People with HIV
All kinds of people from different walks of life and backgrounds are living with HIV. In Australia, the vast majority enjoy full and active lives, especially those who are on HIV treatments.
Advancements in education and research now ensure people with HIV have access to highly effective treatment, support and resources.
People with HIV who are on treatments can live with a normal life expectancy and most have an undetectable viral load which means HIV can’t be transmitted to their sexual partners.
Recently diagnosed
If you have been diagnosed with HIV, or if you are a partner, family member or friend of someone recently diagnosed with HIV and wish to support them, there are support and information services available in each Australian state and territory.
Monitoring your health
As part of their ongoing care with their doctor, an HIV positive person will have regular health checks to confirm how their HIV treatments are working and give early warnings about changes to their health.
This includes monitoring their viral load and CD4 count. ‘Viral load’ describes the amount of HIV in someone’s bloodstream. CD4 cells are a critical part of the immune system which are destroyed by HIV. Together, the viral load test and CD4 counts can show the effectiveness of treatments in reducing the HIV-positive person’s viral load, and the level of damage, if any, to their immune system.
People living with HIV may experience a number of other health conditions which will also be monitored with their doctor.
Telling people you have HIV
Who you tell, when you tell them, and the way in which you approach it is an individual decision. Learning how and when you might choose to disclose your HIV status to different people may take some time.
There are organisations in each state and territory that can provide support.
There may be some situations where you may be legally required to disclose your HIV status – you can find more information here.
HIV treatment
HIV treatments ensure that an HIV positive person’s immune system is healthy and reduces the risk of disease advancement associated with HIV.
Treatment is most effective when taken as soon as possible after a positive diagnosis. The START Study has returned evidence that confirms the benefits of starting antiretroviral treatment immediately after diagnosis.
There are a variety of HIV treatments available, and the decisions about starting treatment and what treatments to take should always be done in consultation with a doctor with expertise in HIV management.
HIV treatments reduce the levels of HIV (viral load) in a person’s blood and other bodily fluids, in almost all cases to ‘undetectable’ levels. An ‘undetectable viral load’ means the amount of HIV in someone’s blood is so low tests cannot find it.
Several large international trials (HPTN052, PARTNER, and the Australian study Opposites Attract) have proven that treatment as prevention is effective at preventing HIV transmission.
When an HIV positive person keeps an undetectable viral load, they cannot pass on HIV to their sexual partners. This is known as Treatment as Prevention. This is also known as ‘U=U’ which stands for ‘Undetectable equals Untransmittable’.
Having children
People with HIV who wish to have children may be concerned about passing on HIV to their partner when trying to conceive, or to their baby.
When an HIV positive person keeps an undetectable viral load, they cannot pass on HIV to their sexual partners.
HIV transmission from pregnant parent to child transmission (also known as vertical transmission of HIV) is very rare in Australia.
There are a number of ways to minimise the risk of a baby acquiring HIV from their HIV-positive pregnant parent during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding. These include the use of HIV medications to reduce the amount of HIV in the pregnant parent’s blood (viral load), elective caesarean delivery of the baby and considering formula feeding. Doing all these things can reduce the risk of pregnant parent to child transmission to around 1%–2% or lower.
More information can be found on the Living Well: Women with HIV website.