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HIV stands for ‘Human Immunodeficiency Virus’ and is a virus that weakens the immune system, causing the body to be more at risk to all kinds of bacteria, viruses, and other agents that cause sickness. This is because it will destroy the CD4 cells, also known a T cells, in your body that fight them off. If left untreated, HIV can cause AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, which is when the immune system has been so damaged it can’t recover. With treatment, people living with HIV/AIDS can live long and healthy lives.

HIV is carried in semen (cum), vaginal fluids, anal mucus, blood, and breast milk. Most people who get HIV get it through anal or vaginal sex, or by sharing needles syringes. You can get HIV from:

• Having vaginal or anal sex
• Sharing needles or syringes for injecting drugs, piercings, tattoos, etc.
• Getting stuck with a needle that has HIV-positive blood on it

There are many myths about the way that HIV is spread. HIV is not transmitted through saliva (spit), sweat, hugging, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. You can’t get HIV from a toilet seat or be spread from animal to human. If you don’t know if you’ve been exposed to HIV, the best way to feel confident in your status is by getting an HIV test.

There are also many ways to prevent the spread of HIV, such as using condoms and/or dental dams every time you have sex and not sharing needles can help protect you and your partners from HIV. If you are HIV Negative, there is a medicine called PrEP that can protect you from HIV, which comes in the form of a daily pill or an injection every few months.

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The recommendation is getting tested every 3 months if you are actively having sex, especially with multiple partners. If you are having concerns even if you’ve only had one partner, getting tested is a great way to ease your mind! It is also recommended to get tested if you are injecting substances with shared needles. There are many places that provide rapid testing for free!

Many HIV tests are antibody tests that measure the antibodies your body makes against HIV. It can take some time for the immune system to produce enough antibodies for the antibody test to detect and this time period can vary from person to person. This time period is commonly referred to as the “window period.” Most people will develop antibodies in the first 3 months following the time of their infection. In rare cases, it can take up to 6 months to develop antibodies to HIV. There are multiple types of tests that all have their own specific window periods, but most tests are accurate after about three months.

While HIV cannot be cured, modern therapies and treatments are available that can help people with HIV live long, healthy lives. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a combination of medicines that slows down the effects of HIV in your body and can help you stay healthy for many years.

ART lowers an individual’s “viral load.” A person’s viral load is the amount of HIV in their body. If people with HIV stay in treatment, their viral load can get so low that HIV won’t appear on standard blood tests. When this happens, doctors refer to a person’s status as “undetectable.” When someone’s viral load becomes undetectable, they can’t transmit HIV to others. U=U, or Undetectable = Untransmittable.

Even though viral loads can become undetectable, HIV is still present in the body. If you fall out of care or stop treatment, your viral load can go back up. That will make it possible to pass HIV to your partner(s).