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What
is HIV?
 HIV is short for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV attacks
the body's immune system, making it hard to fight off
infections. HIV particularly attacks the white blood cells
called CD4 cells, which sets the immune system in motion
when infections enter the body. HIV infects CD4 cells and
uses them to make new copies of HIV which go on to infect
more cells. The lower a person's CD4 count, the weaker
their immune system will be.
What is AIDS?
AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. When
a person's immune system has been damaged he or she is
open to other illnesses, especially infections (e.g.
tuberculosis and pneumonia) and cancers, many of which
would not normally be a threat. Before effective
treatments, if someone with HIV got one of these illnesses
the person was said to have AIDS. However, it is no longer
a widely-used term. Doctors may instead call this 'late
stage' or 'advanced HIV infection'.
How is HIV passed on?
For someone to become infected, a sufficient amount of HIV
must get into their blood. The body fluids which contain
enough HIV to infect someone are blood, semen, vaginal
fluids including menstrual blood, and breast milk. Saliva,
sweat and urine do not contain enough virus to infect
someone. HIV cannot pass through intact external skin, or
through the air like a cold or flu virus.
The main routes of transmission in the UK are:
 Through sex without a condom - HIV can pass from one
person to another through unprotected anal or vaginal sex.
There is only a small risk of transmission through oral
sex.
Through injecting drug use - HIV can be passed on by using
needles or syringes that someone with HIV has already
used.
From mother to baby - a pregnant woman may transmit the
virus to her baby before or during birth, or HIV can be
passed on during breastfeeding.
Through organ transplant, blood transfusion or blood
products - before it was known that donated blood might
contain HIV, many people with hemophilia became infected
through receiving contaminated blood products. However
since 1985, all blood and tissue donations in the UK have
been screened for HIV and all blood products are now
treated to destroy any HIV which may be present.
How does the HIV test work?
The most commonly used test is an HIV antibody test.
Antibodies are produced by the body in response to the
presence of HIV, and this test looks for those antibodies.
What is the window period?
When someone becomes infected with HIV, it can take up to
three months for their immune system to produce enough
antibodies to show up on an HIV test (although in a few
cases it can take up to six months) - this gap is known as
the window period or seroconversion. Because the HIV test
looks for antibodies, taking an HIV test less than three
months after possibly getting infected might not give an
accurate result. However, throughout the window period,
the infected person has enough virus in the blood, breast
milk or sexual fluids to infect another person even though
it won't show on a test.
Can you treat HIV?
There is no vaccine or cure for HIV. However, anti-HIV
drugs are available, and taking a combination of anti-HIV
drugs (combination therapy) can slow down the damaging
effect of HIV on the immune system. When combination
therapy is successful, it can improve the health of
someone with HIV, making them less likely to develop what
used to be called 'AIDS-defining conditions' and
prolonging their life expectancy. In order for the
anti-HIV drugs to be most effective a certain level has to
be maintained in the body at all times. However, taking
anti-HIV drugs can be complicated. Some people have take a
large number of pills every day with restrictions about
when they have to be taken and with dietary instructions
which can make it very difficult to stick to. Some of the
treatments have side effects as well.
The real problems.
Anti-HIV treatments have drastically improved the health
of people living with HIV, but living with the virus can
be stressful and difficult. Living with a potentially
life-threatening infection, and knowing you could pass it
on to someone else can be very difficult.
Misunderstandings and fears about HIV are still widespread
in society. People living with HIV may face hostility or
rejection from society, some have lost jobs and homes and
children have been banned from schools due to their HIV
status.
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