HIV

What is HIV?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, it’s a blood-borne virus that can affect anyone. HIV affects our immune system, which is the system that keeps us well. If HIV is left untreated, it can damage our immune system, leaving the body more vulnerable to other infections. While there’s no cure for HIV, there’s lots of different types of medication that are available to treat HIV and keep people living with HIV healthy. Effective treatment can also control the amount of virus in the blood (viral load) to a point that it cannot be passed on through sex without using barriers.

What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?

HIV is the virus that can be transmitted between people. It affects the immune system and can damage it if it’s left untreated. If the immune system is severely damaged by HIV, it can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is not a single disease. It is a diagnosis that can result from a range of conditions that can occur when a person’s immune system has been damaged by untreated HIV. HIV and AIDS are not the same thing, and it is important to remember that a person living with HIV does not necessarily have AIDS. As a result of effective treatment most people living with HIV who are on effective treatment will never develop AIDS.

How is HIV spread?

HIV is transmitted to others through body fluids that contain enough of the virus when it enters another person’s bloodstream. HIV is present in blood, semen, anal mucus, vaginal fluid, and lactated milk. HIV is most commonly spread through insertive sex without the use of prevention methods like condoms and PrEP. While sex without protection doesn’t guarantee HIV transmission, it does increase the risk of it. HIV can also be spread through sharing injecting equipment. Someone needs to be living with HIV and have a detectable viral load to be able to transmit HIV. Most people in Australia living with HIV who know their status and are on treatment have an undetectable viral load. When a person has an undetectable viral load for at least six months, they can’t pass on HIV. Usually, a person living with HIV who is not on treatment does not know they have HIV because they have not been tested.

@messyvoices – Trans man.

HIV stuff is for us as well. We have to start using methods that we may not have before to keep ourselves and the rest of our community safe.

Symptoms

HIV doesn’t always come with symptoms, but it’s useful to know the signs. The illness that can happen to your body if transmission of HIV has recently happened is called seroconversion illness. Seroconversion usually happens within a few weeks of HIV transmission, some people get symptoms, some people don’t, and it’s not a reliable way to know if you have HIV. The only way to know your HIV status is to get tested.

Symptoms can sometimes feel like a flu, you might experience things like:

• Tiredness
• Muscle aches
• Joint pains
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Rash
• Fever

Again, not everyone will experience these symptoms, and even if you do, they’re easy to miss! Particularly if you’ve had a bout of intense partying or a holiday. These symptoms can also pass, so it’s important that whether you have symptoms or not, you know your status. Getting a sexual health test every three months is recommended. Getting tested is the only way to be sure of your status.

Testing

In the ACT, HIV tests can be conducted by:

• Blood test – through all sexual health clinics, GPs, and some health services
• HIV Self-Testing Kit – available online, at Meridian, and some pharmacies

A blood test involves blood being taken from a vein in your arm with a needle. The blood is sent to a laboratory for testing. Test results can be available as soon as 24 hours or up to a week, depending on where you got tested. Your clinician will discuss how you would like to get your results: face to face, over the phone or via SMS.

An HIV Self-Test Kit is an HIV test that you can perform in your own home or wherever you feel comfortable. It involves a finger prick blood test with a result provided in 15 minutes after taking the test. If you receive a positive result, it will need to be confirmed by further testing with a doctor. The Care Card inside the kit box has more information about follow-up testing, or you can call Meridian on (02) 6257 2855 during business hours for support.

Where can I test?

You can get a HIV test at sexual health clinics, like STRIP Clinic, GPs, and some health services. It’s recommended that you get tested for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at the same time. Remember, you cannot be tested for HIV without your permission.

Find out more information about testing, head to this page on Sexual Health Testing.

Treatment

While we still don’t have a cure for HIV, people living with HIV can stay on top of their health with HIV treatment. Modern HIV treatments are effective and easy to handle with minimal side effects. Most people can take a few pills every day – sometimes even just one pill a day. There are long-acting injectable treatments available too. Chat with your doctor or care team about the best treatment plan for you.

The goal of HIV treatment is to reduce the amount of HIV in your blood (your viral load). The aim is to get your viral load to an undetectable level, which is maintained. Being undetectable isn’t a cure, it just means that the virus can’t be detected in large amounts of blood. Being undetectable is like hitting a sweet spot in your treatment, it keeps your immune system healthy, and it means that HIV can’t be passed on to anyone else. With treatment, HIV is a manageable condition and people living with HIV can expect to live full and healthy lives while on treatment.

Prevention

Preventing HIV doesn’t just stop at barrier protection these days. There’s a few different ways to prevent HIV transmission, and it’s useful to know about all your options so you can make the best decision for you.

Barriers

Historically, barriers like condoms have been the stock standard way to stop HIV transmission. Using barrier protection for casual sex is still a popular choice, particularly because they also help prevent transmission of other STIs (not just HIV), and pregnancy if that’s a possibility for you or who you have sex with. Barrier protection needs to be used with water-based or silicone-based lube. There’s more information about safely using barriers on our Condoms, Dams, Gloves & Lube page. If you’re having casual sex, barriers are great to use in combination with other forms of HIV prevention, like PrEP or U=U.

PrEP

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication to prevent HIV transmission. When taken correctly, it is highly effective in reducing HIV risk. PrEP can be taken daily or on-demand, depending on your needs and your body. PrEP only protects you from HIV, so condoms will still need to be worn if you want to avoid other STIs. PrEP is on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and can be prescribed by any doctor. If you don’t have Medicare, you can import PrEP from an online pharmacy using a prescription from a doctor.

PEP

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is useful for HIV-negative people in case of an emergency. For instance when a barrier isn’t used and you don’t know their status, or a barrier breaks. It’s a short course of medication that can prevent someone from getting HIV after a possible exposure. PEP is available in Emergency Departments, some sexual health centres and some doctors who specialise in HIV or LGBTIQA+ healthcare.

Undetectable Viral Load (UVL)

When a person living with HIV is taking effective HIV medication, the virus will be suppressed to the point where it is considered undetectable. When a person is living with an Undetectable Viral Load, they will experience greatly improved health outcomes and cannot transmit HIV to a partner who is HIV-negative through sex, even if other prevention methods aren’t used. This means that undetectable HIV is untransmittable HIV, this is known as U=U, Undetectable equals Untransmittable.  

Support

Chatting about HIV with someone can be helpful. You can talk about your feelings around HIV, including prevention methods or concerns about receiving a diagnosis. Try starting by talking to your doctor, or a sexual health centre. Alternatively, you can reach out to a counsellor or psychologist, or a support service like a HIV organisation in your area. 

Meridian offers comprehensive support for people living with and impacted by HIV and AIDS in the ACT and surrounding regions. Our services include peer-to-peer support, HIV case management, counselling, and facilitating referrals and collaboration with partner organisations in health and community support. We advocate for increased awareness and access to HIV treatment options, promote relevant research programs, and support HIV/AIDS commemoration initiatives. Meridian also organises safe and inclusive events for people living with HIV, aiming to build a community free from stigma and discrimination related to sexuality and HIV status. Head to our support page for more information about where to find someone to chat to.