Q. If a person becomes infected with HIV, does that mean he has AIDS ?
Ans. No. HIV is an unusual virus because a person can be infected with it for many years and yet appear to be perfectly healthy. But the virus gradually multiplies inside the body and eventually destroys the body's ability of fight off illnesses. It is still not certain that everyone with HIV infection will get AIDS. It seems likely that most people with HIV will develop serious problems with their health. But this many be after many years. A person with HIV may not know they are infected but can pass the virus on to other people.