AIDs/HIV

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is an incurable virus that attacks the immune system, destroying essential white blood cells that protect the body from bacteria, viruses and other harmful microorganisms. This makes it harder for the body to fight infections, and increases the severity of common conditions and diseases, including cancer.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the final stage of HIV infection.

For figures on HIV/AIDS prevalence in Singapore, view our latest update.

HIV is most commonly transmitted through the act of unprotected sex with a person with HIV, but it can also be transmitted by:

• Sharing injection needles or piercing instruments (e.g. tattoo guns or acupuncture needles) with a person with HIV

• Receiving infected blood or blood products (e.g. blood transfusion, organ transplant)

• During pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding

HIV cannot be transmitted by:

• Hugging, touching or kissing

• Insect bites

• Contact via objects such as shared food or toilet seats

Symptoms of HIV vary from person to person, and may differ depending on the stage of infection. Early symptoms include:

• Tiredness

• Weight loss

• Prolonged fever

• Skin rash

• Night sweats

• Persistent diarrhoea

• Lowered resistance to infections

You cannot tell if someone has HIV just by their appearance. The only way to know for sure is to take an HIV test.

HIV can take up to 10 years to develop into AIDS without medical intervention. If left untreated, a person will usually die between 1.5 and 3 years after developing AIDS.

Protecting against HIV

• Be faithful to your partner and do not engage in casual sex

• Be honest about your sexual history with potential new partners, and consider going for a screening together if you are unsure about your HIV status

• Practise safe sex by using condoms, which provide at least 90% protection from HIV

• Visit a reliable service provider who uses clean, sterile needles for any tattoos, piercings or injections

• Accept only HIV-screened blood for transfusion

Undergoing HIV screening is the only way to know if you have HIV.

Most clinics in Singapore offer HIV screening as a routine service. Some can provide results in as little as 20 minutes. Others provide anonymous screening services. Regardless of where you go, your results will be kept strictly confidential.

If you have multiple sexual partners or engage in casual sex often, you should always go for regular screenings so that any STI can be detected and treated as soon as possible. Early intervention is essential for the optimal management of HIV.

Under the Infectious Disease Act, it is an offence to hide a positive HIV status from a partner before sexual intercourse.

If you believe or know that you have HIV/AIDS or are at risk of contracting it, you must:

• take reasonable precautions to protect your partner (e.g. by using condoms);

• go for HIV testing to confirm you do not have HIV; or

• inform your partner of the risk of contracting HIV.

While there is no cure for HIV, anti-retroviral therapy can help to improve the immune system and suppress the virus in your system to undetectable levels. This delays the spread of HIV and the onset of AIDS.

People with HIV taking anti-retroviral therapy are now likely to have a near-normal life expectancy.