HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It can also be spread by contact with infected blood or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breast-feeding if the person is infected with the virus. Without medication, it can take years before HIV weakens the immune system interfering with the ability to fight the organisms thereby leading to AIDS.

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HIV destroys CD4 T cells — white blood cells that play a large role in helping your body fight disease. The fewer CD4 T cells you have, the weaker your immune system becomes.

You can have an HIV infection for years before it turns into AIDS. AIDS is diagnosed when the CD4 T cell count falls below 200 or you have an AIDS-defining complication.

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To become infected with HIV, infected blood, semen or vaginal secretions must enter your body. This can happen in several ways:

• You may become infected if you have vaginal, anal or oral unprotected sex with an infected partner whose blood, semen or vaginal secretions enter your body. The virus can enter your body through mouth sores or small tears that sometimes develop in the rectum or vagina during sexual activity.

• From blood transfusions. In some cases, the virus may be transmitted through blood transfusions. American hospitals and blood banks now screen the blood supply for HIV antibodies, so this risk is very small.

• By sharing needles. Sharing contaminated intravenous drug paraphernalia (needles and syringes) puts you at high risk of HIV and other infectious diseases, such as hepatitis.

• During pregnancy or delivery or through breast-feeding. Infected mothers can pass the virus on to their babies. HIV-positive mothers who get treatment for the infection during pregnancy can significantly lower the risk to their babies.

The symptoms of HIV and AIDS vary, depending on the phase of the infection, listed below from data reported by the Mayo Clinic.

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Phases: 

Primary infection (Acute HIV)

Most people infected by HIV develop a flu-like illness within a month or two after the virus enters the body. 

• Fever

• Headache

• Muscle aches and joint pain

• Rash

• Sore throat and painful mouth sores

• Swollen lymph glands, mainly on the neck

These symptoms can be so mild that you might not even notice them. However, the amount of virus in your bloodstream (viral load) is quite high at this time. As a result, the infection spreads more easily during primary infection than during the next stage.
 

Clinical latent infection (Chronic HIV)

In some people, persistent swelling of lymph nodes occurs during this stage. Otherwise, there are no specific signs and symptoms. HIV remains in the body and in infected white blood cells  This stage of HIV infection generally lasts around 10 years, if you're not receiving anti-retroviral therapy. But sometimes, even with this treatment, it can last for decades. 
 

Symptomatic HIV infection

As the virus continues to multiply and destroy your immune cells — the cells in your body that help fight off germs — you may develop mild infections or chronic signs and symptoms such as:

• Fever

• Fatigue

• Swollen lymph nodes — often one of the first signs of HIV infection

• Diarrhea

• Weight loss

• Oral yeast infection (thrush)

• Shingles (herpes zoster)

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Progression to AIDS

Untreated, HIV typically turns into AIDS in about 10 years.

When AIDS occurs, your immune system has been severely damaged. You'll be more likely to develop opportunistic infections or opportunistic cancers, which are diseases that wouldn't usually trouble a person with a healthy immune system.

The signs and symptoms of some of these infections may include:

• Soaking night sweats

• Recurring fever

• Chronic diarrhea

• Persistent white spots or unusual lesions on your tongue or in your mouth

• Persistent, unexplained fatigue

• Weight loss

• Skin rashes or bumps

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AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, which is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

There's no cure for HIV/AIDS, but there are medications that can slow down the progression of the disease. These drugs have reduced AIDS deaths in many developed countries.

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If you think you may have been infected with HIV or are at risk of contracting the virus, see a health care provider as soon as possible.

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You cannot become infected with HIV through ordinary contact. That means you can't catch HIV or AIDS by hugging, kissing, dancing or shaking hands with someone who has the infection.  HIV isn't spread through the air, water or insect bites.

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There's no vaccine to prevent HIV infection and no cure for AIDS. But you can protect yourself and others from infection.

To help prevent the spread of HIV:

• Use a new condom every time you have sex. Use a new condom every time you have anal or vaginal sex. Women can use a female condom. If using a lubricant, make sure it's water-based. Oil-based lubricants can weaken condoms and cause them to break. During oral sex use a non-lubricated, cut-open condom or a dental dam — a piece of medical-grade latex.

• Consider pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The combination drugs emtricitabine plus tenofovir (Truvada) and emtricitabine plus tenofovir alafenamide (Descovy) can reduce the risk of sexually transmitted HIV infection in people at very high risk.

• Tell your sexual partners if you have HIV. It's important to tell all your current and past sexual partners that you're HIV-positive. They'll need to be tested.

• Use a clean needle. If you use a needle to inject drugs, make sure it's sterile and don't share it. Take advantage of needle-exchange programs in your community and consider seeking help for your drug use.

• If you're pregnant, get medical care right away. If you're HIV-positive, you may pass the infection to your baby. But if you receive treatment during pregnancy, you can cut your baby's risk significantly.

• Consider male circumcision. There's evidence that male circumcision can help reduce the risk of getting HIV infection.
   

Source: Mayo Clinic

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Although, it is reported that there is no known cure for AIDS, reports states that a man named Timothy Ray Brown is the first American to be cured of HIV/AIDS after receiving treatment in a Berlin hospital, where he underwent a procedure known as "hematopoeitic stem cell transplantation,"   It was also reported that a man named, Alfredo Darrington Bowman, better known as, Dr. Sebi, a Honduran herbalist, had the cure for AIDS and other diseases by his "Alkaline, plant based diet and detox" and rumors speculate that he was killed, because people didn’t want him to cure the disease; as a cure would prevent the pharmaceutical companies from making money from medications used to treat the diseases progression.   It is important to get tested, especially if you have multiple sex partners and do not use condoms, or if you are a drug user, who shares needles. Take care of yourself and your body, you only get one and it only takes one time to contract AIDS from an infected person who has the disease.

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By Dietra Myers