Positive people living positive live.

Living with HIV

If you're HIV positive, there are many different factors you have to consider to ensure that you remain as healthy as possible.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.  It belongs to a group of viruses called Retroviruses, which work by invading the genetic material of cells within your body.  Normally, the body’s immune system would fight off such an infection, but HIV stops this from happening by infecting CD4 cells which are the cells that fight off infection.
Over time, people living with the HIV virus (commonly referred to as HIV positive) are likely to develop different infections and cancers that the body would otherwise normally be able to fight.
What is AIDS
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.  It is what happens as a result of a compromised immune system, when your body is no longer able to protect itself against infections which a normal immune system would otherwise be able to control.
The resulting collection of symptoms from these infections and diseases is called a syndrome; when someone exhibits symptoms of one or more of these infections, they are considered to have AIDS.  Different people with AIDS may experience different clinical problems, depending on which of the specific opportunistic infections they develop.

Although infection with HIV is serious, people living with HIV are surviving longer and living healthier lives today, thanks to new and effective treatments. This area of the website will help you understand how you can live with HIV and keep yourself healthy as well as protect your partners.

See the categories to your left for further information.