Once infected with HIV, a person may or may not experience any symptoms. People who do experience symptoms might have a flu-like illness within one or two months after infection. Symptoms can include fever, headache, tiredness and/or enlarged lymph nodes. These symptoms usually disappear within a week to a month and are often mistaken for the symptoms of more common viral infections, like a cold.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency ["im-you-no-de-fish-en-see"] Virus -- is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). HIV attacks and kills the cells in our bodies that keep us from getting diseases. This makes people with HIV get illnesses that healthy people do not get. When a person with HIV gets very sick from pneumonia, some kinds of cancer, and other life-threatening diseases, they are said to have AIDS. AIDS is a fatal disease. Here is more information on HIV/AIDS. See similar questions...

Many people carry staph bacteria on their skin without symptoms. Symptoms of a MRSA or other staph infection depend on where the infection is located. Infections of the skin are the most common and cause symptoms such as redness, warmth, pus, and a wound that does not heal. Your doctor may refer to these infections as boils, furuncles, impetigo, or abscesses. Infections can also develop in the blood, bone, bladder, lungs, and other sites. See similar questions...

There are no common symptoms for individuals diagnosed with AIDS. When immune system damage is more severe, people may experience opportunistic infections (called "opportunistic" because they are caused by organisms which cannot induce disease in people with normal immune systems, but take the "opportunity" to flourish in people with HIV). Most of these more severe infections, diseases and symptoms fall under the Centers for Disease Control's definition of full-blown "AIDS. See similar questions...

Testing & PreventionHIV 101The Biology of HIVHIV/AIDS FAQsSigns & SymptomsData & StatisticsLiving with HIV/AIDSMedication InformationIllnesses & InfectionsResearch & NewsSafer SexWomen s Resources HIV is a complex disease that generates many frequently asked questions. HIV FAQ can help you understand HIV and AIDS if you get the right answers for your questions. Knowledge is power. Understanding HIV and AIDS will allow you to take control of your life. See similar questions...

Primary HIV infection is the first stage of HIV disease, when the virus first establishes itself in the body. Some researchers use the term acute HIV infection to describe the period of time between when a person is first infected with HIV and when antibodies against the virus are produced by the body (usually 6- 12 weeks). Some people newly infected with HIV will experience some "flu-like" symptoms. See similar questions...

The following are known risk factors for HIV. You may be at increased risk of infection if any of the following apply to you: See similar questions...

Many people do not develop any symptoms when they first become infected with HIV. Some people, however, get a flu-like illness within three to six weeks after exposure to the virus. Some people who contract HIV experience very strong symptoms, but others experience none at all. Those who do have symptoms generally experience fever, fatigue, and, often, rash. Other common symptoms can include headache, swollen lymph nodes, and sore throat. See similar questions...

Many people do not develop any symptoms when they first become infected with HIV and often are unaware they have the virus. Those who do, however, may experience flu-like symptoms, such as headache, fever, fatigue, sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes, or rash within two weeks to a month after exposure to the virus. These symptoms usually disappear after a few weeks and often are mistaken for those of another viral infection, such as infectious mononucleosis or the flu. See similar questions...

The initial symptoms of seroconversion (when a person initially becomes HIV+) are similar to mono. A person feels feverish, has swollen glands, sore throat, rash, fatigue, etc. Otherwise a person with AIDS can have multiple symptoms: difficulty swallowing, a coating on the tongue or throat, fevers, dementia, diarrhea, unusual skin lesions, shortness of breath, multiple vaginal yeast infections, cough, weight loss, etc. See similar questions...

A person can have TB infection for years without any signs of disease. But if that person's immune system gets weak, the infection can quickly turn into TB disease. Also, if a person who has a weak immune system spends time with someone with infectious TB, he or she may become infected with TB bacteria and quickly develop TB disease. Because HIV infection weakens the immune system, people with TB infection and HIV infection are at very high risk of developing TB disease. See similar questions...

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Globally, 45 percent of adults living with HIV/AIDS are women. By region, this percentage varies considerably, from 57% in Sub-Saharan Africa, to 28% in East Asia and the Pacific. In 2004, 17.6 million women were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. See similar questions...

of 2003, approximately 15 million children have lost one or both parents due to HIV/AIDS. By 2010, this number is expected to increase to 25 million. Learn more about USAID's efforts to improve the lives of children affected by HIV/AIDS. See similar questions...

I - Immuno-deficiency: because the effect of the virus is to create a deficiency, a failure to work properly, within the body's immune system. V - Virus: because this organism is a virus, which means one of its characteristics is that it is incapable of reproducing by itself. It reproduces by taking over the machinery of the human cell. See similar questions...

Although there have been many advances in HIV treatments and therapies in recent years that have dramatically improved the quality of life and life expectancy of persons with HIV/AIDS in the US and other developed countries, there is, as of yet, no cure. See similar questions...