HIV
HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system, the body defence against infections. It spreads through blood, unprotected sex, shared needles and from mother to baby. Without treatment it can lead to AIDS, when serious infections such as TB take hold. With daily treatment, people with HIV can live long, healthy lives, and the virus is not passed on through sex when it is fully controlled.
Symptoms
- A flu-like illness a few weeks after infection, or no symptoms at all
- Often no symptoms for many years
- Later: weight loss and long-lasting fever
- Diarrhoea lasting more than a month
- Repeated infections, including TB, thrush in the mouth and skin infections
- Swollen glands in the neck, armpits or groin
Causes
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Unprotected sex with an infected person
- Sharing needles or syringes, including for drug use
- Unscreened blood transfusions and unsterile medical tools
- From mother to baby during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding
Prevention
- Get tested, especially before marriage and during pregnancy
- Use condoms and be faithful to one tested partner
- Never share needles, syringes or razors
- Only accept tested blood and sterile medical tools
- Pregnant women with HIV can protect their baby by taking treatment
Treatment
- Antiretroviral medicines taken every day for life, prescribed by an HIV clinic
- Treatment keeps the immune system strong and stops the virus from spreading
- Regular blood tests to check that treatment is working
- Testing and prevention for TB
- Never stop or skip medicines without talking to your doctor
- Do not start prescription medicines without a doctor
Common questions
Can HIV spread by eating together or shaking hands?
No. HIV does not spread through food, water, sharing plates, hugging, shaking hands, mosquito bites or using the same toilet.
Can a mother with HIV have a healthy baby?
Yes. If the mother takes HIV treatment during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and the baby gets preventive medicine after birth, the chance of passing HIV to the baby becomes very small.