There is often no sign (symptoms) that you have HIV, and many people with HIV feel well for years.
But HIV slowly hurts the immune system so it cannot protect you from germs. You can also pass on HIV to others more easily during this time because there is a lot of HIV in your body.
If you do not take treatments, after a while you will begin to get very sick. You may also get sick from illnesses your body would normally fight off. Treatments can help you stay strong and stop HIV making you sick. Taking HIV treatments properly also means you can reduce the amount of HIV in your body so you cannot pass it on to other people through sex.
