HIV and AIDS have not gone away

What is HIV?
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and is a virus that can damage the body's defence system so that it cannot fight off certain infections.

What is AIDS?
If someone with HIV goes on to get certain serious illnesses, this condition is called AIDS which stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

How is HIV passed on?
There are four main ways in which HIV can be passed on:

1. By having vaginal, anal or oral sex without a condom with someone who has HIV
2. By using needles, syringes or other drug-injecting equipment that is infected with HIV
3. From a woman with HIV to her baby (before or during birth) and by breastfeeding
4. By receiving infected blood, blood products or donated organs as part of medical treatment. In the UK all blood, blood products and donated organs are screened for HIV and infected materials are destroyed. This may not be the case in some developing countries and in eastern Europe, so you should avoid non-essential medical or dental treatment abroad.

You cannot get HIV through:

• Kissing, touching, hugging, shaking hands
• Sharing crockery and cutlery
• Coughing or sneezing
• Contact with toilet seats
• Insect or animal bites
• Eating food prepared by someone with HIV

Facts about HIV and AIDS

• Most people with HIV look and feel healthy for a long time, so you can't tell who has the virus just by looking at them
• There is no available vaccine against HIV
• There is still no cure for HIV although anti-retroviral drugs have been developed which mean that some people can stay well for longer. These don't suit everybody

Sex and staying safe

What is safer sex?
A simple way of understanding safer sex is to see it as any sex that does not allow an infected partner's blood, semen, pre-ejaculatory fluid - precum - or fluid from the vagina to get inside the other partner's body. Some kinds of sex - such as kissing or masturbation - carry no risk of HIV.

What are the riskiest kinds of sex?
Vaginal and anal sex without a condom carry the highest risk. HIV can be passed on to either partner - male or female, active or passive - during penetrative sex (where the penis enters the vagina, mouth or anus) without a condom.

How safe is oral sex?
Oral sex is where one partner uses their tongue or mouth to stimulate their partner's genitals. There is some risk from oral sex, but it is less risky than vaginal or anal sex without a condom. The risk can be further reduced by:

• Avoiding getting semen or pre-ejaculatory fluid (precum) in the mouth, particularly if there are any cuts, sores or ulcers in the mouth
• Using a condom for oral sex with a man