What is HIV?

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes the most serious sexually transmitted infection (STI) - acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV attacks the part of the body that defends against disease (the immune system).

There are usually no visible symptoms during the early years of infection so it is not possible to tell if your partner has HIV unless he or she has had an HIV blood test. Many people with HIV look healthy but can transmit the virus to others.

HIV can lead to death about 10 years after being infected but there are now good treatments available that can improve the quality of life of an infected person, so it is important that the disease is found and treated early.

How could I become infected with HIV?

You can become infected with HIV if the body fluids - blood, seminal fluid, semen, vaginal fluids or breastmilk - of an infected person get into your body. The most common way this happens is through unprotected sex, or penetrative sex without a condom. The sex can be vaginal, anal or oral. Using condoms helps keep your partner's body fluids out of your body and helps protect you from HIV.

HIV can also be passed on by sharing drug needles or syringes or by being exposed accidentally to blood or body fluids (for example in a hospital work environment).

Also, an HIV-infected mother can pass the infection to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth or breast-feeding.

How is HIV NOT transmitted?

HIV is a fragile virus that does not live long outside the body, and it is not spread through the air or food.

It is not passed on through sharing food, eating utensils or by drinking from the same cup or glass as someone who is infected. You can hug, kiss and touch someone with HIV and not worry about getting infected. You can also use a public toilet or telephone, share a towel with someone or swim in public swimming pools and not be concerned about being accidentally infected.

What's the connection between taking drugs and HIV?

Sometimes people share and pass needles around as part of the "drug experience", but this is an easy way to get infected with HIV.

The virus can be passed on by sharing injecting drug needles or kits, works, cookers, filters, or any other drug paraphernalia that comes into contact with blood. This is because blood will often come into the syringe through the needle after people stick their vein or pop their skin and inject the drug. If you share a needle or works and they haven't been cleaned, the blood left in them will be injected into you when you shoot up and this can infect you.

This doesn't only happen with drugs such as heroin, cocaine or speed. It could also be from sharing needles and works for shooting up steroids that are sometimes used by athletes and body builders to increase their muscle mass.

If you are shooting drugs and sharing works, even if you try this only once in a while, you are at significant risk for HIV and other viral or blood-borne infections, such as hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Hepatitis is a serious virus that affects your liver. The most common forms of the virus are hepatitis A, B and C. Hepatitis B and C can be transmitted through sexual contact or through drug use.

Can I get HIV from kissing?

Dry kissing, or just kissing on the lips with your mouth closed, is not risky. Open mouth kissing (wet kissing) is not very risky. The only way you could, in theory, get HIV through kissing is if you come into contact with an infected persons' blood, for example, if they have sores in their mouth or bleeding gums. However, there are no documented cases of anyone getting infected with HIV through kissing.

But isn't HIV a disease only gay people get?

No. HIV is a virus that can infect ANYONE if they have unprotected sex with an infected person.

Can it be cured?

HIV is preventable, but not curable.

What's the difference between HIV and AIDS?

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

HIV damages cells in the immune (defence) system that fight infection and disease. As the virus gradually destroys these important cells, the immune system becomes less and less able to protect against illness. Once that defence system is weakened, your body is vulnerable to specific kinds of infection, such as a specific type of pneumonia, certain cancers and eye infections. Your body can't fight off those infections and it is these, rather than the HIV virus itself that makes you ill or kills you.

HIV does not destroy the cells quickly, and people infected with HIV may not have any signs or symptoms for many years. They will look perfectly healthy and feel perfectly healthy and may not even know they are infected unless they have an HIV antibody test.

AIDS is the last stage of HIV infection.

Can I get infected from tattoos or body piercing?

Tattoo parlours should be able to explain what precautions they take to make sure they do not spread any diseases carried in blood, such as HIV or hepatitis B or C.

Instruments that penetrate the skin, such as tattooing or piercing needles, should be used once, then thrown away, or thoroughly cleaned and sterilised.

Tattooing with pins, needles, writing pens or knives for homemade tattoos and marks is very risky because the instruments may not be clean and sterilised and you can be infected with HIV or hepatitis B or C.

If you are thinking about getting a tattoo or a piercing, choose a reputable, certified parlour or shop.

Can I get infected playing sports?

If you are playing sports and someone gets hurt and begins bleeding, the game or activity should stop until the injured player is removed from the playing area. In organised sports, the player is not allowed to resume playing until the bleeding is stopped and the wound has been securely covered with a bandage.

Since it is not known who is infected with HIV and who is not, these safety guidelines are followed to keep everyone from contact with the injured player's blood. There are, however, no documented cases of HIV infection happening this way.

If a mother has HIV, is her baby always infected?

An infected woman can transmit HIV to her unborn baby, but she also can reduce the chance of this happening by taking certain medicines while she is pregnant. But an infected mother should not breastfeed her baby because HIV can be passed through breastmilk, and the infant could become infected.

Can I get infected through a blood transfusion?

Before March 1985, there was no reliable test that could screen or test the supply of donated blood. But the blood supply in New Zealand now is screened and all suspicious blood is destroyed, so people can get blood transfusions and not worry. Some people worry about getting infected by donating blood, but there has never been any risk of infection by donating. When you donate blood, a sterile disposable needle is used to collect your blood, and then the needle is destroyed.

How do you know if you have HIV?

You may be infected, but not look or feel any different. The only way to know for sure is by being tested. Tests can detect the HIV antibody (the special cells in your immune system that indicate you've been infected with HIV) in your blood or saliva.

Many places, such as sexual health services or GPs, offer an HIV test.

If you are thinking about getting an HIV test, choose a test site that offers pre- and post-test counselling. This is important because there is often a lot of information to talk about before you take an HIV test.

When should I have an HIV test?

For the most accurate results, take the test three months after the last time you were at risk of being infected. This means three months after the last time you had unprotected sex, shared an injecting drug needle, or got another person's blood, seminal fluid, semen or vaginal fluids inside your body.

Why should I wait three months?

The HIV-antibody test looks for a sign that your body is producing antibodies that show you've been infected with HIV. While some people may develop those special antibodies sooner, most people will develop them within three months of becoming infected. In the meantime, if you are having sex, make sure you use condoms from start to finish every time you have sex, and do not share any drug needles.

Remember: one negative test result does not mean you will always be safe or protected.

How can I lower my risk of being infected with HIV?

Because there is no cure for HIV, it is essential that you take the following precautions to reduce your chances of getting it, or if you do have it, from passing it on to others:

• use condoms for penetrative sex
• limit your number of sex partners
• do not inject drugs - if you do, learn to clean your equipment the right way and do not share injecting drug equipment.

Using latex condoms every time you have sex helps prevent your partner's body fluids from getting inside your body, and that reduces your risk of getting HIV. It also reduces the risk of getting other STIs. This is important because STIs sometimes cause irritation of the skin, and breaks or sores may make it easier for HIV to enter the body during sexual contact.

• Limit the number of sex partners you have because your risk of getting infected goes up with the number of partners you have.
• If you've been having unprotected sex, think about getting tested for all STIs and HIV.
• Start using condoms the right way every time you have sex, to help reduce the risk of getting an STI or HIV.

Original material provided by Auckland Sexual Health Service. Reviewed by everybody in February 2005.