HIV Facts
The most recent UK-wide estimate is that over 111,800 people are living with HIV in the UK. Of these, over 5,200 are undiagnosed and do not know they are living with HIV. But for the majority that do, life-saving HIV treatment and care can be accessed at any UK HIV clinic.
Taking HIV treatment every day can suppress the virus to a level where it cannot be detected and cannot be passed on. To make this easy to remember it’s called undetectable = untransmissible or U=U. Your clinician will tell you when you have met the criteria for U=U after you have started HIV treatment. Your viral load can become detectable when you stop medication or take it inconsistently. During this time, you have to use condoms for any type of sex and if the condom splits or comes off, ensure your partner is aware of your HIV status so that they can urgently access PEP (prevention medication after sex) from our service or the nearest A&E.
This is why getting tested for HIV is so important – you can start treatment straight away, protect your health and not pass the virus on.
How is HIV transmitted?
To pass on HIV, the bodily fluids (such as semen, blood, rectal or vaginal secretions) of one person with untreated HIV need to get inside another person. Being spiked with a needle in a night club, for example, is highly unlikely to pass on HIV, but sharing needles/ other equipment to inject drugs could. The most common form of transmission is from vaginal and anal sex without a condom. Oral sex has less risk.
HIV can be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding if the mother is not taking HIV treatment. There is a very small risk of passing on HIV through breastfeeding even when taking treatment.
HIV can affect anyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference.
Of the 2,773 people first diagnosed in England in 2024, 29% were gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men. Half of all new diagnoses first made in England were among people exposed through sex between men and women.
If you are going to have condomless sex, PrEP is highly effective at preventing HIV. But PrEP does not protect against other STIs, so it is important that you protect your sexual health by using condoms when having sex and test yourself regularly if you change sexual partners.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system (our natural defence against infection and disease). In late-stage HIV infection, also known as AIDS, the weakened immune system means the body is more vulnerable to life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia and cancer.
