Human immunodeficiency virus commonly known as hiv in this week's video we're going to go
through everything that you need to know about hiv now this video is going to be jam-packed
full of scientifically supported information and to make it a bit easier to digest i've split the
videos into two episodes so this is episode one we're gonna first talk about what is hiv how is
it spread where and how to get tested and what to do if you think you've been exposed to hiv in
the next episode so episode two we're going to be talking about living with hiv and life expectancy
how to have children with your hiv positive and also the complications of hiv so there's lots to
learn so let's begin okay so first of all what is hiv hiv is a virus that affects our immune
system it makes our immune system weaker and this means that it's harder for our bodies to fight off
infections in any foreign bodies that infect our body after this happens it also then reduces our
cd4 count and cd4 is a certain type of white blood cell which then decreases which again reduces our
immune system so when someone is first infected with hiv they might have a short illness for about
one to two weeks okay having general sort of flu type symptoms okay that's the best way to explain
it flu type symptoms for one to two weeks and these symptoms usually come about after six to
eight weeks after you've got rid of those flu type symptoms you don't experience symptoms for
many years now the virus will be causing internal damage to the immune system okay and the worrying
thing is you're not really gonna know this is happening unless you have a hiv test to show that
you've got hiv so it's gonna be happening in the background without you knowing unless you're being
tested and i guess another thing to be aware of as well is that you could be spreading it to people
without even knowing it unless you're being tested so that's kind of what's happening in
the background now when it comes to aids it's not the same thing as hate tribe okay a stands
for acquired immune deficiency syndrome and it's the way to describe how the body reacts to various
life-threatening infections and illnesses that can occur due to hiv reducing the immune system
massively so if you're again wondering what is the difference between hiv and aids hiv is the
virus that affects our immune system and it lowers the immune system and weakens it whereas aids is
the way of describing the actual end result and the life-threatening infections that can happen
due to that immune system being so weak okay so next up let's talk a little about statistics so
in 2019 the national aids trust here in the uk estimated around 105 000 people here in the uk
are living with aids now please bear in mind that was from about three years ago so the numbers
probably have gone up also there are a number of people who are undiagnosed as well so number will
probably be much higher than this as well so the next question is how is hiv spread hiv is found in
certain bodily fluids such as blood semen breast milk vaginal and anal fluids it can't be passed
by a urine via saliva or via sweat the most common way that hiv is spread is through unprotected sex
but that is not the only way that it's spread either so for example a pregnant person with hiv
can spread the hiv to their child during birth during pregnancy or during breastfeeding hiv can
also be spread with shared needle use okay shared needs to use that can spread hiv but hiv cannot be
spread through things like sharing toilet seats using the same toilet seat after someone that's
got hiv eating food and also sharing liquids or drinks or anything like that so it can't be spread
through that that is a sort of myth okay so now let's move on to testing if you do think you might
have hiv or you think you might have symptoms or anything like that then you should get tested i am
going to talk a bit later on as well about what to do is if you've actually been exposed to hiv so if
you know you've been exposed to hiv the protocol is slightly different because you need treatment
straight away but for now in terms of testing testing is available and it's just admire a blood
test and if you do get a positive test for hiv it's usually repeated and once you get a second
confirmation that you are hiv positive you will be referred to the specialist who deals with patients
with hiv and looks after their patients now please do remember if your first test was negative you
may need a repeat test one to three months after first exposure this is known as the window period
and the hiv hasn't affected you enough or the cells haven't replicated enough either the virus
doesn't replicate enough for it to be detectable so sometimes a repeat test is done now here in the
uk all sexual health clinics do offer hiv tests free of charge i'm sorry i'm stabbing you up it's
just my legs are getting very tiny because i've been running but all sexual health clinics here in
the uk do offer it free of charge and there is no charge needed for it it can be done straight away
there are also home testing kits that you can use if you don't want to go into clinic where you have
to send off a sample of blood usually sort of got from the finger through milking of the finger and
having a small sample and sending it off or you can just go to the sexual health clinic and get it
done there and then i don't know what it's like in other countries so please follow your health care
guidance on this to find out where and what you need to do to get tested and please do remember
that the sooner you get tested the more likely you are to find out what's going on and also
reduce the risk of actually spreading it to other people to loved ones or anyone like that also the
sooner you find out as well you could then start treatment sooner as well so it's really important
that testing is done now please do remember this is probably one of the most important things when
it comes to hiv if you think you've been exposed to hiv you need to speak to your health care
team as soon as possible okay because there is something known as post exposure prophylaxis okay
and it's a treatment it's a short course given which helps stop hiv from getting in your system
and replicating and then actually having hiv okay this tablet or this medication there's a
few medicines you have to take it should be taken within 72 hours of exposure okay if it's taken
after that window it's not gonna work so it's super critical if you think you've been exposed
get in touch with your health care professional get in touch with your sexual health clinic i
will leave more information about that down in the description below and where to find that
information from get that help from here in the uk like i said again i don't know what it's like in
other countries but post-exposure prophylaxis is probably available in all countries where
it's important you're aware of it and remember the window is 72 hours if you think you've been
exposed you should get post-exposure prophylaxis so it looks like we've come to the end of episode
one like i said at the start please make sure to watch episode two as well because there's still
loads more to learn as i always say sending you awesome vibes and i will see you next week