Welcome to Youth and AIDS Projects

HIV Facts

The following information was adapted from Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/faqs.htm#testing




What is HIV? (back to top)

HIV stands for the human immunodeficiency virus. People living with the virus are said to be HIV+ (that is, HIV positive).

HIV attacks the immune system, the body's natural defenses. AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) occurs when the immune system is severely damaged, making it difficult to fight off contagious disease and cancer.

What is AIDS? (back to top)

AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

Acquired - means that the disease is not hereditary but develops after birth from contact with a disease causing agent (in this case, HIV).

Immunodeficiency - means that the disease is characterized by a weakening of the immune system.

Syndrome - refers to a group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease. In the case of AIDS this can include the development of certain infections and/or cancers, as well as a decrease in the number of certain cells in a person's immune system.

A diagnosis of AIDS is made by a physician using specific clinical or laboratory standards.

How does HIV cause AIDS? (back to top)

HIV destroys a certain kind of blood cell (CD4+ T cells) which is crucial to the normal function of the human immune system. In fact, loss of these cells in people with HIV is an extremely powerful predictor of the development of AIDS. Studies of thousands of people have revealed that most people infected with HIV carry the virus for years before enough damage is done to the immune system for AIDS to develop. However, sensitive tests have shown a strong connection between the amount of HIV in the blood and the decline in CD4+ T cells and the development of AIDS. Reducing the amount of virus in the body with anti-retroviral medicine can dramatically slow the destruction of a person's immune system.

How is HIV Transmitted? (back to top)

HIV can be transmitted in blood, semen (cum and pre-cum), vaginal secretion, and breast milk.

Infection usually happens while sharing needles/syringes or having sex without a condom. Women can pass HIV to babies during pregnancy, delivery, or breast-feeding. HIV is not spread by casual touching and kissing.

How well does HIV survive outside the body? (back to top)

Scientists and medical authorities agree that HIV does not survive well outside the body, making the possibility of environmental transmission remote. HIV is found in varying concentrations or amounts in blood, semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, saliva, and tears. To obtain data on the survival of HIV, laboratory studies have required the use of artificially high concentrations of laboratory-grown virus. Although these unnatural concentrations of HIV can be kept alive for days or even weeks under precisely controlled and limited laboratory conditions, CDC studies have shown that drying of even these high concentrations of HIV reduces the amount of infectious virus by 90 to 99 percent within several hours. Since the HIV concentrations used in laboratory studies are much higher than those actually found in blood or other specimens, drying of HIV-infected human blood or other body fluids reduces the theoretical risk of environmental transmission to that which has been observed - essentially zero. Incorrect interpretations of conclusions drawn from laboratory studies have in some instances caused unnecessary alarm.

Results from laboratory studies should not be used to assess specific personal risk of infection because (1) the amount of virus studied is not found in human specimens or elsewhere in nature, and (2) no one has been identified as infected with HIV due to contact with an environmental surface. Additionally, HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host (unlike many bacteria or fungi, which may do so under suitable conditions), except under laboratory conditions; therefore, it does not spread or maintain infectiousness outside its host.

Where did HIV come from? (back to top)

The earliest known case of HIV-1 in a human was from a blood sample collected in 1959 from a man in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. (How he became infected is not known.) Genetic analysis of this blood sample suggested that HIV-1 may have stemmed from a single virus in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

We know that the virus has existed in the United States since at least the mid- to late 1970s. From 1979-1981 rare types of pneumonia, cancer, and other illnesses were being reported by doctors in Los Angeles and New York among a number of male patients who had sex with other men. These were conditions not usually found in people with healthy immune systems.

In 1982 public health officials began to use the term "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome," or AIDS, to describe the occurrences of opportunistic infections, Kaposi's sarcoma (a kind of cancer), and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in previously healthy people. Formal tracking (surveillance) of AIDS cases began that year in the United States.

In 1983, scientists discovered the virus that causes AIDS. The virus was at first named HTLV-III/LAV (human T-cell lymphotropic virus-type III/lymphadenopathy- associated virus) by an international scientific committee. This name was later changed to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

For many years scientists theorized as to the origins of HIV and how it appeared in the human population, most believing that HIV originated in other primates. Then in 1999, an international team of researchers reported that they had discovered the origins of HIV-1, the predominant strain of HIV in the developed world. A subspecies of chimpanzees native to west equatorial Africa had been identified as the original source of the virus. The researchers believe that HIV-1 was introduced into the human population when hunters became exposed to infected blood.

How Can I Prevent HIV? (back to top)

Preventing HIV is simple. The surest way to avoid it is by not having sex or injecting drugs.

If you do have sex, protect yourself with condoms and dental dams every time you have vaginal, anal, and oral sex.

Store condoms in a dry, dark place. Don't use old or dried-out condoms. Never use a condom more than once. During intercourse, use latex or polyurethane condoms with plenty of water-based lubricant. Don't use lambskin condoms because they have tiny holes that can let HIV through. Avoid using lubricants with oil because they can dissolve latex and cause condoms to break.

If you use needles for injecting drugs (including steroids and vitamins), tattooing or piercing, don't share your needle, cooker, cotton, or other equipment. If you must share, always sterilize your equipment.

Can I get HIV from oral sex? (back to top)

Yes, it is possible for either partner to become infected with HIV through performing or receiving oral sex. There have been a few cases of HIV transmission from performing oral sex on a person infected with HIV. While no one knows exactly what the degree of risk is, evidence suggests that the risk is less than that of unprotected anal or vaginal sex.

If the person performing oral sex has HIV, blood from their mouth may enter the body of the person receiving oral sex through

  • the lining of the urethra (the opening at the tip of the penis);
  • the lining of the vagina or cervix;
  • the lining of the anus; or
  • directly into the body through small cuts or open sores.

If the person receiving oral sex has HIV, their blood, semen (cum), pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum), or vaginal fluid may contain the virus. Cells lining the mouth of the person performing oral sex may allow HIV to enter their body.

The risk of HIV transmission increases

  • if the person performing oral sex has cuts or sores around or in their mouth or throat;
  • if the person receiving oral sex ejaculates in the mouth of the person performing oral sex; or
  • if the person receiving oral sex has another sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Not having (abstaining from) sex is the most effective way to avoid HIV.

If you choose to perform oral sex, and your partner is male,

  • use a latex condom on the penis; or
  • if you or your partner is allergic to latex, plastic (polyurethane) condoms can be used.

Studies have shown that latex condoms are very effective, though not perfect, in preventing HIV transmission when used correctly and consistently. If either partner is allergic to latex, plastic (polyurethane) condoms for either the male or female can be used. If you choose to have oral sex, and your partner is female,

  • use a latex barrier (such as a natural rubber latex sheet, a dental dam or a cut-open condom that makes a square) between your mouth and the vagina. A latex barrier such as a dental dam reduces the risk of blood or vaginal fluids entering your mouth. Plastic food wrap also can be used as a barrier.
  • If you choose to perform oral sex with either a male or female partner and this sex includes oral contact with your partners anus (analingus or rimming), use a latex barrier (such as a natural rubber latex sheet, a dental dam or a cut-open condom that makes a square) between your mouth and the anus. Plastic food wrap also can be used as a barrier.

If you choose to share sex toys with your partner, such as dildos or vibrators,

  • each partner should use a new condom on the sex toy; and
  • be sure to clean sex toys between each use.

Is there a connection between HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases? (back to top)

Yes. Having a sexually transmitted disease (STD) can increase a person's risk of becoming infected with HIV, whether the STD causes open sores or breaks in the skin (e.g., syphilis, herpes, chancroid) or does not cause breaks in the skin (e.g., chlamydia, gonorrhea).

If the STD infection causes irritation of the skin, breaks or sores may make it easier for HIV to enter the body during sexual contact. Even when the STD causes no breaks or open sores, the infection can stimulate an immune response in the genital area that can make HIV transmission more likely.

In addition, if an HIV-infected person is also infected with another STD, that person is three to five times more likely than other HIV-infected persons to transmit HIV through sexual contact.

Not having (abstaining from) sexual intercourse is the most effective way to avoid all STDs, including HIV. For those who choose to be sexually active, the following HIV prevention activities are highly effective:

  • Engaging in behaviors that do not involve vaginal or anal intercourse or oral sex
  • Having sex with only one uninfected partner
  • Using latex condoms every time you have sex

What if I Get HIV? (back to top)

There is no cure for HIV, but new treatments help people avoid illness and live longer. There are medical tests that can detect signs of HIV (known as HIV antibodies), usually within several weeks of infection. The sooner people find out if they have HIV, the sooner they can take action to protect themselves and others.

How do I know if I am infected? (back to top)

The HIV-antibody test is a way to tell if you are infected. You cannot tell by looking at someone if he or she carries HIV. Someone can look and feel perfectly healthy and still be infected. In fact, about one-third of those who are HIV positive do not know it. Neither do their sex partners.

When HIV enters the bloodstream, it begins to attack certain white blood cells called T4 lymphocyte cells (helper cells). The immune system then produces antibodies to fight off the infection. Therefore, the presence of antibodies to HIV result from HIV infection. Testing can tell you whether or not you have developed antibodies to HIV.

If I think I have been exposed to HIV, how soon can I get tested? (back to top)

To find out when you should be tested, discuss it with your our staff or personal physician. The tests commonly used to detect HIV infection actually look for antibodies produced by your body to fight HIV. Most people will develop detectable antibodies within 3 months after infection, the average being 20 days. In rare cases, it can take 6-12 months. During the time between exposure and the test, it is important to avoid any behavior that might result in exposure to blood, semen, or vaginal secretions.