European HIV-Hepatitis Testing Week 2016
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
What is <strong>HIV</strong>?<br />
<strong>HIV</strong> (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks the body’s immune system and weakens its<br />
ability to fight infections and other diseases, like cancer.<br />
A person with <strong>HIV</strong> is at risk of developing serious infections, which a healthy immune<br />
system would otherwise be able to defend against.<br />
When a person is described as living with <strong>HIV</strong>, they have the <strong>HIV</strong> virus in their body. If<br />
they do not receive medication, a person with <strong>HIV</strong> can develop AIDS (Acquired Immune<br />
Deficiency Syndrome) — the final stage of <strong>HIV</strong> infection. At this stage, a person’s body<br />
has difficulty fighting life-threatening infections.<br />
<strong>HIV</strong> is transmitted through infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids, rectal secretions or<br />
breast milk. The most common means of transmission are through condomless sex or<br />
sharing infected needles, syringes and associated paraphernalia.<br />
4
Change language