GoodRx Guide
What Is HIV: Your GoodRx Guide
Comprehensive information for you or a loved one — including treatment options and discounts on popular medications.
What is HIV?
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Without treatment, HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
People with AIDS have severely damaged immune systems. This means they’re not able to fight off infections. They can get very sick from viruses, bacteria, and fungi that don’t normally cause illnesses.
There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is more common in the U.S.
Today, medications can control HIV so it doesn’t progress to AIDS. These medications let people with HIV live longer, healthier lives.
How common is HIV?
As of 2022, almost 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV. Estimates show about 156,000 of them don’t know they’re living with HIV. Thanks to advances in treatment, people with HIV are living much longer. Today, nearly half of those living with HIV are over 50 years old.
What causes HIV?
HIV can pass from person to person through blood and bodily fluids.
Most people are exposed to HIV through:
Unprotected sex
Accidental needle sticks
Needle or syringe sharing
Tattoos or piercings with unsterilized needles
Childbirth (a person with HIV can pass the virus to an unborn child)
Breastfeeding
HIV can’t spread through hugging, shaking hands, or sharing toilets or dishes. It also doesn’t spread through saliva, tears, or sweat.
HIV symptoms and stages
HIV infection has three stages: the acute stage, the chronic stage, and AIDS.
Acute HIV infection
When someone first gets sick with HIV, they may notice mild symptoms, like:
Fever
Sore throat
Swollen lymph nodes
Muscle aches
Chills
Night sweats
Mouth ulcers
Rash
People often confuse these early signs of HIV with a cold or flu-like illness. These acute HIV symptoms typically go away on their own after a few days or weeks. But during this time, the virus is growing very fast in your body, which can raise the risk of spreading it to others.
Chronic HIV infection (latency)
This is the second stage of HIV, when the virus lives in your body at lower levels.
Chronic HIV infection can last for 10 years or more — and even longer with treatment. During this stage, the virus may still grow in your body, but at a much slower rate. Many people have only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
Even without symptoms, you may still be able to transmit HIV to others. The risk depends on the amount of virus in your body (your viral load). Treatment may be able to keep HIV from progressing to AIDS and reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
AIDS
AIDS is the last stage of HIV, where your immune system becomes so damaged that it can’t fight infections. As your immune system weakens, these infections become more and more serious over time.
People with AIDS have a high viral load and can easily spread HIV to others.
HIV diagnosis
There are several tests that can detect HIV:
Antibody test: This test looks for antibodies against HIV in blood or saliva. Most rapid tests are antibody tests. You can get results back in as little as 20 minutes. Some antibody tests are also available as self-tests, which let you collect a saliva sample and test it at home.
Antigen/antibody test: This test looks for both a piece of the virus (antigen) and antibodies against HIV. Most healthcare professionals and clinics offer this blood test. Some antigen/antibody tests provide results in about 30 minutes. Others take a few days.
Nucleic acid test (NAT): This test looks for HIV in a blood sample. It can detect the virus sooner after exposure than antibody or antigen tests. It’s a good option for people who know they’ve recently been exposed to HIV. NAT results usually take several days.
If your test result is negative, it might mean you don’t have HIV. But you might need a second test to be sure. The timing of your test and the type of test used can affect the accuracy of the results.
If your test result is positive, it means you may have HIV. Again, a follow-up test is usually needed to be sure you’re HIV positive.
Medications for HIV
There’s no cure for HIV. But medications can usually control the virus so you can stay healthy. These medications come in pills or shots.
Treatment for HIV — called antiretroviral treatment (ART) — usually includes two or three medications that stop the HIV virus from multiplying in your body. Each medication works differently to prevent the virus from becoming resistant to treatment.
The goal of ART is to create an undetectable viral load in your body. When your viral load is undetectable, you typically won’t develop AIDS. You also can’t pass the virus to others through sex or childbirth. Most people reach an undetectable viral load within 6 months of starting ART.
Living with HIV
Being diagnosed with HIV can be scary. It’s natural to feel anger, sadness, or hopelessness at first. Finding support can help.
One of the most important steps is to find the right medical team. Starting treatment as soon as possible will help keep you healthy. Some primary care providers can manage ART, but many don’t.
If you need a healthcare professional, you can use the HIV.gov locator tool to find one. If you don’t have insurance, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program can help you access healthcare professionals, ART, and testing.
It’s also a good idea to connect with resources and support groups. These groups can guide you through health and insurance concerns and help you talk to loved ones about your diagnosis. Being diagnosed with HIV can be stressful. These support groups can also help you care for your mental health.
The CDC’s Living with HIV resource center is a great place to start looking for support.
How to prevent HIV
There are several ways to protect yourself from getting HIV:
Condoms: Use condoms the right way every time you have sex.
Don’t share needles: Don’t share needles or syringes. If you get a tattoo or piercing, make sure the needles are sterile.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): PrEP is a medication you take to prevent getting HIV. If you’re at higher risk of coming into contact with HIV through sex or needle sharing, taking PrEP can keep you healthy. There are three FDA-approved options: Truvada (emtricitabine / tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), Descovy (emtricitabine / tenofovir), and Apretude (cabotegravir).
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP): PEP is a series of medications you take after being exposed to HIV. If you start PEP within 72 hours of exposure, it can keep you from getting HIV. PEP is for emergency situations. If you’re regularly exposed to HIV, PrEP, not PEP, is the best option to keep you safe.
Right now, there’s no vaccine for HIV.
Frequently asked questions
Detection depends on the type of blood test used. NAT can detect the HIV virus in your blood as early as 10 days after exposure. And antibody/antigen tests can detect HIV between 18 and 45 days after exposure.
Rapid antibody tests take the longest to detect HIV. It can take anywhere from 18 to 90 days after exposure for this test to show that you have HIV.
No. There are no documented cases of someone developing HIV after contact with saliva.
Research shows that HIV can pass from person to person through blood, vaginal fluids, and semen, but not saliva. It’s safe to share cups, utensils, and plates with someone who has HIV. It’s also safe to kiss someone with HIV. In extremely rare situations, HIV can be passed if both people have active mouth sores or bleeding gums.
It depends. Even if you only have unprotected sex once, you could still be at risk for HIV. But the more often you have unprotected sex, the higher your risk becomes.
The type of sex you’re having also makes a difference. For example, receptive anal sex has the highest risk. Other factors can affect your risk too, like your partner’s viral load or whether there was any vaginal or anal tearing during sex.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Living with HIV.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Preventing HIV with PrEP.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Treating HIV.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). About HIV.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Getting tested for HIV.
HIV.gov. (2023). How is HIV transmitted?
HIV.gov. (2023). Symptoms of HIV.
HIV.gov. (2024). Understanding your HIV test results.
HIV.gov. (2025). U.S. statistics.
HIVinfo.NIH.gov. (2021). The stages of HIV infection.
HIVinfo.NIH.gov. (2024). HIV and AIDS: The basics.
National Institute on Aging. (2021). HIV, AIDS, and older adults. National Institutes of Health.
Planned Parenthood. (n.d.). What are the symptoms of HIV & AIDS?
Planned Parenthood. (n.d.). What is PEP?
Spach, D. H., et al. (2025). HIV-2 infection. National HIV Curriculum.
Wilton, J. (n.d.). Risk of exposure to HIV/AIDS. Stanford Health Care.
