There are many people living with HIV. Although there is no cure for HIV, people with HIV who get good medical care can live a long and healthy life. If you have a friend with HIV, just keep being a friend! That is what your friend needs most.
You will be more comfortable talking to your friend about HIV and AIDS if you know the facts.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system. The immune system becomes weaker, making it harder for the body to fight off infections and some kinds of cancers.
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) happens after someone has had HIV for many years. In AIDS, the immune system is severely weakened. Serious infections and health problems happen.
HIV spreads when infected blood or body fluids (such as semen or vaginal fluids) enter the body. This can happen:
HIV also can pass from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
Here are some things you can do to help your friend:
If your friend seems very sad or overwhelmed, ask if talking to a therapist might be helpful. If your friend seems interested, you can talk to your friend's parents together (if your friend is OK with it) or you can go with your friend to a local health clinic and ask for resources for helping someone with HIV/AIDS.
Ask if your friend would be interested in online resources, such as:
You can't get HIV from the kind of casual contact you'd have with a friend, like sharing a glass, kissing on the cheek, hugging, or shaking hands.
You can get HIV by having sex (vaginal, oral, or anal), by sharing needles with someone.
It may not seem like your friend with HIV is sick at all. People with HIV can date, have sex, get married, and have families. Having HIV doesn't mean your friend will be sick or disabled by the virus. With the right medicines, people with HIV can stay healthy for a long time.
The two most important things you can do for your friend are to be there for support in whatever way feels natural and to keep your friend's HIV diagnosis private. Just being there to hang out or eat lunch together can help keep things in perspective for everyone.
Life is for living. If friends know that you care about them for them — for the creative, smart, funny people they are — that can be the best thing you can do for a person living with any type of medical condition.
Reviewed by: Amy W. Anzilotti, MD
Date Reviewed: 01-01-2019