Not everyone who is HIV-positive develops AIDS.

It's an important distinction - and a mistake that many make - but more than anything, I didn't want some asshat to derail the message of my comment by nitpicking about this to appear smart and insightful.

This sometimes happens, unfortunately.

Even I can't remember the details, but for anyone whose curiosity has been picqued, this explains it well: http://www.aids.org/topics/aids-faqs/difference-between-hiv-....

I suspect you're thinking it's a concession to conspiracy theorists who think that AIDS is caused by something other than HIV. At least, that was my initial reaction. But it's true that they are not the same, because AIDS is the syndrome you develop due to having HIV, but they don't happen at the same time, and AIDS can be put off indefinitely in a person with HIV using modern treatment.