How is HIV transmitted?

HIV is a virus that damages human immune cells. It weakens the immune system and, without treatment, leads most infected people to develop AIDS. Like all viruses, HIV infects the cells of a living organism in order to make new copies of itself. HIV can only be transmitted in certain ways and the purpose of this page is to explain how you can and can’t become infected. HIV cannot live for long outside the body, so to be infected you need to allow some body fluid from an infected person to get inside your body.

The most common ways that people become infected with HIV are by having sexual intercourse with an infected partner, or through injecting drugs using a needle or syringe that has been used by someone who is infected. There is no cure for HIV and treatment is carried out through the use of antiviral drugs. It is important to ensure that treatment is started quickly before the infection can become full blown AIDS. Therefore it is important that should you believe that you may be infected, a test for HIV is undertaken as soon as possible so the antiviral can be administered.