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Symptoms

The symptoms of HIV and AIDS vary, depending on the phase of infection. When first infected with HIV, you may have no symptoms at all, although it's more common to develop a brief flu-like illness two to six weeks after becoming infected. But because the signs and symptoms of an initial infection � which may include fever, headache, sore throat, swollen lymph glands and rash � are similar to those of other diseases, you might not realize you've been infected with HIV.

Even if you don't have symptoms, you're still able to transmit the virus to others. Once the virus enters your body, your own immune system also comes under attack. The virus multiplies in your lymph nodes and slowly begins to destroy your helper T cells (CD4 lymphocytes) � the white blood cells that coordinate your entire immune system.

You may remain symptom-free for eight or nine years or more. But as the virus continues to multiply and destroy immune cells, you may develop mild infections or chronic symptoms such as:

Swollen lymph nodes — often one of the first signs of HIV infection
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Fever
Cough and shortness of breath

Definition

AIDS is a chronic, life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By damaging or destroying the cells of your immune system, HIV interferes with your body's ability to effectively fight off viruses, bacteria and fungi that cause disease. This makes you more susceptible to certain types of cancers and to opportunistic infections your body would normally resist, such as pneumonia and meningitis. The virus and the infection itself are known as HIV. The term acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is used to mean the later stages of an HIV infection.

In the 25 years since the first reports of the disease, AIDS has become a global epidemic. Worldwide, an estimated 38.6 million people are living with HIV, nearly half of them women and girls between the ages of 15 and 24. And though the spread of the virus has slowed in some countries, it has escalated or remained steady in others. In 2005, more than 4 million people were newly infected with HIV; 25 million have died of AIDS since the epidemic began.

Despite improved treatments and better access to care for people in the hardest-hit parts of the world, most experts agree that the pandemic is still in the early stages. With a vaccine probably decades away, the best hope for stemming the spread of HIV now lies in prevention, treatment and education.