HIV and AIDS
Information about HIV and AIDS including how the virus is transmitted, testing and treatment.
Facts and figures about HIV in the UK and overseas
What is HIV?
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV attacks the immune system which can mean that the body is no longer able to fight infections. There can be a long period between catching HIV and becoming ill, so many people are unaware that they are infected. HIV is present in the blood, vaginal fluids/semen and breast milk of an infected person.
What is an HIV Test?
An HIV test is normally a blood test for HIV antibodies, this is not a test for the virus itself but for your body’s response to it. It can take up to 3 months, and perhaps longer, for HIV antibodies to show up in a blood test after somebody contracts HIV.
Medications to treat HIV are now widely used within the UK. These treatments sometimes called HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy), ARVs (Anti Retro-Virals) or Combination therapy work by preventing the virus from reproducing in the body.