HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus which if left untreated can greatly affect your health and may develop into the condition known as AIDS.

When HIV enters the blood stream it begins to attack the immune system. Your immune system can become so damaged that it no longer fights off infections and cancers.

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is the term used to describe these unusual symptoms or cancers in HIV positive people.

HIV is not AIDS (a person may remain HIV+ without ever developing AIDS)

HIV can be a serious, long-term chronic illness; it can affect your life greatly; medically, emotionally and, indeed socially, and may lead to AIDS. There is no cure for HIV or for AIDS.

HIV can be a serious, long-term chronic illness; it can affect your life greatly; medically, emotionally and, indeed socially, and may lead to AIDS. There is no cure for HIV or for AIDS

HIV is not transmitted by shaking hands, hugging, or kissing. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, a drinking fountain, a door knob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. HIV is not an airborne or food-borne virus, and it does not live for long outside of the body. In Ireland you cannot get HIV by donating blood.

It is not the type of person you are, or where you come from in the world, that puts you at risk of getting infected with HIV. It's what you do. By changing what you do you can minimise the risk of getting infected

You may be HIV positive and not know it; you may look and feel healthy. You cannot rely on symptoms to know whether or not you are infected with HIV as any symptoms could be stress related or from other infections.

Safer sex practices and not sharing drug-using equipment are the best ways to prevent infection.

Having an HIV test is the only way to know for sure if you have HIV.

HIV is in blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk.

3 things have to happen for HIV to be passed on
1) A person has to be HIV positive and
2) HIV has to get out of their body -in their blood, semen vaginal fluids or breast milk and
3) HIV has to be able to get into another person's blood stream

In Ireland, there is no risk in receiving blood or blood products as all donated blood is screened.

• Sharing drug using equipment and needles
• From a HIV positive mother to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.
• Sex
  • You can pass on or get HIV through unprotected vaginal intercourse or if a condom is used and it bursts or slips off.
  • You can pass on or get HIV through unprotected vaginal intercourse or if a condom is used and it bursts or slips off.
  • A small number of people have been infected with HIV through oral sex. The risk for oral sex is not as high as the risk for unprotected vaginal or anal sex, but there is still a risk.
  • Sharing sex toys such as vibrators or dildos can facilitate the spread of HIV. If you share sex toys, cover them with a condom before use (and change the condom between sharing). Always wash the sex toy thoroughly after use.

Blood Contact
Open cuts, sores or blood can assist HIV transmission. Sharing blades, needles, piercing equipment or using fingers, hands or fists without gloves can be risky.

Safer Sex can prevent HIV

If you had vaginal or anal sex without a condom, try not to panic. Although unprotected intercourse leaves you at risk from HIV, you should not automatically assume you have contracted HIV.

Talk about it with someone using the freephone numbers above or at a service listed at www.hivireland.ie

Think about getting tested for HIV. Remember that HIV can take up to three months to show up in a blood test. This is known as the "window period".

Usually this involves taking a small amount of blood from your arm. The test looks for antibodies to HIV in your blood. However, it can take up to three months (the window period) for your body to produce enough HIV antibodies to give a positive test result.

This is the time between a person's exposure to HIV and the time that HIV antibodies show up in the blood. It can take up to 3 months for this to happen. If you decide to go for a test before this time, you may have to have another test to get a final result.

Regardless of your legal status or where you are from, you can get a free HIV test at any STI/GUM clinic (where you can also have a free sexual health screen and treatment). Testing at the clinics is confidential and information about your visit cannot be accessed by others.