This resource includes everything you need to know, whether you’re HIV positive, you might be at risk for HIV or you’re an ally looking to become more informed on the past, present and future of HIV.
If you are worried you have recently contracted HIV, please contact your local Sexual Health provider immediately.
What is HIV?
If you were to contract HIV, you will still be able to live a perfectly healthy and long life - as long as you identify it early by getting regular testing. We have come a long way since the AIDS Pandemic of the 80’s!
After contracting HIV, you may be asymptomatic from 2 months to around 3 years, which is why it is so important to get tested regularly, even if you are in a monogamous relationship or not sexually active.
Who can contract HIV?
Anyone! Although HIV was labelled as a ‘Gay’ disease, LGBTQ+ people are in no way at higher risk of inherently contracting the disease.
Who you are having sex with, or indeed your sexuality doesn’t determine your chances. If you have unprotected sex, you could expose yourself and/or your sexual partner to HIV, among other sexually transmitted infections.
Other than unprotected sex, HIV can be contracted through birth or breastfeeding, and other body fluids (yes, semen!). The chances of transmitting HIV via sharing needles is very low, though it is still recommended to seek urgent treatment if you share a needle with someone. You cannot transmit HIV via spit, toilet seats or just being in the same room as someone (with no physical contact), so the chances are very low in the workplace.
Even if you do test positive for HIV, if you are on effective treatment you cannot pass the virus on to sexual partners via sex. Undetectable = Untransmittable! There are many ways to prevent transmission of HIV, including (but not limited to) using condoms and PrEP.
What support is available for people at risk?
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP, is medication you can take if you think you may be at risk for contracting HIV. If you are planning on having unprotected sex, PrEP reduces your chance of transmission down by 99%, and it is available on the NHS in Sexual Health clinics near you.
We recommend having protected sex with all sexual partners, especially if you do not know their HIV status. Even if you are on PrEP, you should continue to get tested every three months or with every new sexual partner, as it does not reduce transmission of other STI's.
How has HIV and AIDS impacted the LGBTQ+ Community in the UK?
From the very first time gay men began to become diagnosed with GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency) now known as AIDS, millions of people have been affected by the disease. Paul Fairweather, Manchester-based HIV positive activist, tells us his story and shares memories from the AIDS epidemic of the 80s below.
There are also a number of Charities and Organisations that work all year-round to support those living with HIV and those at risk, such as George House Trust, LGBT Foundation, Terrence Higgins Trust and more.
HIV Response in Manchester's Gay Village
The LGBTQ+ Community of Manchester have always been at the forefront of HIV Activism: from the early days of volunteering on helplines; running jumble sales to raise money for people in AIDS wards; and now as home to a number of charities united in the fight to end HIV stigma. Nathaniel Hall, HIV-positive actor and activist, talks more about the history of HIV activism in Manchester's Gay Village in the video below.
Where are we now with HIV?
The UK Government recently pledged £1 billion to the Global Fund which aims to reduce HIV transmissions to 0 by 2030. This global effort recognises that HIV Transmissions do not adhere to borders and attack communities across the world.
We not on track to meet this goal globally, but this goal has been met already in Greater Manchester. The Executive Director of UNAIDS recently released a statement which highlighted the issue of dangerous inequalities as a primary barrier in this regard.
We can meet the target of 2030 if we equalise for women and girls to reduce their HIV risks, we must equalize for marginalised people, and we must tackle the inequalities in resourcing.
You can read the full statement from UNAIDS here
The Government released a National HIV Action Plan in 2021 which implements key recommendations of the Commission, including committing £20 million between 2022-2025 to fund opt-out HIV testing in A&E departments in the areas with highest HIV prevalence, and annual reporting to Parliament on progress to ensure the 2030 goal is hit.
HIV in the UK is a very different picture to what it once was. Rev. Jide Macauley, a HIV-positive pastor, talks about what it's like to live with HIV in the modern world, and what tools people have to protect themselves from HIV.
Testing
In Greater Manchester, we are fortunate to have easy access to HIV testing. Northern Sexual Health are able to send out HIV Testing kits to your address where you can administer them at home and track and access your results via an online portal.
HIV tests are available from a range of other free services.
- Your GP Practice
- Community testing is provided by The PaSH Partnership
- Your local drugs agencies, if you are an injecting drug user
- An antenatal clinic, if you are pregnant
What does U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) Mean?
'Undetectable = Untransmittable' (U=U) is a campaign explaining how the sexual transmission of HIV can be prevented.
Several studies have proven that when a HIV positive person is on effective treatment, it lowers the level of HIV (the viral load) in the blood. When the levels are below the threshold of detectability, HIV cannot be passed on sexually.
The studies included thousands of heterosexual and gay couples in which one partner had HIV and the other did not. Over the course of the studies, they found that there was not a single HIV transmission from an HIV-positive partner who had an undetectable viral load.
Although condoms are not required to prevent HIV transmission from a HIV positive person, it is still important to use sexual protection with partners, as there is still risk of other infections.
What support is available for HIV+ people?
Knowing your HIV status is important because it means that you can start the treatment which will keep you well and healthy. For most people, HIV medication is something they take once a day, and is more effective than it’s ever been. It quickly brings the virus under control so that it becomes undetectable (Remember: U=U).
George House Trust, Greater Manchester’s HIV support organisation, can provide you with advice, information and support as well as counselling and Peer Mentoring – matching you with a trained volunteer who’s also living with HIV and can offer you support.
There’s no right or wrong way to feel after you’ve been told that you’re living with HIV – but, however you’re feeling, remember that it’s better to know.
Visit George House Trust for more information
What can I do if someone tells me they are HIV positive?
Be respectful! Someone may have told you they are HIV Positive for several reasons - if they are a friend or family member it’s likely they trust you and wanted to disclose this information. It’s important to let them lead the conversation, and not ask too many personal questions such as ‘how’ they contracted the virus.
