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About HIV and AIDS
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HIV virus animation: Videezy
While there is no cure for HIV, there are very effective treatments that enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life.
HIV is a chronic illness where early diagnosis, medication adherence, and proactive health management are crucial for effective care.
FIND your FOUR
When you are living with HIV, it’s important to think about what you need to live well, whatever that may look like for you.
Find Your Four provides guidance to help you to think about four aspects of your broader health and wellbeing. These are your mind, your body, your everyday life and support now, and in the future. This is to help you get ready to talk to your HIV doctor, nurse or support group about why they matter.
Find Your Four is a campaign developed and funded by Gilead Sciences, in collaboration with the HIV community.
u=u
Undetectable = Untransmissable
When a person is living with HIV and is on effective treatment, it lowers the level of HIV (the viral load) in the blood. When the levels are extremely low (below 200 copies/ml of blood measured) it is referred to as an undetectable viral load. This is also medically known as virally suppressed. At this stage, HIV cannot be passed on sexually.
This scientific evidence was gathered from several studies. The studies included thousands of heterosexual and gay couples in which one partner had HIV and the other did not. Over the course of the studies, they found that there was not a single HIV transmission from an HIV-positive partner who had an undetectable viral load.
For many people living with HIV, the news that they can no longer transmit HIV sexually is life-changing. In addition to being able to choose to have sex without a condom, many people living with HIV who are virally suppressed feel liberated from the stigma associated with living with the virus. The awareness that they can no longer transmit HIV sexually can provide people living with HIV with a strong sense of being agents of prevention in their approach to new or existing relationships.
What are HIV & AIDS
What are HIV and AIDS?
HIV and AIDS are two different things: HIV is the virus, while AIDS is the collection of illnesses caused when HIV is left untreated and weakens the immune system.
HIV- Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HIV attacks the body’s immune system gradually causing damage. Without treatment, the immune system will become too weak to fight off illness and infection.
There is currently no cure for HIV. But major advances in treatment mean that many people can lead long and healthy lives, although some may experience side effects from the treatment.
HIV is present in blood, genital fluids (semen, vaginal fluids and moisture in the rectum) and breast milk.
AIDS- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
AIDS is the term used to describe a stage of HIV infection when the body is too weak to fight off a range of diseases.
You cannot catch AIDS. HIV causes AIDS and it is HIV that can be passed on. Being diagnosed with AIDS means different things for different people.
The main ways HIV can be passed on
The main ways HIV can be passed on
In the UK, most cases of HIV are caused by having sex with a person who has HIV without using a condom. A person with HIV can pass the virus on to others even if they don't have any symptoms. People with HIV can pass the virus on more easily in the weeks following infection.
HIV treatment significantly reduces the risk of someone with HIV passing it on.
Sexual contact
Most people diagnosed with HIV in the UK acquire the virus through unprotected vaginal or anal sex. It may also be possible to catch HIV through unprotected oral sex, but the risk is much lower.
The risk is higher if:
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the person giving oral sex has mouth ulcers, sores or bleeding gums
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the person receiving oral sex has recently been infected with HIV and has a lot of the virus in their body, or another sexually transmitted infection.
Other risk behaviours
Other ways of getting HIV include:
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sharing needles, syringes and other injecting equipment
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from mother to baby before or during birth or by breastfeeding
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sharing sex toys with someone infected with HIV
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healthcare workers accidentally pricking themselves with an infected needle, but this risk is extremely low
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blood transfusion – now very rare in the UK, but still a problem in developing countries.
How HIV is transmitted
How HIV is transmitted
HIV isn't easily passed on from one person to another. The virus doesn't spread through the air like cold and flu viruses. HIV lives in the blood and in some body fluids. To get HIV, one of these fluids from someone with HIV has to get into your blood.
The body fluids that contain enough HIV to infect someone are:
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semen
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vaginal fluids, including menstrual blood
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breast milk
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blood
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lining inside the anus
Other body fluids, like saliva, sweat or urine, don't contain enough of the virus to infect another person.
The main ways the virus enters the bloodstream are:
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by injecting into the bloodstream with needles or injecting equipment that's been shared with other people
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through the thin lining on or inside the anus, vagina and genitals
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through the thin lining of the mouth and eyes
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through cuts and sores in the skin
Preventing HIV infection
HIV isn't passed on through:
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spitting
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kissing
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being bitten
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contact with unbroken, healthy skin
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being sneezed on
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sharing baths, towels or cutlery
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using the same toilets or swimming pools
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mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
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contact with animals or insects like mosquitoes
Symptoms of HIV
Symptoms of HIV
These vary from person to person, People can live with HIV for years before having any symptoms. The only way to be sure if you have HIV is to have an HIV test. You cannot tell from symptoms alone.
Fever and chills
Sore throat, swollen lymph nodes and mouth ulcers
Nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite
Muscle fatigue and aches
Joint pain
Headaches and mood swings
Pneumonia, cough with phlegm, shortness of breath, and chest pain
High heart rate and low blood pressure
Women: changes in menstruation, lower belly pain and vaginal yeast infection (later stages of infection)
Clamminess, rashes and blueness of the skin
Image by Gear Digital Arts on Vecteezy
However, most people infected with HIV experience a short, flu-like illness that occurs 2-6 weeks after infection. After this, HIV may not cause any symptoms for several years. It's estimated up to 80% of people who are infected with HIV experience this flu-like illness.
The most common symptoms are:
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raised temperature (fever)
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sore throat
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body rash
Other symptoms include:
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tiredness
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joint pain
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muscle pain
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swollen glands
The symptoms usually last 1-2 weeks, but can be longer. They're a sign that your immune system is putting up a fight against the virus. But having these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have the HIV virus. Remember: they're commonly caused by conditions other than HIV.
If you have several of these symptoms and think you've been at risk of HIV infection within the past few weeks, you should get an HIV test. After the initial symptoms disappear, HIV may not cause any further symptoms for many years. During this time, the virus continues to be active and causes progressive damage to your immune system. This process can vary from person to person but may take up to 10 years, during which you'll feel and appear well.
Once the immune system becomes severely damaged, symptoms can include:
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weight loss
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chronic diarrhoea
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night sweats
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skin problems
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recurrent infections
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serious life-threatening illnesses
Earlier diagnosis and treatment of HIV can prevent these problems.
Why take an HIV test?
Why take an HIV Test?
You should still take an HIV test if you may have been at risk at any time in the past, even if you do not experience any symptoms.
The sooner you’re diagnosed with HIV, the sooner you can start treatment.
Antiretroviral drugs(ARVs) will keep the virus under control by stopping it from reproducing itself. The goal is to keep levels of HIV so low that in tests the person has an undetectable viral load.
If someone with HIV is on effective treatment and has an undetectable viral load they cannot pass on HIV.
There are now many quick and convenient ways to test for HIV
You should still take an HIV test if you may have been at risk at any time in the past, even if you do not experience any symptoms.
The sooner you’re diagnosed with HIV, the sooner you can start treatment.
Antiretroviral drugs(ARVs) will keep the virus under control by stopping it from reproducing itself. The goal is to keep levels of HIV so low that in tests the person has an undetectable viral load.
If someone with HIV is on effective treatment and has an undetectable viral load they cannot pass on HIV.
More information about HIV and how to get tested:
Terrence Higgins Trust
The UK's leading HIV and sexual health charity.
AVERT
UK-based charity providing accurate and trusted information about HIV and sexual health worldwide.
If you test positive
If you test positive
If you're diagnosed with HIV, you'll have regular blood tests to monitor the progress of the HIV infection before starting treatment.
Two important blood tests are:
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HIV viral load test – a blood test that monitors the amount of HIV virus in your blood
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CD4 lymphocyte cell count – which measures how the HIV has affected your immune system
Treatment can be started at any point following your diagnosis, depending on your circumstances and in consultation with your HIV doctor.
Current treatment for HIV
HIV is treated with antiretroviral medications, which work by stopping the virus from replicating in the body. This allows the immune system to repair itself and prevent further damage. A combination of HIV drugs is used because HIV can quickly adapt and become resistant.
Some HIV treatments have been combined into a single pill, known as a fixed-dose combination, although these often cost more to prescribe. Usually, people who have just been diagnosed with HIV take between 1 and 4 pills a day. Different combinations of HIV medicines work for different people, so the medicine you take will be individual to you.
The amount of HIV virus in your blood (viral load) is measured to see how well treatment is working. Once it can no longer be measured it's known as undetectable. Most people taking daily HIV treatment reach an undetectable viral load within 6 months of starting treatment. Many of the medicines used to treat HIV can interact with other medicines prescribed by your GP or bought over-the-counter. These include some nasal sprays and inhalers, herbal remedies like St John's wort, as well as some recreational drugs. Always check with your HIV clinic staff or your GP before taking any other medicines.
Viral load and being undetectable
Medical evidence has shown that people on effective HIV treatment can’t pass HIV on.
Viral load is the amount of HIV in the blood.
A viral load test shows how much of the virus is in the body by measuring how many particles of HIV are in a blood sample. The results are given as the number of copies of HIV per millilitre of blood – for example 200 copies/ml.
There is now robust clinical evidence to say, with confidence, that people on effective HIV treatment can’t pass on the virus.
