What does it mean if you are "HIV positive"?

When you are tested for HIV and the test results are positive, this means you have HIV. People then say that you are HIV positive. BUT DON”T PANIC! There is life after testing HIV positive.

When you are HIV positive, your immune system has gone through a process called seroconversion. Seroconversion means that your immune system has made antibodies and is trying to fight and kill the HIV virus. This is when you may get flu-like symptoms.

Antibodies are like an army that is in your body to fight infections.

Some of you may have had an HIV test by now. The name of this test can be misleading. It doesn’t actually look for the HIV virus in your blood, it looks for these antibodies. After being exposed to HIV it might take a few months for your body to start making these antibodies. But once you do, you will get a positive result on an HIV test.