There's a lot of misunderstanding and HIV and AIDS. Not everything you hear about HIV and AIDS is true. Some of the myths are about how HIV is passed on, where HIV came from and HIV treatment.

HIV testing in the UK is free, voluntary and confidential. You can be tested at an NHS sexual health clinic, a GP surgery or a community testing project. When all the tests have been done, the result will be HIV negative (you don't have HIV) or HIV positive (you have HIV).

The sooner you know you have HIV, the sooner you can get the right medical care. If you know you have HIV, you can take steps to get it under control.

Some people have gone to prison because they have pased HIV on to another person. They were found guilty of recklessly transmitting HIV. In England and Wales, a person can be found guilty of recklessly transmitting HIV if they know they have HIV, they understand how HIV is transmitted, the person they have sex with does not know they have HIV, they have sex without a condom and they pass HIV on to the person they had sex with. The law is only broken if all five of these things are true.

Hepatitis C can be passed on during sex that could lead to contact with small traces of blood. Many gay men with HIV have picked up hepatitis C during sex. Some gay men have caught both HIV and hepatitis C around the same time. During sex, you may have contact with drops or traces of blood without noticing. Heterosexual people rarely pick up hepatitis C during sex.

When the blood of a person who has hepatitis C enters the bloodstream of another person, that person could get hepatitis C. Tiny and unseen traces of blood can lead to hepatitis C infection. To avoid infection, don’t share or re-use objects which could have been in contact with another person’s blood.

Hepatitis C is a serious infection caused by a virus. It damages the liver, which performs essential functions in the body. Some people have hepatitis C for many years without feeling unwell or having any symptoms. If hepatitis C treatment works, it will cure you of hepatitis C.

Staff at your HIV clinic use various tests to keep an eye on your HIV. Many of these tests are done on samples of your blood or urine. Some will be done at every check-up, others less often.

The immune system is the body’s natural defence system. It’s a network of cells, tissues and organs inside the body. The immune system recognises and fights off pathogens (germs). HIV weakens the immune system, which means that common pathogens can cause infections and illnesses. HIV treatment strengthens the immune system.