HIV Testing & Treatment

Acute HIV Infection

Two to four weeks after exposure, many people experience a flu-like illness — fever, sore throat, fatigue, swollen glands, sometimes a rash — that resolves on its own within a week or two. See our HIV symptoms guide and flu-like symptoms page for more on this window.

Chronic HIV Infection (Clinical Latency)

The virus continues at a lower level, often with no symptoms at all, for years or even a decade or more without treatment.

AIDS

The late stage, where the immune system is severely damaged. With consistent modern treatment, most people diagnosed with HIV never progress to this stage at all.

HIV spreads through specific body fluids — blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk — most commonly through vaginal or anal sex, or shared needles. It is not spread through casual contact, saliva, or mosquitoes.

Standard antibody testing is reliable starting around three weeks after exposure. An HIV RNA test can detect infection earlier — sometimes within 9–11 days — which matters if you're testing during the acute window specifically.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the standard treatment — taken consistently, it reduces viral load to undetectable levels, protecting both the person's health and preventing transmission to partners. For prevention, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is available for HIV-negative people at ongoing risk, and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) can prevent infection after a specific exposure if started within 72 hours — see our condoms and HIV effectiveness guide for how barrier methods fit alongside these options.

Can HIV be cured?

Not currently, but it's highly manageable — effective treatment allows most people with HIV to live long, healthy lives.

What does "undetectable = untransmittable" mean?

When treatment brings viral load to undetectable levels and it's maintained, the virus cannot be transmitted to a sexual partner.