Information about HIV/AIDS

HIV and AIDS

What is HIV?

HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV attacks the body’s immune system, the body’s defence against disease, so that it can no longer fight off certain infections.

HIV is the virus that causes the incurable and life-threatening medical condition called AIDS.

What is AIDS?

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A person would have an AIDS diagnosis when their immune system has become so weak that it can no longer fight off a whole range of diseases with which it would normally cope.

HIV Transmission:

HIV is usually transmitted sexually though both unprotected anal and vaginal sex, although it can also be transmitted through sharing needles or from mother to child.

For HIV transmission to occur as a result of sex between men, the following needs to be the case:

1. One of the men must have HIV.

2. The sex must involve body fluids that contain sufficient quantities of HIV.

3. These body fluids must get into the bloodstream of the negative man (the section How risky is…? on the GMFA site has details about the kinds of sex that facilitate HIV transmission).

For HIV transmission to occur, HIV-infected body fluids have to pass into the bloodstream of an uninfected person. While HIV can be found in many different body fluids of a person with HIV, only some body fluids contain a sufficient quantity of the virus to enable HIV infection to occur. These body fluids are:

1. Blood

2. Cum and pre-cum

3. Discharge from STIs (such as gonorrhoea)

4. Anal mucus

Can HIV be passed on by oral sex?

This is a much debated subject. HIV is found in blood and semen, so this is a possible it can be passed on this way. It is considered to be very low risk, but there have been a few recorded cases of transmission through oral sex. The risk may increase if a guy comes in another person’s mouth. There may also be an increased risk if a person sucking has bleeding gums or sores anywhere in the mouth or around the lips (or the genitals). Using condoms or dental dams during oral sex can greatly minimise the risk of infection from HIV and other STI’s.

Is there treatment for HIV?

Yes. There are treatments which can prolong life. Many people using these treatments have been able to live full, active lives. However, treatments are not necessarily easy and often bring their own problems. Since the introduction of improved treatments the number of AIDS diagnoses has decreased since the mid 1990s and AIDS related deaths in the UK has almost disappeared.

How can I stop HIV being passed on?

The best way to protect against HIV transmission is by consistent and proper use of condoms.

I’m worried I may have been exposed to HIV

If you think you may have been exposed to HIV then it advisable to go for an HIV test. The sooner a person finds out their HIV+ status the sooner treatment can be organised to help keep HIV from damaging the immune system. PEP (post exposure prophylaxis) is also an option for up to 72 hours after suspected infection. This is a course of anti-HIV medication that is taken daily over the course of a month to help stop HIV infection. If you have had unsafe sex or a condom hasn’t worked and you feel you are at significant risk, then treatment needs to be started as soon as possible. PEP is available at sexual health clinics and hospital accident and emergency departments.

Find your nearest GUM clinic here

For more detailed information about HIV/AIDS (things like how it is transmitted, signs and symptoms, living with HIV) you can visit the Terrance Higgins Trust website at:

www.tht.org.uk/informationresources/hivandaids/

or the GMFA website:

http://www.gmfa.org.uk/sex/hivandaids/index

If you are living with HIV and would like support on the board range of issues HIV can affect visit MyHIV at:

www.myhiv.org.uk