MYTH: 'HIV and AIDS are the same thing'
HIV is the name of a virus. AIDS (what we now call late stage or advanced HIV) is the name for a collection of illnesses caused by this virus.
You can’t get an AIDS diagnosis unless you’re already HIV positive, but many people who have HIV will never have AIDS. This is because advances in HIV treatment mean that HIV is now a long term manageable condition.
MYTH: 'HIV is a death sentence'
HIV is no longer a death sentence. When it was first discovered, before we had good treatment most people with HIV died far too early. Now many people who are on treatment for HIV can expect to live as long as others without HIV and stay healthy throughout their lives.
MYTH: 'HIV only affects gay men'
HIV can, and does, affect anyone of any age, sexuality, ethnicity or gender. In the UK, around half of people living with HIV are gay and bi men and the other half are heterosexual people.
In 2022, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced that the number of new HIV diagnoses among heterosexuals is higher than for gay and bisexual men.
MYTH: ‘If you have HIV you can’t have sex again’
If you are HIV positive you can absolutely continue to have sex. Once you are on treatment and your viral load is undetectable you can continue to have sex as you were before diagnosis. Undetectable means you cannot pass it on to sexual partners, even without condoms.
This is known as U=U, or Undetectable = Untransmissible
But: It is very important that you use condoms, or take a break from sex until you know your treatment is working and your viral load is undetectable. To keep it undetectable, it is important to take your medication every day and attend all your appointments with your sexual health team.
MYTH: ‘People with HIV can’t have children’
You can have children if you are living with HIV if you are on effective treatment and have an undetectable viral load – the risk of HIV being passed on to the baby is just 0.1%.
Thanks to antenatal screening, treatment to block transmission and caesarean (c-section) delivery, only 0.3% of people with HIV (including people with a higher viral load) passed on HIV to their babies.
MYTH: ‘People with HIV can pass it on to others during everyday social contact’
HIV can only be passed on when one person’s body fluids (e.g. blood, semen and fluids from the vagina, but not saliva) get inside another person’s body.
HIV is transmitted by vaginal/frontal sex, anal sex, oral sex (though very rarely), and sharing injecting equipment. The virus cannot be transmitted by kissing, shaking hands, hugging or from toilet seats. It can also not be transmitted by tears, sweat, saliva and spitting, urine or faeces (poo).
It is absolutely safe to share objects someone with HIV has touched or used to eat or drink from, and there is no risk of transmission from swimming pools, showers, hot tubs or towels.