During the 1980s, AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) became an unwelcome part of our reality. The disease launched a global health epidemic when it was identified in 1981. Since then, AIDS has claimed more than 700,000 lives in the United States.

While we’ve learned a lot about AIDS since its discovery, World AIDS Day fosters awareness about the disease that has shaped our culture in the last generation. Every Dec. 1, we focus on what we know about AIDS and how to prevent it.

What Is AIDS?

AIDS is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

HIV attacks the body’s immune system and destroys blood cells that help fight infection. If HIV destroys enough of these cells, known as CD4 or T-cells, it can trigger AIDS.

Thanks to treatment, some people live long lives with HIV and never develop AIDS. Still, once a person has HIV, the virus stays in their body for life. While there is no cure, there are medicines to help those who are infected stay healthy. Just as important, HIV medicine helps stop the spread of the virus to others.

HIV Symptoms

Not everyone who contracts HIV experiences symptoms right away. Some may feel tired or have a fever within the first two months. Others may feel nothing at all. Testing is the only way to know if you are infected. The simple blood test is available at a doctor’s office and local public health clinics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information about testing centers across the United States via its toll-free National AIDS Hotline: 800-342-AIDS.

People with HIV may also experience one or more of these symptoms:

• Dry cough
• Discolored blotches in the mouth or on the nose, eyelids or skin
• Diarrhea for more than a week
• Fatigue
• Swollen lymph glands
• Rapid weight loss
• Regular night sweats or fever
• White spots inside the mouth and throat or on the tongue

Reduce Your Risk

To protect yourself from the virus, you need to understand the ways HIV and AIDS spread.

• Needles — Sharing needles, syringes or other equipment used to inject drugs puts you at risk. Blood and the virus can contaminate the needle or syringe and be transferred to the next user. Needles used for tattoos and piercings can also be infected. If you get a tattoo or piercing, make sure the needle is new.
• Sexual transmission — Sex with an infected person is the most common way to contract HIV. People of any sexual orientation are at risk. Men can infect female or male partners. So can women. To reduce your risk, always use condoms.

HIV can also be transmitted in other ways:

• Mother to child — A mother with HIV can pass the infection on to her child through pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. There are ways to reduce these risks during pregnancy. Talk with your doctor about options that may be available to you if you have been diagnosed with HIV.
• Blood transfusions — In the United States, blood used for transfusions is tested for HIV and other viruses before it is given to a patient, so there is little-to-no risk of passing the infection. Not all countries do so, though. Be aware if you seek medical care in another nation. Blood transfusions received outside the United States could put you at risk.

Stop the Spread

While scientists continue to make advances that help people who are HIV positive live longer, it’s important to take steps to protect yourself.

• Use a condom during sex.
• Get tested.
• Don’t share needles or syringes.
• Learn about the disease.

Still have questions? Ask us for more information here.

Sources: Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S.,  HIV.gov, 2023; About HIV,  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024; The HIV/AIDs Epidemic in the United States: The Basics,  KFF, 2024; What is HIV,   AIDS Healthcare Foundation 

Originally published 12/1/2015; Revised 2017, 2022, 2024