HIV FAQs

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

HIV infects and gradually destroys an infected person's immune system. This means your body is less able to fight off normal infections and germs. It makes any infections or illnesses harder to treat and it will take you longer to get better. With anti-HIV medication taken properly, HIV can be controlled -- meaning you can be less infectious and you can live longer.

Regular testing will ensure HIV infection is caught early, which means it's easier to control.

Symptoms of a recent infection with HIV called "seroconversion" sometimes resemble symptoms of glandular fever, and appear within days to weeks following exposure to HIV. Symptoms may be very mild or severe, and may last from a few days to several weeks.

The most common presenting symptom is fever, seen in over 75% of patients. Other common symptoms include fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, headache and rash (40-80% of patients).

As some people don't get symptoms, and symptoms can be easily mistaken for other illnesses, we strongly recommend regular HIV testing for your peace of mind.

The HIV virus is passed on from getting any of the following bodily fluids into your bloodstream:

• semen (cum)
• blood
• pre-cum
• breast milk
• menstrual blood
• vaginal fluids

The most common ways for these fluids to get into your bloodstream are:

• having anal or vaginal sex without a condom
• sharing injecting equipment with someone -- for example using shared needles

HIV can be transmitted from mother to baby through childbirth or breastmilk. If you're pregnant and living with HIV, you can take anti-HIV drugs to prevent this from happening. This is why anyone pregnant will get tested for HIV as part of their routine testing.

There's no risk of HIV being passed on from normal social contact with someone who is HIV positive. This includes:

• touching a person with HIV
• kissing
• sharing towels or clothes
• sharing cups, plates or glasses
• breathing the same air as someone living with HIV

If you've been exposed to HIV within the last 72 hours, you can get Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). If you take is as soon as possible, PEP is more effective at preventing HIV infection. For more information on PEP [LINK TO PEP PAGE]

You can find out if you've become infected with HIV by having a blood test.

When your body is infected with HIV, it will produce antibodies which fight the infection and there will also be an HIV protein called p24 antigen present for a short time. The test we use is looking for HIV antibodies in your blood.

Our HIV tests involve a quick finger prick to take a small amount of blood. It's a rapid test, and you'll know the result before you walk out the door.

HIV tests in the UK are very reliable. They can occasionally produce a positive result which is then found to be negative when tested again. This is called a false positive, and it's rare -- occurring in less than 1 in a thousand cases.

General advice

We recommend regular testing -- exactly how often depends on a few factors:

• If you have regular new partners and don't always use condoms, we suggest getting tested every 3 months
• If you have regular new partners and always use condoms, we recommend gettinga tested every 6 months
• If you're a man having sex with men, we suggest testing either every 3 months or every new partner
• If you just have one partner, it's wise test once a year

(and we'd recommend testing for other STIs, not just HIV)

Timing

It takes 12 weeks (3 months) for the antibodies to HIV to show up in your blood. So you need to wait for 12 weeks from when you were at risk of being infected for the test to give you an accurate result. This is called the window period.

The test may be able to pick up a more recent infection within 12 weeks, but for a reliable results we advise to wait the full 12 weeks before having the test.

If you're tested within the window period and have a negative result, we'll advise you to have another test when 12 weeks after exposure has passed. This will ensure that no infection is missed.

If the HIV test comes back reactive (finding something in your blood), we will arrange for a test to confirm this at your chosen sexual health clinic as soon as possible. This is because the test may have been triggered by another infection or medication you may be taking.

If you think you were at risk of exposure to HIV four weeks ago, you can get in touch with your sexual health clinic to see if they will be able to do an HIV test that can detect HIV faster. This test can detect HIV itself as well as HIV antibodies. The test will involve a full blood sample to be taken from your arm, and it's different to the test that we use. Your result will come back in around two weeks.

Yes, all MESMAC services are open to trans and non-binary people. Our workers are experienced in meeting the specific needs of trans* people and we aim to always work in a way that is sensitive and respectful of anyone who comes in for a test

Having an HIV test can have a big impact on whether you have a positive or negative result. Only you can decide if having an HIV test is right for you. You should not feel pressured into having a test by other people.

Below are some of the reasons not to have an HIV test and some of the reasons to have an HIV test. Everyone is different and so you might have reasons of your own.

Reasons not to test:

• A positive result can mean a lot of stress and impact on your day to day life
• People may treat you differently if they know you're HIV positive
• You may be restricted on travelling or working abroad
• A positive HIV result can make it more difficult to get a mortgage or life insurance
• You may not be in a place to deal with a positive result emotionally

Reasons to test:

• You will know your HIV status, you won't be worried about what you think your HIV status might be
• A negative result may give you peace of mind
• A positive result will enable you to access medication and specialist support
• If you're HIV positive, the sooner you're diagnosed, the more treatment options you'll have
• A positive result will help you to avoid spreading HIV to others in the future
• To help you plan the type of sex you want with your partner
• To make decisions about your pregnancy, delivery and post-natal care

You'll have a chat with a trained worker to discuss risk and future risk. When you're aware of what the test involves and agree to it, we will do the test.

The test we use will need a finger prick of blood. No needles are seen. We'll have snacks and drinks on hand if you do start to feel faint -- don't be embarrassed if so, we've seen it all before!

The whole appointment will take about 20 minutes in total.

If the test doesn't find any HIV antibodies after 12 weeks and you haven't been exposed to the virus within 12 weeks, you are negative. This means you didn't have HIV 12 weeks ago. This doesn't mean that you are immune.

If the test coms back reactive, this means that the test has been triggered by something in your blood. There's a slim chance that it may not be HIV, so we will need to arrange a test to confirm this at the sexual health clinic of your choice.

This is a result for you and doesn't tell you anybody else's status, so don't assume that your partner has the same status.

No, the test can only say that you were HIV negative 12 weeks ago. We are unable to supply a certificate as we don't know if you have been exposed to HIV within the last 12 weeks. The result is already out of date, so may not be a reliable indicator of your current HIV status today.

No, we are allowed to refuse a recording taking place. An audio or visual record of the discussion is not proof of someone's current HIV status. The HIV test result is not a reliable indicator of your current HIV status today, and the test discussions could be based on falsified information provided to the staff member. The person may have taken risks within the last 12 weeks meaning that they could now be HIV positive.

Yes, but please bear in mind that the test result is already out of date and doesn't mean that the person tested will remain HIV negative. The photo is not a certificate.

Getting a negative result doesn't mean that you're immune to HIV. You might want to thin about the time you've been uncomfortable with risks you've taken and how you might deal with these in future.

The result tells you what your HIV status was 12 weeks ago. If you have had unprotected sex or shared injecting equipment in the last 12 weeks you may want to take another test.

This is a result for you and doesn't tell you anybody else's status. Don't assume that your partner has the same status.

This is a result for you and doesn't tell you anybody else's status. Don't assume that your partner has the same status.

A positive result could mean that you face discrimination from some people if they know about your status.

If you're HIV positive, you can pass HIV onto other people through unprotected sex, sharing injecting equipment and through breastfeeding.

You may want to make changes in your life. Remember that you may be in shock and might not be thinking very clearly. Wait until things settle down until you make any major decisions.

Similarly, you might want to tell lots of people about being positive. It's important you have someone you can talk to, but at this stage try to only talk to people you really trust. You can always tell people later, but you can't ever untell them.

We offer support for people living with HIV:

INSERT PAGE LINK TO HARDSHIP FUND INFO

• Hull HIV Support Group

  

  This is a space for people living with HIV to connect, share experiences and support each other.

  • c.thompson@mesmac.co.uk
  • 07771 931335

  Find out more