What is HIV?
HIV is a treatable virus. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
If HIV is not detected and treated, it breaks down the immune system. AIDS is a collective name for the illnesses that you can then develop. Treating HIV counteracts the damage to your immune system, which prevents the development of AIDS. HIV and AIDS are therefore not the same thing.
There is effective treatment
If you take your medication as prescribed and go for regular check-ups, the amount of HIV in your body will be so low that it cannot be detected. The treatment involves taking a combination of drugs that prevent HIV from reproducing in your body. This means that your values are good, that your immune system works properly and that HIV cannot be passed on to others.
Everyone living with HIV in Sweden has the right to free treatment. For about 95 percent, the treatment is well-adjusted - this is also called effective treatment.
Effective treatment means one hundred percent protection against sexual transmission. The research supports the global movement called U = U, Undetectable equals untransmittable which means that the risk of transmission is zero.
This is how it works - body & medicines
The viral load simply shows how active the HIV infection is. A small number of virus copies per millilitre of blood shows that HIV is suppressed and is not multiplying. A CD4 count is an indication of the health of your immune system. It was more important to keep track of this earlier, as it determined when it was time to start treatment. Today, treatment is started as early as possible.
You have the right to treatment that is tailored to you. Nowadays, the medications do not come with many side effects, but different bodies can be affected in different ways. It can sometimes take quite a while to find a treatment that suits you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about side effects and about your treatment in general. You can also contact us.
HIV cannot reproduce on its own. Instead, it enters living cells and uses their copying function. These cells are called CD4 or T-helper cells and are part of the body’s immune system. You could say that the cell starts to function as a factory for new virus copies. The cell dies once it has done its job, which means that the immune system deteriorates and the body has a harder time defending itself, making untreated HIV life-threatening.
What HIV drugs do is to go in and stop this process in different ways. The treatment entails the combination of different drugs to achieve the best possible effect. Antiretroviral treatment means that HIV does not affect the immune system and that HIV cannot multiply. The goal of treatment is undetectable virus levels.
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV can only be transmitted in three ways:
1) Unprotected sex
2) Blood
3) Pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding
People living with HIV and receiving effective treatment cannot pass the virus on to others. But if HIV is untreated, it can enter the body via mucous membranes and contact with blood vessels. Skin protects. HIV is not spread through air, surfaces, saliva or mosquitoes and does not survive outside the body.
Testing is the only way to know
Anyone can get HIV. So it is not something that only concerns certain people or groups. HIV is not visible on the outside and usually does not show clear symptoms. Testing is the only way to know. It is always good to do an HIV test if you have been in a situation where HIV may have been passed on or if you simply do not know your HIV status.
Everyone has the right to an HIV test. You can, for example, get an HIV test at outpatient clinics, youth clinics or specialist clinics, such as those for skin and venereal diseases or infectious diseases, or take a quick test at various checkpoints or clinics run by volunteer organisations. It’s free and you can get yourself tested anonymously. You do not have to justify why you want to get a test.
Infektionsmottagningen Östra sjukhuset
Right to treatment
Confidentiality & record keeping
Healthcare workers and interpreters are bound by professional secrecy and confidentiality, which means that no one is allowed to disclose that you are living with HIV or what is said during your visits.
Shared health records enable all health care providers you visit to see what care you have received. The purpose is to facilitate treatment and provide better care. For example, it could be important to know how different medications work together. If you do not want this, you have the right to block this information. Since your health records can then not be read by different care providers, you have a duty to provide information if there is a risk of transmission. It is a good idea to tell your treating HIV physician if you are receiving other care. You also have the right to read your own health records.
Equal treatment
You cannot be denied the care you need because you are living with HIV. This also applies to private healthcare providers who receive compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.
You cannot be denied employment because you have HIV, do not want to undergo an HIV test or tell your employer about your HIV status. Neither can you be fired or relocated with HIV as a reason.
Source: Hiv-SverigeFree treatment
You are entitled to free treatment. Visits to the doctor, tests and medicines related to your HIV infection are free. This applies to everyone who lives in Sweden, even if you are an asylum seeker or have no paperwork. For other medical and dentist visits, you will have to pay as usual.
Participation
You have the right to be involved in all decisions regarding your treatment, in consultation with doctors and healthcare professionals. This means that you have the right to change treatment if it makes you unwell and also the right to continue any treatment that you are happy with. The focus should be on your wishes and needs. You have the right to switch treating physicians. If you feel that you are being treated badly, you have the right to report the health service.
Rules of conduct
Your treating physician will provide you with rules of conduct that you must follow. You have the right to have a dialogue about these and the right to individual examination. You can appeal your treating physician’s decision to the infection control physician in your region.
Mental and sexual health
You have the right to psychosocial support and the right to choose who you want to talk to. You also have the right to support concerning your sexuality. Not all places have a counsellor, but you still have the right to see a counsellor if you want.
Talk to your doctor.
Law & legislation
The Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination on the grounds of disability and also applies to people living with HIV. Other rights are stipulated in, for example, the Communicable Diseases Act and the Health and Medical Services Act. We can help you with any questions and legal advice.
When are you required to disclose?
You do not have to disclose your HIV status when there is no risk of transmission, for example to employers. If you are getting effective treatment, you do not need to tell your sex partners that you are living with HIV. For people who do not yet have undetectable virus levels, there is still an obligation to inform before intercourse. Before health and dental care procedures, where there is a higher risk, for example in the case of surgical procedures, you need to disclose that you have a “blood infection”. If you have well-functioning treatment, you do not need to disclose when undergoing simple examinations, including blood tests and injections. This is regulated in the rules of conduct given to you by your treating physician.