What is HIV?
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system. It can be transmitted through sexual contact, through injecting contaminated blood (e.g. sharing drug injecting equipment) or blood products (e.g. a blood transfusion) and from mother to child in utero (when the baby is still in the womb).
What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is one end of the spectrum of the disease caused by HIV, when the immune system is badly damaged and a person becomes seriously ill. The term used to be used widely when there was little or poor treatment available and suggested that the person was terminal (going to die), but nowadays people with AIDS often get better – because the treatment works so well – so the term is a bit out of date. Technically AIDS was defined as having a CD4 (type of white blood cell of the immune system) under 200 – where normally it would be >1000 — meaning they are very susceptible to illness/infection, or having such an HIV-related illness or infection, like Kaposi’s Sarcoma for example. These kinds of conditions are rarely seen in people who do not have HIV.
What are the symptoms (signs) of HIV?
Sometimes there are none. If symptoms are present they can be very varied, and depend on the stage of the condition. Soon after a person is infected with HIV they may have what’s called ‘serconversion illness’ which can be a bit like glandular fever – common symptoms include fever, rash, headache, swollen lymph glands, tummy upset. This can last for quite a while, but usually get completely better. Not everyone will have this though. Then there is often a long period when the person can feel completely fine, but (on average between 3-8 years) will start to notice more frequent minor (or major) illnesses e.g. swollen glands, bad skin or chest problems, diarrhoea, sore throat or mouth and weight loss which eventually will progress to serious problems requiring healthcare intervention and perhaps admission to hospital, and eventually death if the diagnosis is not made.
Treatment for HIV
The treatment works brilliantly well and keeps people healthy for years and years, often matching the life-expectancy and functioning of uninfected persons. This is especially true if the diagnosis is made early on, as there is less chance for the virus to damage the immune system.
The treatment currently consists of tablets taken by mouth (usually 3 separate drugs which can be combined in various ways so that most people are taking no more than 1 or 2 tablets a day). These are prescribed in specialist centres like ours, and people living with HIV are seen regularly for blood tests and review to monitor progress (when stable, this might be at 4-6 monthly intervals).
What should I do if I think I have HIV?
Seek a test from one of our clinics, from your GP or healthcare provider; for some groups testing can also be accessed on-line – this might be a home-based test (where you get an instant result) or home-based sampling (where you take the sample at home and send it off for testing) e.g. The Eddystone Trust HIV Testing. Avoid sexual contact until you have had your test results back.
How can I avoid getting HIV?
We would advise using a condom for all types of sexual activity. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP) is a tablet taken daily or prior to sexual activity which has been shown to protect against HIV acquisition for those at particularly high risk.
Frequently asked questions about
HIV
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Have I got HIV?
The only way to know this for sure is to take a test. To be certain that you do not have HIV, this test needs to be taken outside of the ‘window period’. For HIV this is at least 4 weeks since the time of potential infection.
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Can HIV heal itself?
No. Although HIV can progress very slowly in some people, it is probably doing unseen damage to the immune system.
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Can HIV make me infertile?
Not in most cases. Most women living with HIV have normal pregnancies and healthy, un-infected babies due to modern treatment. Any severe illness can cause infertility, as HIV can be if undiagnosed and untreated.
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I’m pregnant, can I pass HIV onto my unborn child?
Yes, however with modern HIV care this happens extremely rarely (<0.1% of the time).
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How soon after treatment can I start having sex again?
Condoms provide good protection against HIV transmission, however if there is a condom failure, the uninfected person should access Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) to reduce the chance of transmission. If you have been started on treatment, there is now very strong evidence to show that you are not infectious if the virus is not detectable in your bloodstream (you have an ’undetectable viral load’). In most cases this is within 3-4 months of treatment.
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How do you get tested for HIV?
Seek a test from one of our clinics, from your GP or healthcare provider; for some groups testing can also be accessed on-line – this might be a home-based test (where you get an instant result) or home-based sampling (where you take the sample at home and send it off for testing. Avoid sexual contact until you have had your test results back.
HIV testing is also available via The Eddystone Trust
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Can HIV live outside the body?
Not for any significant period of time.
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Are HIV and AIDS the same thing?
AIDS is one end of the spectrum of disease caused by the HIV virus.
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Can you get HIV from kissing?
No.
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Can you get HIV from oral sex?
Very rarely – this is not recognised as a common route of transmission and is only likely to occur if a person has sores or breaks in the skin of the mouth or lips.
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How accurate are home HIV tests?
Very accurate if a licensed test is used (look for a CE mark and order from a safe and legitimate provider, e.g. the NHS). If the test is done less than 4 weeks after possible infection (less than 12 weeks for some tests) it may be too soon to rely on a negative result. Repeat the test after the advised period has elapsed and avoid sexual contact until that time.
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How common are false negatives and false positives?
Uncommon, but they do happen (false positives are more common than false negative results). Ensure that the test is done outside of the relevant ‘window period’, see above). If you have any doubt about your test result, please seek advice from one of our clinics.
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Can a smear test detect HIV?
No.
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What does Undetectable = Untransmittable U=U mean?
This means that if an HIV positive person is on treatment (which suppresses replication of the virus) to a level where it cannot be detected in the bloodstream, they cannot pass on the virus to anyone exposed to their body fluids through sex or any other means. They will still be HIV positive, though, as if treatment is stopped the virus level will rebound in the blood (and become ‘detectable’ again).
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What can I do if I think I’ve been exposed to HIV?
Seek advice from one of our clinics (in opening hours), or from your nearest A+E (out of hours). You may need to be prescribed Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP, see above), to reduce the risk of contracting HIV. It is important to do this as soon as possible, as the efficacy drops off quickly after the first 24 hours. If it is longer than 72 hours since the exposure, it will not be prescribed.
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Are there laws about telling people that I have HIV?
No. However if you know you have HIV, you understand how it is transmitted and you do not take steps to reduce the possibility of infecting others and you do infect someone, you could leave yourself open to the possibility of criminal prosecution. This is known as ‘reckless transmission’ and people have been jailed for this in the UK.