HIV

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus which destroys the human immune system. There are treatments to counter that effect.

HIV is transmitted through contact with semen, vaginal or anal fluid, blood or breast milk. (Sweat, tears, saliva or urine, on the other hand, do not transmit HIV.) The risk of infection varies depending on the situation: As a general rule, there is a risk of infection through anal or vaginal sex. The highest risk comes from getting semen inside you during anal sex; women have an increased risk of infection if they get semen inside their vagina. As far as oral sex (stimulating the genitals with the tongue or mouth; colloquially called “blowjob” if done on a penis) is concerned, scientific research was able to sound the all-clear in recent years: the risk of transmission is exceedingly low.

If the mucous membrane is damaged due to the presence of another sexually transmitted infection, the risk of HIV transmission increases. HIV can also be transmitted through the sharing of syringes for intravenous drug use. An HIV-positive mother can transmit the virus to her child during delivery or while breastfeeding.

The first few weeks after infection are called “primary infection” [[Link zu Primoinfektion auf lovelife.ch]]. A few days or up to four weeks after infection, there may be flu-like symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat or skin rash. During this initial period after transmission, the virus spreads rapidly and those affected are highly contagious.

This is usually followed by a phase during which the affected person may experience no symptoms and feel healthy over the course of several months or years. This is the “latent period”. However, the virus continues to spread and starts damaging the immune system, which could lead to signs of illness such as general fatigue, weight loss, fever, night sweats, diarrhoea, shortness of breath or skin rash.

The last phase, when the immune system is breaking down, is referred to as “AIDS” (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). To have AIDS means the body’s defences no longer function, and those affected may die from illnesses that present no danger to people without AIDS.

After a high-risk situation, you should consult a specialist on whether you should get tested. If flu-like symptoms appear a few days or up to four weeks after a high-risk situation, it is crucial that you immediately contact a testing centre or the family doctor. These symptoms may be a sign of an infection, and an HIV test is important in this situation.

At the beginning of a new relationship, if both partners would like to dispense with condom use in future, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recommends that you get tested at the same time.

An HIV infection is diagnosed with a blood test (HIV antibody test).

A fourth-generation laboratory test may be able to establish an infection after as little as 14 days. But if that test comes back negative, it should be repeated after six weeks, which is the earliest an infection can be positively ruled out. There are also HIV home testing kits; here, the waiting time between high-risk situation and earliest date an HIV infection can be positively ruled out is three months. Because of the risk of forgeries, you should buy your home testing kit from a specialist retailer rather than online.

It is very important to detect an HIV infection (through testing) quickly and treat it effectively with drugs in order to minimise damage to the immune system. If such effective treatment is provided, the blood will in time become free of any trace of HIV, i.e. the viral load will fall to below the detection threshold. Once this has been achieved, HIV can no longer be transmitted through sexual activity.

HIV remains a serious chronic infection, however, which requires consistent further treatment. This is provided through antiretroviral drugs, which must be taken daily and, according to the current state of the science, for the rest of the affected person’s life. Today’s HIV therapies are generally very easy to tolerate, and cause far fewer side-effects than was the case with earlier treatment approaches.

If an HIV infection is successfully treated (i.e. when the viral load in the blood is undetectable), the virus can no longer be transmitted during sex. For that reason, condomless sex during successful HIV treatment is considered safer sex, as is the consistent use of condoms during anal and vaginal intercourse. Whether a treatment is successful and whether one can dispense with condom has to be cleared with a doctor.

Properly-used high-quality condoms (ideally with a quality seal) of the right size (ideally with a quality seal) of the right size (see mysize.ch) will protect against HIV infection. You can also protect yourself through medication (pills). This is known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. If you’re interested in this option, contact an HIV counselling centre.

If you’ve been in a high-risk situation for HIV infection, go to a hospital emergency room or a Swiss 'Checkpoint' centre within 48 hours at the latest. A ripped or slipped condom during sex with an HIV-positive person not undergoing successful treatment, for example, is considered a high-risk situation.