HIV fact file
HIV isn't the death sentence it once was. Drugs can keep people healthy for years. But they don't work for everyone. HIV still makes a lot of people ill and kills several hundred in the UK each year. The drugs also have side effects and need to be taken for life.
If you've got HIV, the most important thing is to lead a healthy life and take care of your body by eating well and exercising.
HIV can't get through a condom, so wearing one is an effective barrier. Condoms work 98 per cent of the time, if used correctly. See How to put on a condom for more information.
Some forms of sexual activity carry fewer risks than intercourse. Mutual masturbation is basically risk free. Oral sex without a condom is less risky than unprotected vaginal or anal sex.
The blood of someone with HIV can have large quantities of the virus in it, so if their blood gets inside you there's a high risk of infection. HIV can also be found in a woman's vaginal fluids and a man's semen and pre-cum (the clear fluid that comes out of the penis when a man's turned on). Allowing these to enter your body also carries a risk.
Mothers with HIV can have the virus in their breast milk, so they're advised to feed their babies with formula milk.
There's not enough HIV in sweat, tears, urine or spit to transmit the virus.
Anal sex without a condom carries the greatest risk of infection. The inside of the anus can tear easily, and any bleeding gives HIV an easier way to get in or out of a person's bloodstream.
Vaginal intercourse is how most people become infected with HIV. Infected pre-cum or semen can be left inside the vagina, and the penis may come into contact with infected vaginal fluids or blood.
It's possible to get infected through oral sex, but it's not very common. Infection occurs from semen or vaginal fluid in the mouth, so the person at risk is the one giving the oral sex.
You're increasing the risk of having sex with someone who has HIV. And if you're having unprotected sex with someone who has the virus, the more times you do it, the higher the chance you'll become infected.
When you don't know if someone - or yourself - has HIV, the safest bet is always to use a condom.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) make the immune system weaker, leaving us more open to infections. When an STI weakens the immune system of someone with HIV, it pushes up HIV levels in their body. This makes it more likely they'll pass on HIV during unprotected sex.
It's best not to have sex when someone has an STI. Get any STI seen to at a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic, and have regular check-ups in case you have an STI without realising it.
