Aidsmap, hosted by Terrence Higgins Trust

28/05/2026

Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. Stopping smoking lowers the risk of developing cancer. Experts estimate that ten years after quitting, the risk of lung cancer is cut in half.

People living with HIV have a higher risk of lung cancer than people without HIV. Many people do not have symptoms during the early stages of lung cancer.

27/05/2026

The months just after HIV infection are important in terms of infectiousness and damage to the immune system. During seroconversion there is also a high amount of HIV in your blood (this is called having a high ‘viral load’).

Early HIV infection is also known as acute or primary HIV infection. It may cause flu-like symptoms.

26/05/2026

Without any sort of treatment or care, the chance of a woman with HIV passing it on to her baby is considerable. With effective HIV treatment and a managed delivery, the risk of vertical transmission is greatly reduced.

HIV transmission is possible during pregnancy, labour and delivery. But with effective HIV treatment and a managed delivery, the risk is

20/05/2026

While the risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia was higher among all people with HIV in a large Danish cohort, those who acquired HIV through injecting drug use were at a much higher risk. This research also highlights the complex familial factors that may play a role in being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

While the risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia was higher among all people with HIV in a large Danish cohort, those who acquired HIV through injecting drug use were at a much higher risk. This research also highlights the complex familial factors that may play a role in being diagnosed with sc...

15/05/2026

HIV diagnosis doesn’t stop you from having children, working, travelling or making future plans. While adjusting to having HIV takes time, some people come to find positives in their experience.

With the right medical treatment and care, most people living with HIV in the UK are now expected to have a more or less normal lifespan.

14/05/2026

While the majority of cases of syphilis in the UK are still in gay and bis*xual men who have s*x with men and transgender women, the proportion of cases in heteros*xuals and particularly women has risen in the last decade.

14/05/2026

Can I still have s*x when I have HIV? What does 'U=U' mean? How will U=U affect me and my partners? Find out about s*x and relationships when you have been recently diagnosed with HIV on aidsmap.

Having HIV can affect people’s feelings about s*x. Most people living with HIV continue to have s*x and form relationships.

13/05/2026

HIV is usually monitored and treated at a specialist HIV clinic in a hospital. Most HIV clinics are open access. As well as seeing a specialist HIV doctor, having a GP is also important for your long-term health.

HIV clinics in the UK are open access and provide free treatment. They offer check-ups, medication, support, and counselling.

13/05/2026

One of the last sessions of the recent BHIVA BASHH conference covered BASHH’s most recent clinical guidelines.

Instead of devoting the session to detailed updates, this year it focused on one proposed change – whether to carry on screening gay and bis*xual men and trans/non-binary people who have s*x with men for chlamydia and gonorrhoea every three months, or to change to screening every six months.

One of the last sessions of the recent joint conference of the British HIV Association (BHIVA) and the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) covered BASHH’s most recent clinical guidelines.

12/05/2026

Why is it so important to take HIV treatment? What happens if I don't take HIV treatment? How should I take my treatment? Read the answers to some common questions about looking after your health in our recently diagnosed pages.

If you are ‘HIV positive’ this means that you have a virus called HIV in your body. HIV treatment can keep the virus under control.