HIV

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It targets the CD4 cells of the immune system — the coordinators that help your body fight off infection. Left untreated, it gradually wears that defense down. But HIV is no longer a death sentence: with consistent antiretroviral therapy, the virus can be held down to an undetectable level indefinitely, and people living with HIV can expect a lifespan and daily life much like anyone else’s.

HIV passes only through specific routes — blood, sexual fluids like semen, and parent-to-child during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Everyday contact such as hugging, sharing meals, or sharing a toilet seat carries no risk (see Can you catch it from casual contact?). And when treatment suppresses the virus to undetectable, it cannot be passed on through sex either — that is U=U.

Register note: HIV is the neutral, accurate clinical term, far preferable to older panic-tinged labels. When referring to a person, say “person living with HIV,” not “AIDS patient.”

Common misreading: treating “has HIV” as identical to “has AIDS.” HIV is the virus; AIDS is a late stage that may follow years without treatment. People who start treatment early often never reach it.