cancer. A definite origin of HIV has yet to be found.

AIDS is caused by a virus called the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. A virus is one of the smallest "germs" that can cause disease.

If you have unprotected sex (sex without regular and correct condom use) or share needles or syringes with an infected person, you may 
become infected with HIV. Specific blood tests can show evidence of HIV infection. You can be infected with HIV and have no symptoms at 
all. You might feel perfectly healthy, but if you're infected, you can pass the virus to anyone with whom you have unprotected sex or share 
needles or syringes.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus

What to watch for:

• Symptoms start several months to several years after contact with the virus.
• Flu-like feelings that don't go away.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Diarrhea
• White spots in the mouth.
• Purple bumps on the skin and inside mouth, nose or rectum.

A person is given an AIDS diagnosis by a doctor when they are infected with HIV and they come down with one of several diseases or cancers, including: Tuberculosis, Toxoplasmosis, PCP, wasting syndrome (involuntary weight loss), Candidiasis, HIV dementia (memory impairment). 
People who haven't had one of these diseases, but whose immune system is shown by a laboratory test to be severely damaged also qualify. 
(CD4 count of 200 or below).

Once you have been diagnosed with AIDS, you are always considered to have AIDS, even if you recover from the disease that "qualified" you 
or even if your CD4 cell count goes up again.

Many researchers and physicians think of HIV disease as a spectrum, and consider "AIDS" as less of an indicator of a person's health. Thanks 
to new treatments, it is much more common for someone to "recover" from one of the defining diseases than it once was.
Some AIDS organizations require proof of an AIDS diagnosis in order for clients receive services.

• By having unprotected (no condom) rectal or vaginal sex and possibly oral sex with a person infected by the HIV (AIDS) virus.
• By sharing needles to inject IV drugs with someone infected with the HIV virus.
• A mother with the HIV (AIDS) virus can give it to her baby in the womb, during birth, or while breast feeding.

What if you don't get treated?

• HIV (AIDS) cannot be cured. Most people who are infected with the HIV (AIDS) virus will eventually die of complications.
• You will always be able to infect others if you have unprotected sex or share needles.

How do you test for HIV (AIDS)?

• An HIV antibody blood test.

How do you treat HIV (AIDS)?

• There is no cure for HIV (AIDS). But, you can learn how to strengthen your immune system, and there are medications which slow the progression of the disease. Many infected for 10 or more years still feel well.
• Find out about classes, books, support groups, and clinics specializing in HIV (AIDS) information and care in your area.

About half of the people with HIV develop AIDS within 10 years, but the time between infection with HIV and the onset of AIDS can vary greatly. The severity of the HIV-related illness or illnesses will differ from person to person, according to many factors, including the overall health of the individual.

Today there are promising new medical treatments that can postpone many of the illnesses associated with AIDS. This is a step in the right direction, and scientists are becoming optimistic that HIV infection will someday be controllable. In the meantime, people who get medical care to monitor and treat their HIV infection can carry on with their lives, including their jobs, for longer than ever before.

You can become infected with HIV in two main ways:

• Having unprotected sexual intercourse - anal, vaginal, or oral - with an infected person.
• Sharing drug needles or syringes with an infected person.

Also, women infected with HIV can pass the virus to their babies during pregnancy or during birth. They can also pass it on when   
breast-feeding.  Some people have become infected by receiving blood transfusions. Since 1985, however, when careful screening and  
laboratory testing of all  blood donations began, this possibility has been greatly reduced.

HIV can be spread through sexual intercourse, from male to male, male to female, female to male, and, in theory, from female to female.

HIV is sexually transmitted, and HIV is not the only infection that is passed through intimate sexual contact. Other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, and chlamydia, can also be contracted through anal, vaginal, and oral intercourse. If you have one of these infections and engage in sexual behaviors that can transmit HIV, you are at greater risk of getting HIV.

HIV may be in an infected person's blood, semen, or vaginal secretions. HIV can enter the body through cuts or sores in the skin. HIV can also enter the body through the moist lining of the vagina, penis, rectum, or even the mouth. Some of these cuts or sores are so small you don't even know they're there. Anal intercourse with an infected person is one of the ways HIV has been most frequently transmitted. Other forms of sexual intercourse, including oral sex, can spread it as well. During oral sex, a person who takes semen, blood, or vaginal secretions into their mouth is at risk of becoming infected.

Many infected people have no symptoms and have not been tested. If you have sex with one of them, you put yourself in danger. Also, the more sexual partners you have, the greater your chances of encountering one or more who are infected and of becoming infected yourself. The only sure way to avoid infection through sex is to abstain from sexual intercourse or engage in sexual intercourse only with someone who is not infected and only has sex with you. Latex condoms have been shown to help prevent HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. But you have to use condoms correctly every time you have sex - vaginal, anal, or oral. Condoms made of plastics such as polyurethane should also be highly effective. Condoms made of lambskin, however, do not offer good protection.

Sharing needles or syringes, even once, is very risky. Many people have become infected with HIV and other germs this way. HIV from an infected person can remain in a needle or syringe and then be injected directly into the bloodstream of the next person who uses it. Sharing needles to inject IV drugs is the most dangerous form of needle sharing.

Sharing needles for other purposes may also transmit HIV and other germs. These types of needles include those used to inject steroids and those used for tattooing or ear-piercing.

If you plan to have your ears pierced or get a tattoo, make sure you go to a qualified person who uses brand-new or sterile equipment. Don't be shy about asking questions. Responsible technicians will explain the safety measures they follow.

A woman infected with HIV can pass the virus on to her baby during pregnancy, while giving birth, or when breast-feeding. If a woman is infected before or during pregnancy, her child has about one chance in four of being born with HIV infection. Medical treatment with AZT during pregnancy and labor may reduce the risk of infecting the baby to about 1 in 12. There must be no breastfeeding by the infected mother and the baby must be given AZT for the first several weeks of life. Even then, the risk of infecting the child cannot be totally eliminated.

Any woman who is considering having a baby and who thinks she might have done something that could have caused her to become infected with HIV - even if this occurred years ago - should seek counseling and testing for HIV infection to help her make an informed choice about becoming pregnant.

There is evidence that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been in the Asian region at least since 1978. The following are known risk factors 
for HIV. You may be at increased risk of infection if any of the following have applies to you.

• Have you shared needles or syringes to inject drugs or steroids?
• If you are a male, have you had sex with other males?
• Have you had sex with someone who you believe may have been infected with HIV?
• Have you had a sexually transmitted disease (STD)?
• Have you had unprotected sex with someone who would answer yes to any of the above questions?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you should discuss your need for testing with a trained counselor. If you are a woman in any of the above categories and you plan to become pregnant, counseling and testing are even more important.

If you had unprotected sex with someone and you didn't know their risk behavior, or you have had many sexual partners in the last 10 years, then you have increased the chances that you might be HIV-infected.

The only way to tell if you have been infected with HIV is by taking an HIV-antibody blood test. This test should be done through a testing site, doctor's office, or clinic familiar with the test. It is important that you discuss what the test may mean with a qualified health professional, both before and after the test is done.

Some people who contract HIV experience very strong symptoms, but others experience none at all. Symptoms can occur within days or weeks of the initial exposure to the virus.

The symptoms of early HIV infection are similar to the symptoms of other infections, including other sexually transmitted infections like mono and hepatitis. They can also be the symptoms of influenza (the flu). Many of these diseases are much more common and easier to transmit than HIV, and some can be just as serious.

If you experience these symptoms after a potentially risky encounter, you should see a doctor to get checked out. It might be a good idea to get tested for HIV, but remember that even if you are not positive for HIV, you may have contracted another infection that should be treated, so you  should still see a doctor.