AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

• Acquired – because it is largely an infection that people catch
• Immune – because it relates to your immune system
• Deficiency – because it reduces your immune system and makes it deficient
• Syndrome – because it describes a collection of different infections and illness caused by HIV

For many HIV-positive people the meaning of the words that make up AIDS do not mean very much until they are explained clearly.

SIDA is the abbreviation for AIDS in French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

AIDS is now much less used as a term for a medical diagnosis. It was historically used in the early years of the epidemic as an indication of advanced stage of illness. This was before there was effective treatment. This distinction between being HIV-positive and having AIDS is rarely used.

Referring to someone as being HIV-positive is now more useful and accurate term.