Does HIV affect only certain groups of people, like gay men?

HIV does not discriminate. HIV can and does infect anyone who puts themselves at risk.

The important way to assess risk of HIV transmission is by looking at ‘risk behaviour’ (e.g. unprotected sex), rather than ‘risk groups’. This is because many people do not necessarily define themselves as being part of one particular group – being gay, using drugs, having sex, becoming pregnant or having more than one sexual partner, are not in themselves "risk factors", even though they can contribute towards this.

It is the activity and the presence of the three risk factors outlined above, that should be considered in relation to HIV transmission.

For up to date transmission statistics see Avert

How can you tell if someone is infected with HIV (HIV+)?

You cannot tell. People who have been exposed to the virus and infected with HIV will not necessarily know and it can be many years before the virus has done enough damage to their immune system in order to make them ill.

Someone who is HIV+ doesn’t look any different to anybody else and doesn’t necessarily look or feel unwell. It can therefore be mis-leading to judge a partner on the grounds that "they don’t look like they have HIV", or "I know this person too well, they could never have been exposed to HIV."

Some people that have become HIV+ have experienced a "seroconversion illness" (seroconversion is when a HIV-negative person become HIV-positive) within the first few weeks of becoming infected.
Symptoms of a seroconversion illness can be similar to "flu" and can include:

• sore throat
• swollen glands or lymph nodes in the groin and neck
• fevers, and severe "night sweats" where the bed clothes are saturated
• aches and pains
• fatigue
• a rash similar to that seen in glandular fever

Not everybody will necessarily have such an illness and, because the symptoms can be common to many other illnesses, this can often be missed or go unnoticed.

It is important to remember that, if you experience any of the above symptoms it does not necessarily mean you have been infected with HIV.

The only way to be sure about your HIV status is to be tested.