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Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that attacks the body’s immune system.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and it is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The virus weakens the body’s immune system, so it can’t fight off infections and disease.

HIV can be found in people who are fit and well, as symptoms can take years to develop. Without treatment HIV will eventually lead to AIDS which stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. At this point, a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses develop due to the immune system being severely damaged by the HIV virus.

13% of people living with HIV in the UK remain undiagnosed (Public Health England, 2017).

How do you get HIV?

HIV can be passed on through infected bodily fluids. This means that HIV can be passed in a number of ways, including:

Contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood, semen and vaginal secretions and breast milk.
By having sex without a condom with someone who is HIV positive
By sharing infected needles or injecting drug equipment
From an infected mother to her baby, during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding
Through a blood transfusion with unscreened blood
Through oral sex or sharing sex toys (although the risk is significantly lower than for anal and vaginal sex).

HIV is not passed on easily from one person to another, it isn’t spread through the air like cold and flu viruses. You can’t get HIV from everyday social contact such as shaking hands, kissing, sharing toilet seats, going to swimming pools, being sneezed or coughed on or sharing cutlery.

HIV can’t be transmitted through sweat or urine. It is a fragile virus and does not survive outside the body for long.

The most common way of getting HIV in the UK is by anal or vaginal sex without a condom.

Symptoms

Most people who are infected with HIV experience a short, flu-like illness that occurs two to six weeks after infection. Symptoms include:

Fever
Sore throat
Body rash
Tiredness
Swollen glands
Joint pain
Muscle pain

The flu-like illness that often occurs a few weeks after HIV infection is also known as seroconversion illness. It’s estimated that up to 80% of people who are infected with HIV experience this illness. However, these symptoms are most commonly caused by conditions other than HIV, and do not mean you have the virus.

After these initial symptoms pass, you may not experience any other symptoms for many years, although the virus is still reproducing and damaging your immune system.

Left untreated HIV will weaken the immune system significantly, causing a serious infection. Possible symptoms of this include:

Tiredness
Night sweats
Unexplained weight loss
Persistent diarrhoea
Thrush in the mouth
Swollen glands in the groin, neck or armpit that last for 3 months or more
Blurred vision.

Remember, these are all symptoms of other medical conditions too. The only way you will know if you have HIV is to get a test.

Testing

The most common form of HIV test is a blood test.

One small sample of blood is taken that measures antibodies to HIV. Antibodies can take up to one month after the last risk to appear in the blood.

If the test is positive, we will repeat the test to confirm the result. If the test is negative but it has been less than one month since your last risk, we will offer a further repeat test one month after your last risk.

The results are normally available within one week. You may be asked to return in person to receive the result.

Rapid HIV testing is also available. This test involves a small finger-prick of blood and the results are back within minutes. If you receive a positive result, or it’s been less than 12 weeks since your last risk, you will need to give a blood sample for a thorough test.

The benefits of testing for HIV

There is no cure for HIV, but there are treatments to enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life. You can only be certain you have HIV if you have a HIV test.

If the test comes back positive (meaning you have HIV antibodies in your blood), you will be offered care, support and treatment, when necessary, which will help to keep you healthy.
Treatments are available for people with HIV which can help prevent you from becoming ill. Only by knowing that you are infected do you have the option of using these treatments. The earlier you are diagnosed, the more effective treatment can be.
These treatments can also reduce the risk of HIV positive pregnant women passing the infection to their babies.
By knowing you are HIV positive you can prevent spreading the infection to others.
A negative result will give you peace of mind.
Gaining knowledge about HIV during testing can help protect you from the risks of infection in the future.

Testing positive

If you test positive for HIV, the benefits of knowing will outweigh any drawbacks.

A positive result can bring out a whole range of emotions, but it’s important that you know this is not different to other long-term illnesses, and help and support is available.

No one will know that you have had a test unless you choose to tell them. Your GP will not be informed without your consent.

Getting an early diagnosis means you can start treatment straightaway, reducing the risk of damage to the immune system. Treatment can consist of 1 to 2 tablets a day and once the correct treatment plan has been worked out for you, you only have to visit your HIV doctor once or twice a year.

The regular and correct use of condoms helps to protect you and others from sexually transmitted infections.

If you need any support, would like to make an appointment or would like more information about HIV testing, our friendly staff are here to help you. You can call the Barnsley team on 0800 055 6442 the Wakefield team on 0800 121 4860 or the Wigan and Leigh team on 01942 483188

Treatment

Although there is no cure for HIV, treatments are now very effective, enabling people with HIV to live long and active lives. Treatment can be started at any point following your diagnosis and the earlier you start the treatment, the better.

Medication, known as antiretrovirals, work by stopping the virus replicating in the body, allowing the immune system to repair itself and preventing further damage. These medicines come in the form of tablets, which need to be taken every day.

Effective HIV treatment can now take the level of virus in the blood to undetectable, meaning it cannot be passed on.

These treatments can also significantly reduce the risk of HIV positive pregnant women passing the infection to their babies.

Protection

There are now more options than ever to reduce the risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV. Protect yourself and your loved ones by:

Using a condom: Protect yourself from HIV and other STIs. This barrier method prevents contact with semen, vaginal secretions, and blood which will stop HIV from being passed on. When using condoms be sure to use water-based lube as oil-based lube weakens them.

Regularly testing: Testing regularly for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is recommended for anyone sexually active – particularly if you are having unprotected sex. Even if you don’t think you have put yourself at risk of HIV, remember that signs of HIV don’t show up right away and it can take up to 4 weeks or even longer.

Taking PrEP: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a drug taken by HIV-Negative people before sex that reduces the risk of getting HIV. It works by blocking HIV before it enters the body and has the chance to infect you. Find out more information about PrEP take a look at our patient information leaflet here.

Taking PEP: Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is a combination of HIV drugs that can stop the infection after the virus enters the body. This treatment must be taken within 72 hours of HIV exposure but is not guaranteed to work. If you need PEP over the weekend or outside of clinic times then please go to your nearest A&E. Learn more about PEP here.

Using safe needles: Sharing needles, syringes and other equipment for injecting drugs or steroids can expose you to HIV infected. Avoid this risk by seeking support from your local drugs and alcohol service and ask for their needle exchange.

More information about HIV, testing, treatment, symptoms, living with HIV and support can be found on the Terrence Higgins Trust website.