When people with HIV don’t get treatment, they typically progress through three stages. But HIV treatment can slow or prevent progression of the disease. With advances in HIV treatment, progression to Stage 3 (AIDS) is less common today than in the early years of HIV. People have a large amount of HIV in their blood and are very contagious. Many people have flu-like symptoms. If you have flu-like symptoms and think you may have been exposed to HIV, get tested. This stage is also called asymptomatic HIV infection or clinical latency. HIV is still active and continues to reproduce in the body. People may not have any symptoms or get sick during this phase but can transmit HIV. People who take HIV treatment as prescribed may never move into Stage 3 (AIDS). Without HIV treatment, this stage may last a decade or longer, or may progress faster. At the end of this stage, the amount of HIV in the blood (viral load) goes up and the person may move into Stage 3 (AIDS). The most severe stage of HIV infection. People with AIDS can have a high viral load and may easily transmit HIV to others. People with AIDS have badly damaged immune systems. They can get an increasing number of opportunistic infections or other serious illnesses. Without HIV treatment, people with AIDS typically survive about three years.