What is HIV?
A virus that affects the immune system.
- HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system over time.
- Without treatment, it can lead to AIDS, a serious late stage.
- With treatment, HIV is controlled and does not progress.
- HIV is not the same as AIDS — treatment prevents that stage.
How HIV spreads — and how it doesn't
Clearing up fear with facts.
- Spreads through: unprotected sex, shared needles, and mother to baby.
- Also through infected blood (e.g. unscreened transfusions).
- Does NOT spread through: hugging, sharing food, toilets, or mosquitoes.
- Everyday contact with a person with HIV is completely safe.
Preventing HIV
Several powerful tools, often used together.
| Tool | How it helps |
|---|
| Condoms, every time | Greatly reduce sexual transmission |
| Testing (you and partners) | Know your status; start care early |
| PrEP (prevention pills) | Protects HIV-negative people at risk |
| Treatment as prevention (U=U) | Undetectable = can't transmit sexually |
| Clean needles; safe blood | Prevents blood-borne spread |
Preventing mother-to-child transmission is highly effective with treatment in pregnancy.
Key terms
- HIV: A virus that weakens the immune system; controllable with treatment.
- AIDS: A serious late stage of untreated HIV — preventable with treatment.
- ART: Antiretroviral therapy — the medicine that controls HIV.
- PrEP: Medicine HIV-negative people take to prevent getting HIV.
- U=U: Undetectable = Untransmittable: effective treatment stops sexual spread.
- Viral load: The amount of HIV in the blood; treatment lowers it to undetectable.
Testing: know your status
Quick, confidential, and the gateway to care.
- An HIV test is quick, often a finger-prick, and confidential.
- Knowing your status lets you start treatment or prevention early.
- Testing is recommended routinely for anyone sexually active.
- A positive result today means a manageable condition, not a crisis.
Treatment: living well with HIV
Daily medicine keeps people healthy and stops transmission.
- Antiretroviral therapy (ART) controls the virus.
- Taken daily, it keeps the immune system strong.
- It lowers the virus to undetectable — U=U, no sexual transmission.
- People on treatment live long, full lives and have healthy children.
Myth or reality?
Tap each statement about HIV.
- HIV spreads through hugging or sharing food (Myth) — HIV does NOT spread through everyday contact — only through specific fluids like blood or during sex.
- With treatment, people with HIV live long, healthy lives (Reality) — Effective treatment keeps the immune system strong for a normal lifespan.
- HIV and AIDS are the same thing (Myth) — HIV is the virus; AIDS is a late stage that treatment prevents.
- Someone on effective treatment can't transmit HIV sexually (Reality) — Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).
Effectively 0% — 'Undetectable = Untransmittable' (U=U). Someone on effective treatment whose viral load is undetectable cannot pass HIV to sexual partners. This is one of the most important facts in modern HIV care.
Spreads HIV or does not?
Tap each, then whether it can spread HIV or not.
- Unprotected sex without other protection (Can spread HIV)
- Sharing needles (Can spread HIV)
- Mother to baby (without treatment) (Can spread HIV)
- Hugging or shaking hands (Does NOT spread HIV)
- Sharing food or a toilet (Does NOT spread HIV)
- Mosquito bites (Does NOT spread HIV)
Ending stigma
Stigma harms health; compassion and facts help.
- Fear and blame stop people testing and getting care.
- People living with HIV deserve respect and full participation.
- Everyday contact is safe — there's no reason to exclude anyone.
- Supporting testing and treatment protects the whole community.
When to test or seek care
Testing and care are always the right move.
- After unprotected sex or a possible exposure.
- If a partner is diagnosed with HIV.
- Routinely if sexually active; more often if at higher risk.
- In pregnancy — testing protects the baby.
HIV and pregnancy
Treatment can prevent passing HIV to the baby.
- A pregnant woman with HIV can have an HIV-negative baby.
- Treatment during pregnancy and birth is highly effective.
- Testing in pregnancy is a key step.
- Health workers guide safe options for feeding and care.
Recap & what's next
- HIV weakens immunity, but treatment keeps people healthy.
- Prevent with condoms, testing, PrEP, and U=U.
- It doesn't spread through everyday contact — end the stigma.
- Next: accessing care and services.
