Symptoms of HIV infection

The symptoms of HIV are different for everyone.

Some people experience a short flu-like illness around 2 to 6 weeks after HIV infection.

This can include:

• a sore throat
• a high temperature
• swollen glands
• muscle aches and tiredness
• a skin rash

However, these symptoms can also be caused by lots of common conditions.

You may not have any other symptoms of HIV for years. This means many people with HIV do not know they have it.

If HIV is not treated, it damages your immune system and may eventually cause more serious illnesses, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia or cancer. This is known as advanced HIV, late-stage HIV or AIDS.

Causes of HIV infection

HIV is most often spread by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has HIV, while not using a condom.

This is because HIV is spread by infected body fluids getting into your bloodstream. This includes blood, semen, vaginal fluids and mucus from inside the anus.

It can also be spread:

• by sharing needles, syringes or other equipment for injecting drugs with someone who has a detectable viral load
• by sharing sex toys with someone who has a detectable viral load
• to your baby during pregnancy or birth if you have a detectable viral load

You cannot get HIV from kissing, hugging or shaking hands, or from sharing toilet seats, food, drinks, or normal everyday household items like cups and cutlery.

If you’re having effective treatment for HIV and have an undetectable viral load (an extremely low level of the HIV virus in your blood), you cannot pass the HIV virus onto someone else.

Check if you're at risk of HIV infection

You may be at higher risk of HIV infection if:

• you have a current or previous partner with HIV
• you’re from a country with high HIV rates
• you’re a man who has sex with men without a condom (unprotected sex)
• you’re a woman who has sex with men who have sex with men without a condom
• you’re a trans woman
• you’ve had many sexual partners, engage in high-risk sexual activities, such as chemsex (using drugs to help or enhance sex), or have other sexually transmitted infections
• you inject yourself with recreational drugs
• you’re a sex worker
• you’ve been raped
• you’ve received a blood transfusion or been exposed to infected blood, tissue or bodily fluids in a country that does not have effective HIV screening or safe hygiene practices

If you’re a healthcare professional and accidentally prick yourself with an infected needle at work there’s a possible risk – but it’s very low.

Blood transfusions and HIV

Since 1985, donated blood has been tested for HIV to make sure it’s as safe as possible.

This means the risk of getting any infection from a blood transfusion, including HIV, is very low.