08/24/2026
HIV is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection. It is spread by contact with certain bodily fluids of a person with HIV, most commonly during unprotected s*x or through sharing injection drug equipment. If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS. Luckily, effective treatment with HIV medicine is available. If taken as prescribed, HIV medicine can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood to a very low level. 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 living 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 s*x. There are effective methods to prevent getting HIV through s*x or drug use, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/index.html