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HIV
infection and AIDS are not the same thing. |
| HIV
infection is a long term illness that attacks the immune system,
the body's natural defence against disease. At present, there no cure. When HIV infects the body, the body makes antibodies. Antibodies help fight germs. But the HIV antibodies can't keep up with HIV. People may not know they have HIV. They may look and feel healthy for years. But they can still pass HIV to others. |
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| SYMPTOMS | Symptoms
may take years to appear. Most people have a period of flu-like symptoms
within weeks of being infected. Later, people may have symptoms such as:
A person with these symptoms does not necessarily have HIV. But he or she should see a health-care provider if symptoms last longer than a week. |
| AIDS | AIDS
is the last stage of HIV infection. The immune system becomes so weak it
can no longer defend the body against certain illnesses. A Person has AIDS when certain disease-fighting cells in the body reach low levels and /or the person gets certain illnesses. Theses illnesses include:
These illnesses are normally mild or rare. But, they are life-threatening for a person with AIDS |
| Back To Main | What
is the HIV test? Who should consider having an HIV test? How does the HIV testing work? Are there benefits to being tested? Test results - What do they mean? Questions and answers. |
