World AIDS Day is a global awareness day held every year on 1st December, uniting people in the fight against HIV and AIDS. It is a day to remember those who we have lost, as well as recognising the huge progress made when it comes to treatment of HIV.
It’s also a good chance to encourage people to test for HIV regularly and remind people of ways we can reduce the chance of getting HIV, or passing it on.
What are HIV and AIDS?
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the name for a collection of serious illnesses caused by the HIV virus. AIDS is now often called late-stage or advanced HIV. In the UK, most people being treated for HIV do not develop late-stage HIV.
Early diagnosis is key to living a healthy life with HIV, and the only way to know if you have HIV is get tested.
How can I test for HIV?
There are different ways you can test for HIV:
You can order a free STI testing kit online via our website.
You can visit one of our clinics.
Testing will either be done by a finger prick test or blood sample, depending on where you test.
What happens if my test comes back positive?
If your test comes back positive, you will be seen by our HIV Treatment and Care Team. The friendly team provide a high-quality service for people living with HIV and they work to make sure you’re at the centre of the decision-making process. Find out more about this service on the HIV Treatment and Care webpage, or by watching the video below. All treatment is free and confidential treatment.
How do I reduce my chances of getting HIV?
You can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by:
- Testing regularly for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
- Wearing condoms when having sex, as they are one of the best ways to prevent HIV and many other STIs. For anal sex, use water-based or silicone-based lube to reduce the risk of the condom tearing.
- Using HIV prevention medicines such as PrEP
- Becoming undetectable through treatment, if you have HIV (this means you cannot pass the virus on – read more about this here)