Frequently Asked Questions

HIV or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a virus that only infects humans. A person diagnosed with HIV infection is referred to as being HIV positive.

AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. AIDS is caused by prolonged infection with HIV. Once HIV infection has significantly weakened an individual’s immune system to the point where they are unable to fight off opportunistic infections, that person is diagnosed as having AIDS.

HIV does not discriminate; anyone who has engaged in a risk activity can be infected with HIV regardless of age, gender, economic back ground, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnic origin, etc.

HIV attaches itself to a T cell and enters it. Once inside the T cell, HIV is able to multiply, which eventually leads to the destruction of the T cell. As more and more T cells become infected by HIV and destroyed, the immune system is weakened and becomes less able to fight off germs and bacteria.

There are no specific symptoms of an HIV infection. In fact, some people may never develop symptoms and for those that do, most of these symptoms will usually go away after a few days, or at most, a couple of weeks. Some people may develop flu-like symptoms 2-6 weeks after HIV infection. Those who do develop symptoms may experience the following:  fever, swollen glands, muscle aches, diarrhea, fatigue, rashes.

Practice Safer Sex

Use latex condoms, female condoms, and latex barriers with water-based lubricants during sex.
Do not use oil-based lubricants, such as baby oil, hand lotion and petroleum jelly. They weaken the condom allowing HIV to pass through.
Get tested regularly for all STIs, including HIV so that you are aware of your status.

Some activities are considered more high risk than others, such as unprotected sex or sharing needles, versus sex with a condom or using a new or sterilized needle. A good way to understand HIV risk is to consider the following transmission equation which helps to illustrate what three things are required to potentially transmit HIV.

HIV can only live in certain body fluids. These are:

• Blood (including menstrual blood)
• Semen  (and pre-cum),
• Vaginal fluids,
• Anal fluids,
• Breast Milk[1].

For HIV to be passed between people, fluid must get from one person’s body directly into the other. This means there has to be an “entry point” for the fluid to enter the body. Our skin is a very strong barrier against the HIV virus. HIV can only enter the body:

If you have a pre-existing immunodeficiency, then special testing may be required, however these are commonly diagnosed early (often in infancy) because pathogens (bacterial, viral, fungal etc) will generally take advantage of a person with deficient immune system functions.

HIV testing is available for FREE at community health clinics, sexual health clinics and from your family doctor. Family planning centers or drug treatment facilities also offer testing. See also the list of testing sites in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

If a person tests negative for HIV during the four week to three month window period, the negative result still cannot be considered confirmatory or accurate. During the window period, a negative test may result because the body has not produced enough HIV antibodies to be measured by a standard HIV blood test. Only after the window period of three months has passed, and providing the individual has not continued to engage in unprotected risk activities during the window period, should negative HIV test results be considered accurate.

From the moment HIV enters a person's body, it takes time for the body's immune system to develop enough HIV antibodies to be measurable by a standard HIV test. The period of time required for the body to produce enough HIV antibodies to become detectable by a standard HIV test is called the "window period". Tests currently administered in British Columbia have a "window period" which can last anywhere from four weeks to three months.

Even if a person has no risk factors for HIV infection they may still want to get tested. For many people, HIV testing is something that they choose to do regularly for their own personal reasons. Encouraging everyone to get tested is good practice and a great way to reduce HIV-related stigma. It also encourages responsibility and self-care around HIV prevention.
Some examples of why people choose to test for HIV:

If you think that you have been engaging in activities that put you at risk for HIV transmission, you may want to get tested. You may consider testing if:

HIV is detectable by a blood test. Newer tests can detect HIV antibodies in mouth fluid (not the same as saliva), urine, or from a scraping sample taken from inside the cheek. "Rapid" HIV test results are available within ten to thirty minutes after a sample is taken. One of these tests has produced a high rate of false positives. A positive result on any HIV test should be confirmed with a second test.

For Canadian Citizens/permanent residents moving between provinces or returning to Canada, we recommend that a person carry a 3 month supply of their medications. Although medical coverage varies between provinces, you are generally expected to use your existing medical coverage until you have met the 3 month residency requirement to be eligible for provincial medical coverage.

T cells can also be called CD4+ cells.

A CD4+ cell count measures the number of T cells in a cubic millilitre of blood. A measure of CD4+ cells indicates how healthy the immune system is and, in people who are HIV positive, can help to indicate how far the disease has progressed.

In a person with a healthy immune system, a CD4+ cell count generally falls between 500 and 1500. A CD4+ cell count of 200 or less in a person living with HIV may mean a higher susceptibility to opportunistic infections.

T cells play a very important role in the effective functioning of the human immune system.
T cells are important because they stimulate other immune cells to respond to infection. Without T cells, the immune system cannot protect the body against many types of germs.

Doctors will likely recommend an HIV test during prenatal screenings as a preventive measure to help reduce the number of babies born with HIV. While this is a strategy used in Canada, remember it is still your body and therefore you have the right to decide if you wish to be tested. You should also always be given the opportunity to talk about the test, how it is administered, what the results mean and how the results might affect you personally.

Testing babies for HIV is done after birth. Most babies born to infected mothers will initially test positive for HIV antibodies. Babies when they are first born take on their mother's antibodies, which is why many babies when first tested after birth will test positive. This doesn't necessarily mean your baby is positive. To determine your baby's actual HIV status, doctors will recommend several tests. These HIV tests will look for the virus itself and not just the HIV antibodies. The first test will be administered at your baby's birth.

If you are HIV positive there are many things that can help to decrease the chance of infecting your baby with HIV such as early testing, have good prenatal care, talk to your health care professional about treatment, and have a delivery plan for the baby.

A vaccine is a substance used to improve the immunity to a particular disease or infection. An individual is injected with a killed microbe (bacteria or virus) which stimulates the immune system to fight against the microbe and therefore prevent the disease.

An HIV vaccine would boost the human immune system so that it would not succumb to the virus that weakens the human immune system.

No. Such a product is in various stages of clinical trials but presently it is not available for use.

Current HIV prevention technologies are limited in scope. Currently HIV prevention primarily focuses on either abstinence or condoms, which are effective when used correctly and consistently. Having an HIV vaccine would be an additional prevention tool providing it is safe, accessible and effective. Research has demonstrated that the use of vaccines as a therapeutic intervention tool when used in association with antiretroviral therapies could help to lower the cost of treatments and would increase long term efficacy.

An ideal vaccine would be safe, accessible, inexpensive, easy to manufacture on a large scale, effective against multiple HIV clades/strains, have long lasting immunity, and be easy to ship and distribute globally.

Research for a vaccine has been and continues to be a long process that includes basic laboratory research, product development, and animal experiments. The next step is to test these products on healthy human volunteers through a number of phases. Since 1987, more than thirty HIV candidate vaccines have been tested in approximately sixty phase one and two trials involving more than ten thousand healthy volunteers. Presently, there are only two candidate vaccines being evaluated in phase three trials.

Currently the global investment is approximately five hundred million US dollars per year. This cost includes industry and research agencies in industrialized countries. While this number may seem large, the investment must be increased to build capacity in developing countries in order to conduct trials.

Microbicides are substances that would be able to prevent the transmission of HIV and other STI’s. These substances can take many forms including creams, films, gels, suppositories, or as a sponge or ring that releases the active ingredients over time.

Microbicides are currently unavailable for use as clinical research is still taking place to ensure the safety and efficacy of these substances. To date, there are at least eleven product leads that have been proven effective and safe on animals and are presently being tested on humans. If one of these leads proves successful, it is possible that microbicides may be available in five to seven years time.

Sexual activity:

• Abstaining from sexual intercourse
• Having sex with only one partner and you and your partner are monogamous (only participating in sex or sexual activities with each other)
• Having protected sex using condoms (male or female) correctly and consistently. Reminder: While spermicides may prevent pregnancy, they do not protect against HIV
• Engaging in activities that are safe such as kissing, masturbation, mutual masturbation and massage

Drug use:

The acronym STI stands for sexually transmitted infections while STD stands for sexually transmitted disease. STIs are infections that usually start in your sexual and reproductive organs. Some infections may also infect other parts of your body. STIs are very common: up to 75% of the sexually active population will get an STI of some kind in their lifetime. While some STIs may be painful, it is not unusual to have an STI without experiencing any symptoms for some time. Once symptoms do occur, an STI is considered an STD.

STIs are transmitted through sexual activities such as oral, vaginal or anal sex. Some STIs can also be spread through contact with infected blood. STIs are contagious which means you can contract them from your partner(s) if they are infected. STIs will stay with you if you do not receive treatment for them. STIs are most commonly found in the rectum (bum), in or around the vagina, in and around the penis and/or in the mouth.

Bacterial vaginosis
Chlamydia
Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Epididymitis
Gonorrhea ("the drip")
Hepatitis B and C
Herpes
Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Human papillomavirus (HPV; genital warts)
Non-gonococcal urethritis (LGV)
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
Phthirus pubix (crabs; pubic lice)
Scabies
Shigella
Syphilis
Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Vaginitis (vaginal yeast infections)

STIs do not go away. If you suspect or know you have an infection, make an
appointment with your doctor or health clinic. Even though you may feel uncomfortable
or embarrassed, it is important to get tested and get treatment. This is the only way you
will get better, protect yourself and protect your partner(s). Your partner(s) should get
tested and treated as well. Many STIs can be cured with antibiotics but some are more
complicated and may require further treatment. Your doctor may do an internal

HIV is a reportable disease in British Columbia, just like other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like Syphilis and Gonorrhoea. This means that if you test positive for HIV, the clinic or doctor's office where you had the test done must send some information about you to the public health office. The public health office will then check with the clinic or doctor to see if you need help talking to any people that may have been at risk of catching HIV from you.

HIV treatment is the use of medications (antiretroviral therapies) which can help keep an HIV infected person healthy. Drug research and development is on-going. While current treatment can help people living with HIV at all stages of the disease, it cannot cure HIV infection. Individuals are unique, from their biology to their lifestyle, and therefore HIV treatment is complex and should be tailored to meet the needs of each individual.

Antiretroviral therapy (often called ARV therapy or ART) is drug therapy that has been developed to disrupt the cycle of HIV replication. ARVs come in a variety of formulations designed to act at different stages of the HIV virus life-cycle. ART usually consists of a combination of three or four different drugs, which can delay HIV replication and immune system deterioration within the body. Administering ARVs in combination is called Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) which is often more casually referred to as a drug cocktail.