HIV

What is HIV?

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The virus infects and gradually destroys the cells in the body that usually combat infections leaving the body susceptible to diseases it would normally be able to fight.
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 (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

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).

It's impossible to transmit HIV through saliva and HIV cannot be passed on through casual contact such as kissing or sharing glasses or cutlery. HIV is a very fragile virus so doesn't live long outside the body.

Symptoms of early HIV infection

Not everybody experiences symptoms when they are infected with HIV, but over 70 percent of people who acquire HIV experience some early symptoms, usually in the first few weeks after infection.
These may feel like severe flu and the most common combination of symptoms are a fever, severe sore throat and a rash, all occurring at the same time (which is rare in an otherwise healthy person). These symptoms get better on their own and they may be the only symptoms a person with HIV experiences before becoming very ill with an extremely damaged immune system several years later.

Who's at risk of HIV?

Anyone who's sexually active or shares needles and injecting equipment could be at risk of HIV.
Over 90,000 people are living with HIV in the UK. Around three quarters are gay and bisexual men or African men and women, but the number of people who are diagnosed with HIV who don't belong to either of these communities is increasing every year.
Over a quarter of people living with HIV in the UK are undiagnosed, so unaware of their HIV infection. It‘s important that you don't make assumptions about whether or not your partner has HIV.

What should I do if I think I may have HIV?

If you're worried you might have caught HIV, it's important to get tested. You can take a free and confidential test at any sexual health clinic.
You can also request a test from your GP (which will be put on your medical record) or through a private or online clinic which will charge you.
New tests can reliably diagnose HIV from four weeks after infection, so people no longer have to wait three months to take a test. If you think you've put yourself at risk of HIV, visit a sexual health clinic as soon as possible to get advice.
If you've put yourself at risk of HIV infection in the last 72 hours, you can request PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) treatment, which will considerably reduce the risk of HIV infection, at any sexual health clinic.

HIV treatment

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.
Someone with HIV who's diagnosed early and responds well to treatment will have a near-normal life expectancy, but some people experience side effects from their medication, such as nausea, diarrhoea, prolonged headaches and changes to body shape. Depression and mental health problems are also more common amongst people living with HIV and there's still little known about the impact of HIV and antiretroviral therapy on the ageing process.

Routine HIV testing

Because of the benefits of early HIV treatment and the risk of passing on HIV if you're undiagnosed and untreated, it‘s important that you're aware of your HIV status. If you're sexually active, it's a good idea to have a regular HIV test as part of maintaining good sexual health. For gay men, an HIV test is recommended at least once a year.
In the UK, all pregnant women are offered an HIV test as part of their routine antenatal care and HIV tests are increasingly being offered in other parts of the NHS, for example as part of the routine health checks when registering with a GP.
READMORE:http://www.bbc.co.uk/health