The difference between HIV and AIDS

HIV and AIDS are often discussed together but are not, as is often thought, two terms for the same thing. HIV (the Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that has been identified as the cause of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

Unlike most other diseases, different people with AIDS may experience different clinical problems, depending on which specific opportunistic infections they develop. This is what a syndrome means – a collection of different signs and symptoms that are all part of the same underlying medical condition.

Some key distinctions between HIV and AIDS:

HIV is a virus, AIDS is the medical condition caused by HIV infection.
AIDS is a defined collection of symptoms and diseases experienced by those whose immune systems have been severely compromised by HIV.
HIV can be transmitted from one person to another but AIDS cannot.
It is possible to test for HIV but there is no such thing as an AIDS test.
There is no cure for AIDS. The only safe way to avoid AIDS is to avoid becoming infected with HIV.
There is antiretroviral medication which slows the progression from HIV to AIDS, and which can keep some people healthy for many years.
It can take many years from the point of HIV infection for someone to be diagnosed with AIDS.
Everyone with an AIDS diagnosis will already be HIV positive, but not everyone living with HIV has AIDS.
An AIDS diagnosis is no longer inevitable for HIV positive people taking anti-retroviral treatment.

Last updated April 2010