According to the World Health Organization it can take a person infected with HIV 10 to 15 years to develop AIDS. Effective treatment with antiretroviral drug, however, is delaying the development of AIDS and allowing people to live longer, healthier lives.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said its figures suggested about 100, 000 people in the UK were currently living with HIV, but about a quarter of them did not know they had the virus, which untreated can lead to the development of Aids.