HIV is the virus that attacks your immune system. Once the virus gets inside you body…

You may not feel or look sick for years, but you can still infect other
Over a time, your immune system may grow weak and you can become sick with different illness: opportunistic infections
If left untreated, your immune system will no longer be able to defend your body from infections, diseases or cancers which can kill you. Once this happens, you have AIDS.

Anyone can be infected with HIV no matter:

The most important thing to know is how you can get the virus.

You can get HIV:

By having unprotected sex- sex without a condom- with someone who has HIV. The virus can be in an infected person’s blood, semen, or vaginal secretions and can enter your body through tiny cuts or sores in your skin, or in the lining of your vagina, penis, rectum, or mouth.
By sharing a needle and syringe to inject drugs or sharing drug equipment used to prepare drugs for injection with someone who has HIV.
From a blood transfusion or blood clotting factor that you got before 1985. (But today it is unlikely you could get infected that way because all blood in the United States has been tested for HIV since 1985.) Babies born to women with HIV also can become infected during pregnancy, birth, or breast-feeding.

You can also get HIV if you:

Share needles or other equipment (water, cooker, filter, etc.) to inject drugs like cocaine, heroin or steroids with someone who has HIV
Share needles or ink to get tattoo
Share needles or jewelry to get a body piercing
Share acupuncture needles

You cannot get HIV:

By working with or being around someone who has HIV
Talking, shaking hands, or eating with someone;
Hugs or kisses
Cough and sneezes
Swimming pools
Massage
Self pleasure
Sweats
Using unshared sex toys
Toilet seats or water fountains
Bed sheets or towels
Forks, spoons, cups, food
Insect bites or stings
Donating blood.
From a closed-mouth kiss (but there is a very small chance of getting it from open-mouthed or "French" kissing with an infected person because of possible blood contact).

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