AIDS is the medical diagnosis given to the most advanced stage of HIV infection. The criteria for diagnosis of AIDS varies from country to country. In general, the criteria for the definition of AIDS includes all HIV-infected people who have fewer than 200 CD4+ T cells per cubic millimeter of blood. (Healthy adults usually have CD4+ T-cell counts of 1,000 or more.) The definition usually also includes clinical conditions that affect people with advanced HIV disease. Most of these conditions are opportunistic infections, which rarely cause harm in healthy people. In people with AIDS, these infections are often severe and sometimes fatal because the immune system is so ravaged by HIV that the body cannot fight off certain bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and other microbes.

Some examples of Opportunistic Infections include: Candiadis (Thrush), Pneumocystis Pneumonia (PCP), Tuberculosis, Karposi Sarcoma and Herpes Simplex Virus. Check with your local health agency to get a full list of Opportunistic Infections common in people with AIDS.

AIDS is a medical diagnosis and can not be transmitted. Individuals who are diagnosed with AIDS are still HIV positive and it is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus that is transmitted from person to person. Please refer to the HIV transmission section of HIV/AIDS Basics on this website.

The most effective form of HIV/AIDS treatment is medication called Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART). There are a number of ART medications that work directly on the virus and stop it from replicating itself in your body and allow your immune system to stay healthy. The combination of medications help individuals keep their HIV disease under control. By living a healthy lifestyle, recieving the right combination of medication and visiting your healthcare provider regularly, HIV can be a chronic, manageable disease.

Please see the Prevention section of our HIV/AIDS 101 website or the prevention section of www.aids.gov for information on preventing HIV infection.

For information about being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and living with HIV/AIDS please contact your local healthcare provider. More information can also be found at www.aids.gov

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