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HIV
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is a virus that can damage the body’s immune system so that it cannot fight off some infections. The virus can be passed from one person to another if blood, semen, pre-ejaculate (pre-cum), vaginal fluids or breast milk of a person who is HIV positive enter the body of someone who is HIV negative. |
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This can happen:
• By having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex or sharing sex toys with someone who has HIV.
• By using a needle or syringe (‘works’), which has already been used by someone who is HIV positive.
• When a woman with HIV passes the virus to her baby before or during birth, or by breastfeeding.
There is a risk of catching HIV from unprotected oral sex, although the risk appears to be less than from unprotected anal or vaginal sex.
Sign and symptoms
Some people experience flu-like symptoms a few days or weeks after infection. These may include fever, rash, swollen glands, a sore throat, mouth or throat ulcers and aching joints and muscles. These symptoms are sometimes called sero-conversion illness and usually last for about one to two weeks. At least half of all newly infected people are thought to experience some of these symptoms, but many people have no symptoms at all or mistake them for the flu or some other illness.
HIV is diagnosed by a blood test which is checked for antibodies to HIV. Antibodies are your body’s response to infection with a virus. If the antibodies are present that means you are HIV positive. This test can be done by your GP or GUM Clinic.
Once HIV is diagnosed, a number of tests monitor the stage of the infection, and indicate whether or when treatment should be started. At the moment there is no cure for HIV, but there are drugs available to prevent or treat many of the illnesses that people with HIV are prone to. There are also treatments known as antiretrovirals or combination therapy that most people with HIV benefit from.