HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It's a virus that breaks down certain cells in your immune system. When HIV damages your immune system, it's easier to get really sick and

Once you have HIV, the virus stays in your body for life. There's no cure for HIV, but medicines can help you stay healthy. HIV medicine lowers or even stops your chances of spreading the virus to other people. Studies show that using HIV treatment as directed can lower the amount of HIV in your blood so much that it might not even show up on a test when this happens to your body.

Treatment is really important. Without treatment, HIV can lead to AIDS. But with medicine, people with HIV can live long, healthy lives and stop the spread of HIV to others.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. HIV and AIDS are not the same thing. And people with HIV do not always have AIDS.

HIV is the virus that's passed from person to person. Over time, HIV destroys an important kind of the cell in your immune system (called CD4 cells or T cells) that helps protect you from infections. When you don't have enough of these CD4 cells, your body can't fight off infections the way it normally can.

AIDS is the disease caused by the damage that HIV does to your immune system. You have AIDS when you get dangerous infections or have a super low number of CD4 cells. AIDS is the most serious stage of HIV, and it leads to death over time. Without treatment, it usually takes about 10 years for someone with HIV to develop AIDS. Treatment slows down the damage the virus causes and can help people stay healthy for several decades.

How do you get HIV? HIV is carried in semen (cum), vaginal fluids, anal mucus, blood, and breast milk. The virus gets in your body through cuts or sores in your skin, and through mucous membranes (like the inside of the vagina, rectum, and opening of the penis). You can get HIV from:

• having vaginal or anal sex
• sharing needles or syringes for shooting drugs, piercings, tattoos, etc.
• getting stuck with a needle that has HIV-infected blood on it
• getting HIV-infected blood, semen (cum), or vaginal fluids into open cuts or sores on your body

HIV is usually spread through having unprotected sex. Using condoms and/or dental dams every time you have sex and not sharing needles can help protect you and your partners from HIV. If you do have HIV, treatment can lower or even stop the chances of spreading the virus to other people during sex. If you don't have HIV, there's also a daily medicine called PrEP that can protect you from HIV.

HIV can also be passed to babies during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding. A pregnant woman with HIV can take medicine to greatly reduce the chance for HIV.

HIV isn't spread through saliva (spit), so you CAN'T get HIV from kissing, sharing food or drinks, or using the same fork or spoon. HIV is also not spread through hugging, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. And you can't get HIV from a toilet seat.

A long time ago, some people got HIV from infected blood transfusions. But now, giving or getting blood in medical canters is totally safe. Doctors, hospitals, and blood donation canters don't use needles more than once, and donated blood is tested for HIV and other infections.

People with HIV don't usually have symptoms right away, so they may not know they have it. It can be years before HIV makes you feel sick.

Early HIV symptoms

People usually look and feel totally healthy for a long time after they're infected. It can take 10 years or more for HIV to show any symptoms — or much, much longer than that for people who take HIV medicines. That's why it's really important to get tested for HIV regularly, especially if you've had unprotected sex or shared needles. HIV treatment can help you stay healthy. Treatment can also lower or even stop your chances of spreading HIV to other people during sex.

The first 2-4 weeks after being infected with HIV, you may feel feverish, achy, and sick. These flu-like symptoms are your body's first reaction to the HIV infection. During this time, there's a lot of the virus in your system, so it's really easy to spread HIV to other people. The symptoms only last for a few weeks, and then you usually don't have symptoms again for years. But HIV can be spread to other people — whether or not you have symptoms or feel sick.

Later HIV/AIDS symptoms

HIV destroys cells in your immune system called CD4 cells or T cells. Without CD4 cells, your body has a hard time fighting off diseases. This makes you more likely to get really sick from infections that usually wouldn't hurt you. Over time, the damage HIV does to your immune system leads to AIDS.

You have AIDS when you get rare infections or types of cancer, or if you've lost a certain number of CD4 cells. This usually happens about 10 years after getting HIV if you don't get treatment. Treatment can delay or even prevent you from ever developing AIDS.

• Thrush (a thick, white coating on your tongue or mouth)
• Sore throat
• Bad yeast infections
• Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease
• Getting bad infections a lot
• Feeling really tired, dizzy, and lightheaded
• Headaches
• Losing lots of weight quickly
• Bruising more easily than normal
• Having diarrhea, fevers, or night sweats for a long time
• Swollen or firm glands in your throat, armpit, or groin
• Feeling short of breath
• Purplish growths on your skin or inside your mouth
• Bleeding from the mouth, nose, anus, or vagina
• Skin rashes
• Feeling very numb in your hands or feet, losing control of your muscles and reflexes, not being able to move, and losing strength in your muscles

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) attacks the immune system, making it susceptible to various infections and diseases. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the standard medical treatment for managing HIV and slowing down the progression to AIDS. ART helps control the virus's replication, maintain a healthy immune system, and significantly improve the quality of life for individuals living with HIV. While Ayurveda may offer supportive and complementary measures to enhance overall well-being, While Ayurveda may offer supportive and complementary measures to enhance overall well-being, it should not replace conventional medical treatments for HIV. Individuals diagnosed with HIV must consult with qualified healthcare professionals.