TODAY is World Aids Day which is held to raise awareness of the global fight against HIV and Aids and to commemorate people who have died as a result of the virus.

Collated from www.worldaidsday.org and www.hivaware.org.uk, we have put together the following information and facts.

HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus which attacks the body's immune system — the body's defence against diseases.

HIV can be passed on through infected bodily fluids, most commonly via sex without a condom or by sharing infected needles, syringes or other injecting drug equipment.

There are around 100,000 people living with HIV in the UK – but, worryingly, it’s estimated a quarter of those people are unaware they have the virus.

Always using a condom during sex is one of the main protections against HIV. Needles, syringes or other injecting equipment should never be shared.

Aids stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A person with HIV is considered to have developed Aids when the immune system is so weak it can no longer fight off a range of diseases with which it would normally cope.

Here is a selection of facts about HIV in this country:

  • More than 90 per cent of people with HIV were infected through sexual contact
  • You can now get tested for HIV using a saliva sample
  • HIV is not passed on through spitting, biting or sharing utensils
  • Only one per cent of babies born to HIV-positive mothers have HIV
  • You can get the results of an HIV test in just 15-20 minutes
  • There is no vaccine and no cure for HIV
  • One in 20 gay men in the UK are living with HIV
  • For someone diagnosed with HIV today at 35 (the average age of diagnosis in the UK) life expectancy is over 72
  • The most common treatment today for someone diagnosed with HIV early is one or two pills a day
  • HIV is not transmitted through normal everyday contact at work, school or in social situations
  • HIV affects all ages – one in five people living with HIV in the UK are over 50 and last year one in 10 people diagnosed were aged 16 to 24

For more information about HIV and World Aids Day visit www.worldaidsday.org and www.hivaware.org.uk to have a good browse around.