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HIV

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks your immune system. Without treatment, the immune system will become too weak to fight off illness and a person with HIV may develop rare infections or cancers. When these are particularly serious, the person is said to have AIDS.

How is HIV transmitted?

HIV can only be passed on through infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids or breast milk.

HIV is mainly transmitted through vaginal or anal intercourse without a condom or by sharing a needle or syringe with someone who's living with HIV.

Other ways that HIV is transmitted are:

• By giving oral sex (although this is rare and will usually only occur if a person has cuts or sores in their mouth).
• From a mother to her baby during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding (though less than one per cent of babies born to HIV positive mothers in the UK acquire HIV).
• From a needle stick injury in a healthcare setting (although there has not been a case in the UK for more than five years).
• From a blood transfusion or blood products (in the UK all blood and organs are carefully screened to prevent this but in some countries this may not happen).

Although there's no cure for HIV, extremely effective treatment called antiretroviral therapy can keep the virus under control and allow someone with HIV to have an active, healthy life. Treatment is most effective if started early and it‘s important that HIV positive people take their drugs exactly as prescribed in order to stay well.

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