Quiz

 BuzzFeed News Reporter

BuzzFeed Staff

Health

It affects millions of people worldwide. How much do <i>you</i> know?

It affects millions of people worldwide. How much do you know?

Let's See If You Actually Know Anything About HIV/AIDS

It used to be called “human immune deficiency virus.”

HIV stands for “human immunodeficiency virus."

What does HIV stand for?

AIDS stands for “acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.”

What does AIDS stand for?

HIV often has no physical symptoms, which is one reason why some people are unaware of their positive status. And sure, the HIV virus and medications can cause some [physical changes](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/hiv-in-your-body/physical-changes/) to the body such as fat loss, but these vary depending on the individual and aren’t always visibly striking. Overall, people with HIV can still lead normal, healthy lives.

You can't tell if an individual has HIV just by looking at them.

How can you tell that a person has HIV?

HIV can be transmitted to both men and women in a number of different ways. [But anal sex is the riskiest sexual behavior for HIV transmission](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/analsex.html) — for anyone. Women who have unprotected anal sex with someone who is HIV-positive face a higher risk of contracting the virus than if they were to have vaginal sex with someone who has HIV.

False!

True or false: HIV can only be transmitted between two men who have anal sex.

HIV cannot be transmitted through saliva, urine, sweat, or snot. It can only [spread to other people](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/how-you-get-hiv-aids/index.html) from an infected person’s blood, semen, pre-ejaculate, vaginal fluid, menstrual blood, rectal fluid, and breast milk. In order to get HIV, these fluids must come into direct contact with a mucous membrane (inside the vagina, penis, rectum, or mouth), broken or damaged tissue (like an open wound), or be injected straight into the bloodstream.

Saliva does not spread HIV.

Which of the following bodily fluids does not spread HIV?

HIV is the virus that initially infects people, and AIDS is the condition caused by an HIV infection in the body. AIDS is considered the final stage of HIV in humans. Without treatment, a person with AIDS can typically survive about [three years](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/what-is-hiv-aids/). Not everyone with HIV will go on to develop AIDS. In fact, HIV will not progress to AIDS in most people today who are HIV-positive.

HIV can lead to AIDS.

What’s the difference between HIV and AIDS?

The virus specifically [attacks](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/what-is-hiv-aids/) CD4 cells (T-cells), which are white blood cells that help our body fight off infection and disease. That makes it easier to get infections and diseases. If HIV goes untreated for a long time, it can destroy enough CD4 cells that a person is unable to fight off anything. If HIV progresses to AIDS, the immune system is damaged enough that they become vulnerable to [opportunistic infections and cancers](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/staying-healthy-with-hiv-aids/potential-related-health-problems/opportunistic-infections/), which can cause serious illness and death.

HIV attacks the immune system, making it harder to fight off infections.

What does the virus actually do to the body?

[Viral load](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/understand-your-test-results/viral-load/) is determined by a test that measures the number of HIV particles, called “copies,” in a milliliter of blood. It’s useful for understanding the health status of HIV-positive individuals because it shows how well the body is fighting off HIV and how effective their medication is at helping the body control the virus. If your viral load is high, this means there’s more HIV in the body because your immune system is having trouble fighting it off.

Viral load is the amount of HIV in your blood sample.

What is a viral load?

An undetectable [viral load](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/understand-your-test-results/viral-load/) is very low — usually between 40 to 75 HIV particles (copies) per one milliliter of blood, which means there’s very little HIV in the body. It’s usually the result of medications successfully helping the body fight off HIV. However, having an undetectable viral load does not mean you’re cured. You still test positive for HIV and need to remain on meds to keep your viral load low. It is much less likely that you’ll transmit HIV with an undetectable load, but you still need to use protection for several reasons: Sexual fluids can have a higher HIV viral load than blood, STDs can increase the risk of HIV transmission, and your viral load can go up between tests every three to six months.

When your HIV is undetectable, it means your viral load is very low.

When your HIV is undetectable, it means \_\_\_\_\_.

If a pregnant woman has HIV, there is a risk of [mother-to-child](https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/education-materials/fact-sheets/24/50/preventing-mother-to-child-transmission-of-hiv) transmission (aka vertical transmission) of the virus during pregnancy, labor, or breastfeeding. However, women can prevent passing HIV to their baby if they detect their HIV before or early in their pregnancy, follow a strict medication regimen while pregnant, deliver their baby by C-section (if a doctor deems it necessary), never breastfeed, and give the newborn HIV medication for four to six weeks after birth. These can all greatly reduce the risk of vertical transmission so an HIV-positive mother can give birth to a healthy, HIV-negative baby.

This is true.

True or false: A pregnant woman with HIV can give birth to a healthy, HIV-negative baby.

There are multiple strains of the HIV virus and a person who’s infected with one strain [can still become infected](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/staying-healthy-with-hiv-aids/taking-care-of-yourself/sexual-health/) with a new strain if they get exposed through unprotected sex (or IV drug use). If this happens, it’s called a “superinfection” and it can cause another attack on the immune system, or make it harder to treat because the new strain may be resistant to the medications a person is already using. Additionally, unprotected sex can transmit other STDs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis — all of which can increase the risk of HIV transmission and take a toll on the immune system.

Yes, they still need to use condoms.

If both partners in a monogamous relationship are HIV-positive, do they still need to use condoms during sex?

In [September 1982](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/aids-timeline/), the CDC released a [public report](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001163.htm) that provided the first case definition for “AIDS” (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). It read: “a disease at least moderately predictive of a defect in cell-mediated immunity, occurring in a person with no known case for diminished resistance to that disease.” Previously, AIDS had been referred to as an unknown predecessor of Kaposi’s sarcoma, gay-related immune deficiency (GRID), and “gay cancer” among the public.

1982.

What year did the CDC officially start using the term AIDS?

In 2013, gay and bisexual men made up 55% of those living with HIV in the US. Gay and bisexual men also accounted for 83% of all new cases of HIV among males aged 13 and older in 2014. They are by far the most [severely affected](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/statistics/) group in the US.

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men [face the highest risk of contracting HIV](https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/msm/).

Which of the following demographics faces the highest risk of contracting HIV in the US?

This is because the lining of the rectum is very thin, which could allow the virus to enter the body through a tear. However, the insertive partner is also at risk for HIV transmission during anal sex, as the virus could enter through the urethra or any open cuts or sores on the penis. The use of condoms and lubrication can greatly reduce the risk of HIV infection during anal sex.

Unprotected anal sex as the receptive partner poses the [highest risk for HIV infection](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/analsex.html).

In which situation is the risk of HIV infection highest?

[Antibody tests](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/testing.html) look for the immune proteins that respond to HIV infection, which can be found in blood or oral fluids. After HIV exposure, it can take 3–12 weeks for your body to develop those antibodies, which is called the window period. About 97% of people will develop detectable antibodies during this window, but if you get a negative test during this window and you think you've been exposed, you should be retested at the 3-month mark. Typically blood tests can detect HIV infection sooner than oral tests.

Antibody tests can detect HIV as early as three weeks after exposure.

What’s the earliest that an antibody test (the most common HIV test) can detect infection?

[PrEP](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/prep.html) is a combination drug approved for daily use to help prevent HIV infection in someone who is at a high risk. It's not a vaccine, but when taken once a day consistently, it can reduce the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90% and from injection drug use by 70%.

PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis, and it helps an HIV-negative person lower their chances of infection.

What is PrEP?

[ART is a drug therapy](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/treatment-options/overview-of-hiv-treatments/) that people with HIV must take daily in order to help their immune system recover and subsequently fight off any illnesses. It is not a cure for HIV, but it does reduce a person’s viral load and helps to prevent them from transmitting the virus to others. That way, they can lead a normal, healthy life.

The typical course of treatment for HIV/AIDS is ART, aka antiretroviral therapy.

What do you call the typical course of treatment for HIV/AIDS?

People who have HIV sure can have sex with someone who isn’t infected. However, both partners should take steps to reduce the risk of transmission, like partaking in ART and PrEP, engaging in less-risky sexual behaviors, and using condoms [consistently and correctly](https://www.buzzfeed.com/caseygueren/condom-commandments). See [here](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/prevention/reduce-your-risk/mixed-status-couples/) for more tips on how to have safe sex with someone who is HIV-positive.

True or false: People with HIV can’t have sex with people who don’t have HIV.

Though it’s an infection of the lungs, tuberculosis can also affect the brain, spine, kidneys, and other organs. HIV and TB infections can work together, and for this reason, [it’s the number one cause of death in people living with HIV](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/staying-healthy-with-hiv-aids/potential-related-health-problems/tuberculosis/).

The most common cause of death for people with HIV is tuberculosis.

The most common cause of death for people with HIV in the world is \_\_\_\_\_.

Yup. This happens because [some people might not feel symptoms of the virus during the early stage of the disease](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/signs-and-symptoms/), or they might mistake the symptoms as just another cold or flu. They might not also think to get the HIV antibody test or they just aren't getting regularly tested for STIs. After the early stage, which lasts about two to four weeks, it moves into the clinical latency stage, where symptoms are less likely to show up. Some people can have HIV for 10 years before symptoms start to show up.

[One in eight people](https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/statistics/) don't know they have HIV.

How many people with HIV (in the US) are unaware that they have it?

However, they need to be worn the whole time, every time, to be truly effective. It's also important to use lube during sex to prevent condom breakage and tearing.

Condoms are the only contraceptive method that can [reduce the risk of HIV infection](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/analsex.html).

Which of the following contraceptive methods can reduce your risk of HIV infection?

[HIV cannot be transmitted](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/transmission.html) through air or water; from sharing toilets, food, or drinks; from saliva, sweat, or tears; or from pets or insect bites. It can only be transmitted through blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum), rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.

No, sharing a home with someone who is HIV-positive does not put you at an increased risk.

Does living with someone who’s HIV-positive put you at higher risk for contracting the disease?

Hey, we get it, this is a complicated topic. But we hope this quiz taught you a little more about HIV/AIDS and encouraged you to be more informed about your sexual health.

You aren't very familiar with HIV/AIDS.

Great job! You know a fair amount about this very important topic and how it relates to your sexual health. And hey, maybe you even learned a bit more from the quiz.

You're pretty well-informed when it comes to HIV/AIDS.

Great job! You really know a lot about this very important topic and how it relates to your sexual health. We hope this quiz inspired you to stay informed and to help inform others.

You know a lot about HIV/AIDS.

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Let's See If You Actually Know Anything About HIV/AIDS

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