HIV

HIV

HIV is a long-term health condition that is now very easy to manage.

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. The virus targets the immune system and if untreated, weakens your ability to fight infections and disease.

Speak to a sexual health service as soon as possible if you think you might have been exposed to HIV.

Symptoms of HIV

Most people experience a short flu-like illness 2 to 6 weeks after infection, which lasts for 2 weeks. This is known as primary HIV infection.

Symptoms of primary HIV infection include:

• fever (high temperature)
• sore throat
• body rash

Other symptoms can include:

• tiredness
• joint pain
• muscle pain
• swollen glands

After these symptoms disappear, HIV may not cause symptoms for many years. During this time, HIV continues to be active and causes damage to your immune system.

This means many people who have HIV do not know they’re infected.

Once the immune system becomes severely damaged symptoms can include:

• weight loss
• chronic diarrhoea
• night sweats
• skin problems
• recurrent infections
• serious life-threatening illnesses

Testing for HIV

If you think you might have HIV, get tested for free by:

• booking an appointment at your local sexual health service
• contacting your GP practice for an appointment
• ordering a home test kit
• contacting clinics run by charities such as the Terrence Higgins Trust or Waverley Care Scotland for an appointment
• contacting local drug dependency services for an appointment

Services available may vary depending on where you live.

Some private clinics may offer HIV testing, but they may charge.

Who should get tested for HIV?

Anyone who thinks they may have HIV should get tested.

Certain groups of people are at a higher risk and are advised to have regular tests. For example:

• gay and bisexual men or men who have sex with men should have an HIV test at least once a year, or every 3 months if having sex without HIV PrEP or condoms with new or casual partners
• women and men from countries with high HIV prevalence, especially from sub-Saharan Africa, should have an HIV test if having sex without using HIV PrEP or condoms with new or casual partners
• people who inject drugs or have unprotected sex (sex without condoms or HIV PrEP) with people who inject drugs

What does a HIV test involve?

The test for HIV is straightforward, highly accurate and is the only way to know if you’re infected. It involves taking a sample from the body for analysis.

There are 4 main types of HIV test.

Blood test

Where a sample of blood is taken and sent to a lab for analysis. Results are usually available within a few days.

Point of care test

A sample of saliva from your mouth or a small spot of blood from your finger is taken. This sample doesn’t need to be sent to a lab and the result is available within a few minutes. Anyone who has a reactive point of care test still needs a confirmed laboratory test.

Home sampling kit

Where you collect a saliva sample or small spot of blood at home and send it off in the post for analysis. You’ll be contacted by phone or text with your result in a few days. You can buy them online or from some pharmacies. Anyone who has a reactive home testing kit result is still required to have a laboratory confirmed test.

Home testing kit

Where you collect a saliva sample or small spot of blood yourself and test it at home. The result is available within minutes. Check that any test you buy has a CE quality assurance mark and is licensed for sale in the UK.

Treatment for HIV

Antiretroviral medicines are used to treat HIV. They work by stopping the virus multiplying in the body, allowing the immune system to repair itself and prevent further damage.

These come in tablet form and must be taken every day.

Most people with HIV take a combination of medicines.

The goal of HIV treatment is to have an undetectable viral load. This means the level of HIV virus in your body is low enough to not be detected by a test.

People who take HIV treatment and whose virus level is undetectable can’t pass HIV on to others. Although there is no cure for HIV yet, people living with HIV who take their treatment should have a normal lifespan and good health.

Without treatment, people with HIV will eventually become unwell. HIV can be fatal if it’s not detected and treated in time to allow the immune system to repair. It’s extremely important to test for HIV if you think you’ve been exposed.

How HIV is passed on

You can get HIV by having unprotected vaginal or anal sex (sex without a condom or not taking HIV PrEP). It may be possible for HIV to be passed on through unprotected oral sex, but the risk is very low.

Other ways of getting HIV include:

• sharing sex toys that aren’t washed or covered with a new condom each time they’re used
• sharing needles, syringes and other injecting equipment
• from mother to baby before or during birth when the mother isn’t taking HIV medication
• from mother to baby by breastfeeding when the mother isn’t taking HIV medication
• blood transfusion (outside of the UK)

Who is most at risk?

People who are at higher risk of becoming infected with HIV include people who are not taking HIV PrEP medication and who are:

• men who have had unprotected anal sex with men
• women who have had unprotected sex with men who have sex with men
• people who have had unprotected sex with a person who has lived or travelled in a high HIV prevalence country
• people who inject drugs
• people who have had unprotected sex with somebody who has injected drugs
• people who have caught another sexually transmitted infection (STI)

How to prevent HIV

Safer sex

The best way to reduce your risk of STIs is to practice safer sex. This means using a condom for vaginal, anal and oral sex. If you’re having anal sex it’s important to also use water-based or silicon-based lubricant.

HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

Taking HIV PrEP before you’re exposed to HIV means there’s a drug inside of you to block HIV if it gets into your body, so it can’t infect you.

HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)

If you think you may have recently been exposed to HIV and you haven’t taken HIV PrEP medication or used a condom, you should take PEP medication.

PEP is a form of emergency HIV medication taken by someone who does not have HIV but who has or may have been very recently exposed to HIV.

PEP should be taken as soon as possible, but it can be taken up to 72 hours after exposure. The earlier it is taken the more effective it is.

PEP is available from sexual health services or out of hours from A&E.

If you inject drugs

If you inject drugs, you should never share needles or other injecting equipment (including syringes, spoons and swabs).

You can get free clean needles and other injecting equipment from your local injecting equipment providers, which are sometimes also called needle exchanges.

Other STIs

If you’ve been diagnosed with HIV you should get tested for all STIs and blood borne viruses including:

• chlamydia
• gonorrhoea
• syphilis
• hepatitis B
• hepatitis C