HIV/AIDS

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) may be used without first defining the abbreviations. The terms may also be combined with a slash:

            HIV/AIDS statistics are terrifying in sub-Saharan Africa.

Write:    AIDS virus or HIV. (Do not say HIV virus; the V in HIV stands for virus.)

Hyphenate HIV-positive and HIV-negative in all uses:

            Her test showed she was HIV-negative.