HIV,full name human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases. It is spread by contact with certain bodily fluids of a person with HIV.As we all know,It spreads most commonly during unprotected sex (sex without a condom or HIV medicine to prevent or treat HIV), or through sharing injection drug equipment,etc.

If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome),which is a serious disease among all of us.

The human body can’t get rid of HIV and no effective HIV cure exists. Therefore, once you have HIV disease, you have it for life.

Luckily, however, effective treatment with HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) is available now. If taken as prescribed, HIV medicine can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood (also called the viral load) to a very low level. This is called viral suppression. If a person’s viral load is so low that a standard lab can’t detect it, this is called having an undetectable viral load. People with HIV who take HIV medicine as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex.

In addition, there are also various effective ways to prevent getting HIV through sex or drug use, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), medicine people at risk for HIV take to prevent getting HIV from sex or injection drug use, and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), HIV medicine taken within 72 hours after a possible exposure to prevent the virus from taking hold.

What Is AIDS?
AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection that occurs when the body’s immune system is badly damaged because of the virus.

In the U.S., most people with HIV infection do not develop AIDS.The reason is that they take HIV medicine as prescribed stops the progression of the disease to avoid this effecient.

A person with HIV is considered to have progressed to AIDS when:

the number of their CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood (200 cells/mm3). (In someone with a healthy immune system, CD4 counts are between 500 and 1,600 cells/mm3.) Or they develop one or more opportunistic infections regardless of their CD4 count.
Without HIV medicine, people with AIDS typically survive about 3 years only. Once someone has a dangerous opportunistic illness, life expectancy without treatment falls to about 1 year. HIV medicine can still help people at this stage of HIV infection, and it can even be lifesaving. But people who start HIV medicine soon after they get HIV experience more benefits. that’s why HIV testing is so important for all of us.

How Do I Know If I Have HIV?
The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested. Testing is relatively simple and convenient. You can ask your health care provider for an HIV test. Many medical clinics, substance abuse programs, community health centers. If you are not avalible for all of these,then hospital is also a good choice for you.

HIV self-testing is also an option. Self-testing allows people to take an HIV test and find out their result in their own home or other private location.Our company is developing self testing now.Self home test and self home mini analzyer are expected to meet with all of you in next year.Lets wait for them together!