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E n d i n g H o m o p h o b i a ,
E m p o w e r i n g Pe o p l e
www.lgf.org . uk
Registered Charity No.1070904
se
a guide
to hiv
for gay and bisexual men
2008/09 EDITION
sex
BOmb
hiv?
Neither can we.
in major UK cities,
1 in 10
gay men are living with HIV.
You might not think it affects you - or maybe you just don’t want to talk about it. If
you are a sexually active gay or bisexual man, chances are you have already come
into contact with the virus - but you might not know it. The information in this
booklet aims to help you understand how HIV affects you and the men you have
sex with.
HIV isn’t going to disappear, but knowing more about it could make
it seem less daunting.
can you tell who is
living with
hiv?
It’s surprising to
since the 80s.
Thankfully, things are much different now. We
know a lot more about HIV and how to manage
it, which means people living with HIV can live
longer, healthier lives. HIV is no longer the
‘death sentence’ it once was.
However, just because things have changed it
doesn’t mean we don’t need to worry about HIV.
HIV still remains incurable, and is ultimately a life
long chronic infection. With 1 in 10 gay men living
with HIV in major cities such as Manchester, it is
likely that many of us are living with HIV, or know
of someone who is (whether we know it or not).
Gay men are disproportionately affected by
HIV and there has been a signiicant increase in
infection rates amongst young men over the
last decade. Whatever your age or HIV status, the
reality is that HIV is part of our community and
can affect every part of our lives – our health, our
families, our friends, our sex, and our relationships.
HIV has and will continue to change our lives.
This booklet is your essential guide to HIV.
Whether HIV affects us directly or indirectly, lets
acknowledge it.
Let’s not live in ignorance
think that HIV has
only been around
hiv & aids?
HIV
stands
for Human
Immunodeiciency
Virus. It is a virus
that weakens the
immune system,
leaving us open to
infection.
AIDS
stands for Acquired Immune
Deiciency Syndrome and is caused
by HIV.
AIDS is generally used to describe
the latter stages of HIV infection
when the immune system has
stopped working effectively, and the
person develops a life threatening
illness(es) such as pneumonia.
You cannot get infected with AIDS.
You can however be infected with
HIV which could then develop into
AIDS. Specialists now prefer to use
the term ‘advanced’ or ‘late stage’
HIV infection.
what are
transmitted?
Is when a HIV negative person is exposed to HIV and
is infected with the virus, becoming HIV positive.
TRANSMISSION
HIV EXPOSURE
Is when HIV infected bodily luids come into contact
with a HIV negative person’s blood stream.
Not every case of exposure will result in the
transmission of HIV. In order for HIV transmission
to occur there needs to be the following:
Suficient HIV in bodily luids to cause infection:
Suficient HIV can be found in:
•
Anal mucus
•
Blood
•
Semen
•
Precum
•
Vaginal luid
Fluids such as tears, saliva, sweat and urine
do not
contain suficient quantities of the virus to cause
transmission.
A way for the virus to get into the body:
a) Directly into the bloodstream e.g. Through
damaged skin, injecting equipment.
b) Absorption through mucous membranes –found
in the anus, throat and foreskin/ head of penis
If you remove one of the factors, transmission cannot
take place. Remember, condoms are the most
effective way of removing the route of the virus into
the body.
how is hiv
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