Sexual health & STIs
Signs and Symptoms
Getting Tested
Chlamydia
Gonorrhoea
Genital Warts
Genital Herpes
HIV
Syphilis
HIV
HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency virus
• A quarter of people who are infected with this virus do not know that they have it
• People may have no symptoms for a long time after they are infected
• HIV weakens the body’s immune system and makes it less able to fight infections
• In the UK HIV is most common in men who have sex with men
• There is no cure but the virus can be controlled with a combination of antiviral drugs
• The best way to prevent HIV is to use a condom for vaginal or anal sex
If you have not used a condom or it has broken or come off then there are medicines that can be given to you that can help prevent HIV
• These medicines are called PEP or post-exposure prophylaxis
• These are only given when the risk of HIV is high and this will be decided by a doctor
• PEP needs to be started within 3 days (72hours) of the sexual contact and you can get it at the sexual health clinic or at Accident & Emergency departments