What is HIV & AIDS?

Series Summary

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The four major routes of transmission are unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated needles, breast milk, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth.

While nothing can substitute for speaking to a physician and having a test done by professionals for HIV, there are ways to test for HIV within the privacy of your own home. In this free video series, a certified medical assistant will teach you how to take a home HIV test and how to get the results. You'll learn about HIV and AIDS, the advantages of home tests, and what type of test to take. Next, you'll discover how to prepare to take a home HIV test, how to draw and collect blood, and how to ship off the sample to a lab. Once the lab determines the results, there will be a phone number to call to hear the results which will determine the next course of action. Even if you don't suspect anything, it's always good to be safe and get tested anyway!

Video Transcript

"Hi, today we are going to be taking an in home HIV test. For those of you who may not know, HIV stands for "Human Immunodeficiency Virus" and it is the virus that causes the AIDS disease, which it stands for "Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome". HIV virus is transmitted through unprotected sex, and unclean needle exchange between IV drug users. Rarely in North America it can be transmitted through infected blood products. The systemic wide testing of blood and blood products has virtually eliminated this. Early detection is important in HIV and AIDS because the virus itself doesn't guarantee an AIDS infection, and early treatment of the HIV virus can maintain somebody at an HIV positive status, without the progression into full blown aids. The earlier it's detected the better your treatment rates are. Though there are many treatments for HIV/AIDS on the market, there is still no known cure for the AIDS disease."