HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus that attacks your body’s immune system. It can be transmitted by sexual contact, from mother to baby during delivery and breastfeeding, by sharing injection material, and in very rare cases by blood transfusion.
Medicines keep HIV under control but HIV cannot be cured (yet). With HIV Medicines someone with HIV can live a normal life. If you are receiving successful treatment for HIV, there will be almost no risk of infecting others. In Norway HIV medications and HIV treatment are free of charge.
If you do not strictly follow your treatment, you can pass on HIV to other people, even if you have no symptoms.
If you have HIV and you do not take medicines, your immune system becomes weaker. After a long time without medicines, your body cannot defend itself any more against infections. You then have aids. A person with AIDS is unlikely to live as long as a person without it.
Knowing whether you have HIV
To know whether you have HIV, you need to get tested. In Norway, the HIV test is free of charge. The person performing the test is bound by the duty of confidentality.
Talk to a health professional if you want to get tested for HIV.
