LIVING WITH

HIV/AIDS

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Atlanta, Georgia 30333
TThis booklet is for people who are infected with the 

human immunodefi ciency virus (HIV) and for their 

friends and families. HIV is the virus that causes 

ac quired im mu n o de fi cien cy syn drome (AIDS).

Although infection with HIV is serious, people with 

HIV and AIDS are living longer, healthier lives 

today, thanks to new and effective treatments. This 

booklet will help you un der stand how you can live 

with HIV and keep yourself healthy.

You probably have many questions about HIV, 

such as

 What is HIV and how did I get it?

 What is the difference between HIV 

 infection and AIDS?

 How long does it take to go from HIV infection to a diagnosis of AIDS?

 How can I stay healthy longer?

 What can I expect when I go to the doctor?

 What is the treatment for HIV or AIDS?

 What are some of the other diseases I 

 could get?

 How do I protect other people from 

 my HIV?

 Is there special advice for women with HIV?

 Where can I fi nd help in fi ghting HIV?

This booklet will give you answers to these ques-

 tions. You can also ask your doctor any questions 

you have about HIV. Other sources of information 

about HIV are listed at the back of this booklet.

What is HIV and how did I get it?

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. The fi rst cases of 

AIDS were identifi ed in the United States in 1981, 

but the virus probably existed here and in other 

parts of the world for many years before that. In 

1984, scientists proved that HIV causes AIDS.
Ways you might have gotten HIV 

 having unprotected sex (sex without a 

 con dom) with someone who has HIV 

 sharing a needle to inject drugs or sharing 

drug works with someone who has HIV 

 having a mother who was infected with 

 HIV when you were born

 from a blood transfusion (However, it is 

unlikely you got infected that way because 

all blood in the United States has been 

 tested for HIV since 1985.) 

Ways you did NOT get 

(and no one else can get) HIV 

 just working with or being around some one 

who has HIV 

 being stung or bitten by an insect 

 sitting on toilet seats 

 doing everyday things like sharing a meal

What is the difference between 

HIV and AIDS?

HIV is the virus that causes the disease AIDS. Although HIV causes AIDS, a person can be in fect ed 

with HIV for many years before AIDS develops.

When HIV enters your body, it infects specifi c cells 

in your immune system. These cells are called CD4 

cells or helper T cells. They are im por tant parts 

of your immune system and help your body fi ght 

infection and disease. When your CD4 cells are not 

working well, you are more likely to get sick. 

Usually, CD4 cell counts in someone with a healthy 

immune system range from 500 to 1,800 per cubic 

millimeter of blood. AIDS is diagnosed when your 

CD4 cell count goes below 200. Even if your CD4 

cell count is over 200, AIDS can be di ag nosed if 

you have HIV and certain diseases such as 

tu ber cu lo sis or Pneumocystis carinii [NEW-moSIS-tis CA-RIN-nee-eye] pneumonia (PCP). 
There are general stages of HIV infection that you 

may go through before AIDS develops. 

 Infection. The earliest stage is right after 

you are infected. HIV can infect cells and 

copy itself before your immune system has 

started to re spond. You may have felt fl ulike symptoms during this time.

 Response. The next stage is when your body 

responds to the virus. Even if you don’t feel 

any different, your body is trying to fi ght the 

virus by making antibodies against it. This 

is called seroconversion, when you go from 

being HIV negative to HIV positive. 

 No symptoms. You may enter a stage in 

which you have no symptoms. This is called 

as ymp tom at ic in fec tion. You still have HIV 

and it may be causing damage that you 

 can’t feel. 

 Symptoms. Symptomatic HIV infection 

 is when you develop symptoms, such as 

certain in fec tions, in clud ing PCP.

 AIDS. AIDS is diagnosed when you have 

 a variety of symptoms, infections, and 

 specifi c test results. There is no single test 

 to di ag nose AIDS.

How long does it take to go from 

HIV infection to a di ag no sis of 

AIDS?

There is no one answer to this question because 

everyone is different. Estimates of the average 

length of time for pro gres sion from HIV to AIDS 

are being developed. Before antiretroviral therapy 

became available in 1996, scientists estimated that 

AIDS would develop within 10 years in about half 

the people with HIV. Since 1996, new medical 

treatments have been developed that can prevent or 

cure some of the illnesses associated with AIDS, 

though they cannot cure AIDS itself.
Various factors, including your genetic makeup, can 

infl uence the time between HIV infection and the 

development of AIDS. 

Time between HIV infection and AIDS

Shorter 

 older age

 infection with more than one type of HIV

 poor nutrition

 severe stress 

Longer 

 closely adhering to your doctor’s 

 recommendations 

 eating healthy foods 

 taking care of yourself

What is clear is that you have some control over the 

pro gres sion of HIV infection.

How can I stay healthy longer?

There are many things you can do for yourself to 

stay healthy. Here are a few.

 Make sure you have a health care provider 

who knows how to treat HIV. Begin treat-

 ment promptly once your doctor tells you to. 

 Keep your appointments. Follow your doctor's instructions. If your doctor prescribes 

medicine for you, take the medicine just the 

way he or she tells you to because taking 

only some of your medicine gives your 

 HIV infection more chance to fi ght back. 
 If you get sick from your med i cine, call your 

doctor for advice; don’t make changes to 

your medicine on your own or be cause of 

advice from friends.

 Get immunizations (shots) to prevent 

in fec tions such as pneumonia and fl u. Your 

doctor will tell you when to get these shots.

 Practice safe sex to reduce your risk of 

getting a sex u al ly transmitted disease (STD) 

or another strain of HIV.

 If you smoke or use drugs not prescribed by 

your doctor, quit. 

 Eat healthy foods. This will help keep you 

strong, keep your energy and weight up, and 

help your body protect itself.

 Exercise regularly.

 Get enough sleep and rest.

 Take time to relax. Many people fi nd that

 med i ta tion or prayer, along with exercise 

and rest, help them cope with the stress of 

 having HIV or AIDS.

There are also many things you can do to protect 

your health when you prepare food or eat, when 

you travel, and when you’re around pets and other 

animals. You can read more about these things in 

the brochures in the CDC Opportunistic Infection 

series. You can get these bro chures and other in for -

ma tion about HIV by calling CDC-INFO at 1-800-

232-4636 or by going to the CDC Internet address, 

www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm.

What can I expect 

when I go to the 

doctor? 

During your fi rst appointment your 

doc tor will ask you ques tions, 

ex am ine you, take a blood sam ple, 

and do some other tests. Your doctor also may do a 

skin test for tu ber cu lo sis and give you some 

im mu ni za tions (shots). 
Tell your doctor about any health problems you 

are having so that you can get treatment. You also 

should ask your doctor any questions you have 

about HIV or AIDS, such as 

 what to do if your medicine makes you sick

 where to get help for quitting smoking or 

using drugs

 how to create a healthier diet

 how to minimize the chance that you will 

spread HIV to your partners

Your blood sample is used for many tests, in clud ing 

the CD4 cell count and viral load. Your CD4 cell 

count tells you how many CD4 cells you have in 

your blood. If you are getting treatment, your CD4 

cell counts indicate how well it is work ing. If your 

CD4 cell count rises, your body is better able to 

fi ght infection. Viral load testing measures the 

amount of HIV in your blood. Your viral load 

helps predict what will happen next with your 

HIV infection if you don’t get treatment. 

Keep your follow-up appointments with your doctor. At these appointments you and your doctor 

will talk about your test results, and he or she may 

prescribe medicine for you.

What is the treatment for HIV 

or AIDS? 

 Antiretroviral medicines. Because HIV is a 

certain type of virus called a retrovirus, the drugs 

used to treat it are called antiretroviral med i cines. 

These powerful medicines control the virus and 

slow progression of HIV infection, but they do 

not cure it. You need to take these med i cines 

exactly as your doctor prescribes.

 HAART. The current recommended treatment 

for HIV is a combination of three or more medicines. This reg i men of medicines is called highly 

active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). 
 How many pills you will need to take and how 

often you will take them depends on which medicines your doctor chooses for you. Remember, 

each HAART regimen is tailored to each individual patient. There is no one best reg i men. You 

can read more about specifi c HAART regimens 

at www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/other/cbrochure/english/

04_en.html. 

 HAART may cause some side ef fects. You and 

your doctor should discuss potential side effects 

so that you will know if they occur. If you 

 experience any side effects, even those that may 

seem minor, you should talk about them with 

your doctor.

 Other medicines. Your doctor may also prescribe other medicines for you, depending on 

your CD4 cell count. Always discuss any side 

effects with your doctor. Never change the way 

you are taking any of the med i cines without fi rst 

talking with your doctor. If you don’t take your 

med i cines the right way, they may not be as ef-

 fec tive as they should be. 

 Treating other infections. If your HIV infection 

gets worse and your CD4 cell count falls below 

200, you are more likely to get other infections. 

Your doctor may prescribe med i cines to prevent 

particular infections, such as PCP.

The most important thing you can do after you learn 

that you have HIV is to work closely with your 

doctor. Be cause HIV and HIV-related ill ness es vary 

from person to person, your doctor will design a 

medical care plan specifi cally for you. To help your 

doctor make the best choices for you, you must tell 

your doctor about any side effects or symptoms 

you have. 
What are some of the other 

diseases I could get? 

Because HIV damages your immune system, you 

may have a higher chance of getting certain 

dis eas es, called opportunistic infections. They 

are so named because an HIV-infected person’s 

weak ened immune system gives these diseases the 

opportunity to develop. Fortunately, people with 

HIV who are taking HAART can go a long time 

before their immune system is damaged enough to 

allow an opportunistic infection to occur. That’s 

why it is so important to get tested and start treatment early. Many people may not know they 

have HIV until AIDS and an opportunistic 

in fec tion develop. Many germs can cause 

opportunistic infections. 

 Examples of common opportunistic in fec tions

PCP Pneumocystis NEW-mo-SIS-

 carinii tis CA-RIN-

 pneumonia nee-eye 

MAC Mycobacterium my-ko-bak-

 avium TEER-i-um 

 complex AYE-vee-um 

CMV Cytomegalovirus si-to-MEG-eh-

 lo-vi-res

TB Tuberculosis too-burr-qu-LO-

 sis

Toxo Toxoplasmosis tok-so-plaz-MO- 

 sis

Crypto Cryptosporidiosis krip-to-spo-rid-

 e-O-sis

Hep C Hepatitis C hep-a-TI-tis C

HPV Human HU-man PAP- 

 papilloma i-LO-ma VI-res

 virus 

Common 

 name

Full name Pronunciation
Certain symptoms can occur with 

opportunistic infections.

 Breathing problems

 Mouth problems, such as thrush 

 (white spots), sores, change in taste, 

 dry ness, trouble swal low ing, or 

 loose teeth

 Fever for more than 2 days

 Weight loss

 Change in vision or fl oaters 

 (moving lines or spots in your vision)

 Diarrhea

 Skin rashes or itching

Tell your doctor right away if you have any of 

these prob lems. Your doctor can treat most of your 

HIV-related prob lems, but sometimes you may need 

to go to a specialist. Visit a dentist at least twice a 

year, more often if you have mouth problems.

You can learn more about how to prevent the most 

serious opportunistic infections by reading the brochures in the CDC Opportunistic Infections series. 

You can get these brochures by calling CDC-INFO 

at 1-800-232-4636.

How do I protect other people 

from my HIV?

Things you SHOULD do

 Abstain from sex. The surest way to 

 avoid trans mis sion of STDs, including a 

 different strain of HIV, is to not have 

 sexual intercourse.

 Use condoms correctly and consistently.

Correct and consistent use of the male 

 latex condom can reduce the risk for STD 

trans mis sion. However, no protective 

 meth od is 100% effective. Condom use 

 cannot guar an tee absolute protection 

 against any STD.
o If you are allergic to latex, you can 

use poly ure thane condoms.

o Condoms lubricated with spermicides are no more effective than 

other lubricated condoms in protecting against the transmission 

 of HIV and other STDs. 

o If you use condoms incorrectly, they 

can slip off or break, which reduces 

their protective effects. Inconsistent 

use, such as not using condoms with 

every act of intercourse, can lead 

to STD transmission because trans-

 mis sion can occur with just one act 

of intercourse.

 Use protection during oral sex. A condom 

or dental dam (a square piece of latex used 

by dentists) can be used. Do not reuse 

 these items.

 Tell others that you have HIV.

o Tell people you’ve had sex with. 

This can be diffi cult, but they need 

to know so they can get the help 

they need. Your local public health 

department may help you fi nd these 

people and tell them they have been 

exposed to HIV. If they have HIV, 

this may help them get care and 

avoid spread ing HIV to others.

o Tell people you are planning on having sex with. Practicing safe sex will 

help protect your health and that of 

your partners.

o If you are a man and had sex with a 

woman who became pregnant, you 

need to tell the woman that you have 

HIV, even if you are not the father of 

the baby. If she has HIV, she needs 

to get early medical care for her own 

health and her baby’s health.
Things you should NOT do

 Don’t share sex toys. Keep sex toys for 

your own use only.

 Don’t share drug needles or drug works. 

Use a needle exchange program if one is 

available. Seek help if you inject drugs. You 

can fi ght HIV much better if you don’t have 

a drug habit.

 Don’t donate blood, plasma, or organs.

 Don’t share razors or toothbrushes. 

 HIV can be spread through fresh blood on 

such items.

Is there special advice for 

women with HIV?

Yes. If you are a woman with HIV, your doctor 

should check you for STDs and perform a Pap test 

at least once a year.

As a woman with HIV, you are more likely to have 

ab nor mal Pap test results. Infection with HIV means 

your body is less effective in controlling all types 

of viruses. The human papilloma virus (HPV) is a 

specifi c virus that can infect cervical cells (the cells 

that the Pap test looks at). Your doctor may rec om -

mend a special test that can look for HPV as part of 

your exam. If your Pap test result is ab nor mal, your 

doctor may need to repeat it or do other tests. If you 

have had an ab nor mal Pap test result in the past, tell 

your doctor.

If you are thinking about avoiding pregnancy or

be com ing pregnant, talk with your doctor. You 

might ask some of the following ques tions:

 What birth control methods are best for me?

 Will HIV cause problems for me during 

preg nan cy or delivery?

 Will my baby have HIV?

 Will treatment for my HIV infection cause 

prob lems for my baby?
 If I choose to get pregnant, what medical and com mu ni ty programs and support 

groups can help me and my baby?

If you become pregnant, talk to your doctor right 

away about medical care for you and your baby. 

You also need to plan for your 

child’s future in case you get sick. 

Your HIV treatment will not 

change very much from what it 

was before you became pregnant. 

You should have a Pap test and 

tests for STDs during your 

preg nan cy. Your doctor will order 

tests and suggest med i cines for you to take. Talk 

with him or her about all the pros and cons of taking 

med i cine while you are pregnant.

Talk with your doctor about how you can prevent 

giving HIV to your baby. It is very important that 

you get good care early in your pregnancy. The 

chances of passing HIV to your baby before or 

during birth are about 1 in 4, or 25%, but treat ment 

with antiretroviral med i cines has been shown to 

greatly lower this risk. Your doctor will want you to 

take these medicines to increase your baby’s chance 

of not getting HIV.

Although you are pregnant, to avoid catching 

other dis eas es and to avoid spreading HIV, you 

should still use condoms each time you have sex. 

Even if your partner already has HIV, he should 

still use condoms.

After birth, your baby will need to be tested for 

HIV, even if you took antiretroviral medicines 

while you were preg nant. Your baby will need to 

take medicine to prevent HIV infection and PCP. 

Talk with your doctor about your baby’s special 

medical needs. Because HIV infection can be 

passed through breast milk, you should not 

breast-feed your baby.
Where can I fi nd help in dealing 

with HIV?

If you are living with HIV or AIDS, you may need 

many kinds of support: medical, emotional, psy cho -

log i cal, and fi nancial. Your doctor, your local health 

and social ser vic es departments, local AIDS service 

organizations, and libraries can help you in fi nding 

all kinds of help, such as the following: 

 Answers to your questions about HIV 

 and AIDS

 Doctors, insurance, and help in making 

health care decisions

 Food, housing, and transportation 

 Planning to meet fi nancial and daily needs

 Support groups for you and your loved ones

 Home nursing care

 Help in legal matters, including Americans 

with Dis abil i ties Act (ADA) claims

 Confi dential help in applying for Social 

Security disability benefi ts

You can also get help by calling CDC-INFO at 

1-800-232-4636.

Many people living with HIV feel better if they can 

talk with other people who also have HIV. Here are 

some ways to fi nd support.

 Contact your local AIDS service or ga ni za tion. Look under “AIDS” or “Social 

 Service Organizations” in the yellow pages 

of your telephone book.

 Contact a local hospital, church, or 

 American Red Cross chapter for referrals.

 Read HIV newsletters or magazines.

 Join support groups or Internet forums.

 Volunteer to help others with HIV.
 Be an HIV educator or public speaker, or 

work on a newsletter.

 Attend social events to meet other people 

who have HIV.

Today, thousands of people are living with HIV or 

AIDS. Many are leading full, happy, and productive 

lives. You can too if you work with your doctor and 

others and take the steps outlined in this booklet to 

stay healthy.
More information about living with HIV or AIDS 

is avail able as follows: 

Free referrals or information

CDC-INFO

(800) CDC-INFO (232-4636) 

TTY: (888) 232-6348

English and Spanish

24 hours/day, 7 days/week

CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention Internet

www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm

Free materials

CDC National Prevention Information Network

PO Box 6003

Rockville, MD 20849-6003

(800) 458-5231

(301) 562-1098 (International)

www.cdcnpin.org

Free HIV/AIDS treatment information

AIDSinfo

(800) 448-0440

www.aidsinfo.nih.gov 

Project Inform

(800) 822-7422

Information on drugs in clinical tri als

AIDSinfo

(800) 448-0440

www.aidsinfo.nih.gov 

Social Security benefi ts

Social Security Administration

(800) 772-1213

(You may request a personal earnings 

and benefi ts estimate statement to help you 

estimate the retirement, disability, and survivor 

benefi ts you are en ti tled to.)