Short answer
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks the immune system. And modern medicine answers on every front: testing finds it early, daily treatment suppresses it durably, and prevention tools (PrEP before risk, PEP after exposure) cover both sides.
Without treatment it can progress to AIDS; with sustained care, people with HIV live long, healthy lives and cannot transmit sexually once durably undetectable.
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See Tests & Prices →Transmission without myths
HIV spreads through anal or vaginal sex, sharing injection drug equipment, and during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
It does not spread through kissing, hugging, sharing dishes, toilet seats, or insect bites. Fears in those directions waste worry that belongs on real routes and scheduled testing.
Route details are covered in How Do Sexually Transmitted Infections Spread?.
Symptoms that rarely announce
Early infection may cause a flu-like illness a few weeks after exposure, but many people have no early symptoms at all. And years of silent infection can follow.
Only testing determines HIV status; feeling well predicts nothing.
The silent majority is why screening schedules exist independent of symptoms.
Testing and diagnosis, stepwise
Fourth-generation laboratory tests detect HIV antigen and antibodies within weeks of exposure.
Antibody-only and oral-fluid self-tests need longer windows.
Every reactive result requires confirmatory laboratory testing before diagnosis. A single rapid result never concludes.
Window-period timing for each test type is detailed in HIV Test Window Periods by Test Type.
Treatment and living with HIV, in principle
Daily clinician-directed therapy suppresses viral load, protects immunity, and prevents transmission when adherence keeps the virus undetectable.
Treatment decisions, resistance testing, and monitoring belong to HIV clinicians. Patients contribute adherence, appointment attendance, and honest reporting of challenges.
The post-diagnosis path is walked in Sexual Health After a Positive HIV Test.
Prevention: PrEP planning and PEP urgency
PrEP suits people at substantial ongoing risk and requires HIV testing plus scheduled follow-up.
PEP is for emergencies after possible exposure. Urgency measured in hours, accessed through emergency departments and sexual-health clinics, so know where to get it before ever needing it.
Candidacy details live in HIV PrEP: Who It May Help.
When to seek care
Seek prompt testing after possible exposure, yearly (or more frequent) screening if at ongoing risk, and emergency care immediately for possible exposure that may qualify for PEP.