FAQs about HIV/AIDS
WHAT DOES AIDS STAND FOR?
Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
WHAT DOES HIV STAND FOR?
Human Immuno deficiency Virus
IS AIDS THE NAME OF THE VIRUS?
No, HIV is the name of the virus. AIDS is not a virus itself but a term used to describe a condition that a doctor can diagnose if someone with HIV infection gets ill with one or more of a number of illnesses or conditions recognised as significant for people living with HIV.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN BODY FLUIDS THAT CAN TRANSMIT/PASS ON HIV?
Blood, Semen, Vaginal fluids & Breast Milk.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN WAYS HIV CAN BE TRANSMITTED?
- Unprotected penetrative sex; i.e sex without a condom - Penis in the vagina or anus without a condom.
- Sharing injecting equipment.
- Mother to baby transmission - during pregnancy, delivery or through breast feeding.
- Blood transfusions in certain circumstances.
CAN A PERSON CATCH AIDS FROM SOMEONE ELSE?
No, not AIDS. It's the virus called HIV that can be transmitted in certain circumstances but not AIDS because it is a diagnosis based on medical conditions and illnesses a person with HIV may get.
WILL PEOPLE WITH HIV ALWAYS DIE WITHIN 5 YEARS?
As with any condition which has no cure, it is very difficult to predict when any person will die, whether they have HIV or not. Although HIV drugs are helping many people, for various reasons some people with HIV get ill and die quite quickly. Other people with HIV remain well for many years. The person themselves could be the factor. HIV drugs, treatments and how the person lives their life may also help. There might also be side-effects or complications regarding the HIV drugs which may not be beneficial.
WHAT IS THE CORRECT NAME FOR AN 'AIDS TEST'?
The main initial test a person may have is more accurately called the HIV Antibody Test. It identifies whether a person has developed antibodies in response to coming into contact with HIV and this indicates they are infected. However, it may take quite a few weeks/months from initial infection before the test is able to sufficiently identify any produced antibodies.
WHAT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT WHEN CONSIDERING HAVING A TEST IN RELATION TO HIV?
The following might be useful to consider:
- Why do I want the test?
- What have been the risks?
- When and where to have the test?
- Confidentiality?
- What are some of the implications of having the test, personally and professionally?
- What are the benefits of knowing? (access to care & support or medication; interventions in pregnanacy to significantly reduce any risk of passing HIV to a baby; being able to reassess life and plan for the future, etc).
WHERE CAN I HAVE A CONFIDENTIAL HIV ANTIBODY TEST LOCALLY?
You can go to the Department of Genito-Urinary Medicine (GU Clinic) at the Leicester Royal Infirmary (Tel: 0116 2585208).
A link to information about the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Sexual Health Clinic can be found in the 'Resources' section.
HOW LONG DOES H.I.V SURVIVE OUTSIDE THE BODY?
Taken from: www.cdc.gov (‘Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’, USA – October 2006:
Scientists and medical authorities agree that HIV does not survive well outside the body, making the possibility of environmental transmission remote.
Whilst HIV is found in varying concentrations or amounts in blood, semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, saliva, and tears, to obtain data on the survival of HIV, laboratory studies have required the use of artificially high concentrations of laboratory-grown virus.
Although these unnatural concentrations of HIV can be kept alive for days or even weeks under precisely controlled and limited laboratory conditions, CDC studies have shown that drying of even these high concentrations of HIV reduces the amount of infectious virus by 90 to 99 percent within several hours.
Since the HIV concentrations used in laboratory studies are much higher than those actually found in blood or other specimens, drying of HIV-infected human blood or other body fluids reduces the theoretical risk of environmental transmission to that which has been observed - essentially zero.
Incorrect interpretations of conclusions drawn from laboratory studies have in some instances caused unnecessary alarm.
Additionally, HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host; therefore, it does not spread or maintain infectiousness outside its host.
Further information can be found in the 'Resources' section of this website.