Using a condom during sex is one of the best ways to avoid getting HIV, as well as other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Nor can you catch it if someone with HIV sneezes on you, from sharing a bath, towels or cutlery with someone who has HIV, or by sitting on a toilet seat someone with HIV has used. Can I get HIV from kissing someone with it? Women who have only ever had sex with women are at low risk. Who gets HIV?Īnyone can get HIV if they have unprotected sex, but gay men are one of the highest risk groups. It can also be passed on through sharing sex toys. It's most commonly passed on during unprotected sex, including oral and anal sex. HIV is spread through bodily fluids, such as semen or blood. Take the sexual health self-assessment test to see if your sex life is putting you at risk of contracting HIV. This means someone with HIV has a higher risk of getting a serious infection or disease, such as cancer. HIV attacks the immune system, the body's defence against infection and disease. About 13,500 of them don't know they have it and are at risk of passing on the virus. In 2015, about 101,000 people in the UK were living with HIV.
